Your Ocean Lab Instructor’s Welcome
Message
Hello and
Welcome to MiraCosta College’s OCEA101L Oceanography Tuesday Lab Course!
My name is Ray Rector, your oceanography
lab instructor.
Congratulations for enrolling in this oceanography laboratory course
here at MiraCosta College – you picked a great ocean program!
Here’s
the general overview of our lab course this semester:
1) You – the ocean lab student - will be
studying all the major topics of oceanography in this lab, including the
scientific method, bathymetry and navigational maps, plate tectonics,
seafloors, marine sediments, atmospheric and ocean circulation, waves, shorelines,
marine life, and marine environmental concerns. You will be participating in a 3-hour
set of laboratory exercises each week, either in lab, or in the field. You need to prepare for each lab meeting
by completing a pre-laboratory activity prior to starting the lab. You need to bring to lab your completed
pre-lab worksheet and your laboratory worksheet (printed off the course
website). The pre-lab worksheets
(and information needed to complete the prelab worksheet) are found on the
instructor's website at www.seascisurf.com. The regular lab worksheets are found in
the MiraCosta Tuesday OCEA101L class website. Other valuable information for the
course, including course syllabus, schedule, lab PowerPoint lectures, safety
and fieldtrip info, are also posted on instructor’s website. You may also elect to go on voluntary
weekend field trips to the beach for extra credit points.
2) I – your lab instructor - will be your lab activity guide and
learning outcome assessor over the next 16 weeks. As your instructor, I will do my
best to present the laboratory material and lab activity directions to you,
lead you through the interesting and thought-provoking laboratory exercises
together, and help you to successfully complete all the course activities. You can always reach me by email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com
3) As mentioned above, there is a course website
created by me for maximizing your learning outcomes in this lab. This website is found at: http://www.seascisurf.com Once
there, click on the
Here
you will find a plethora of useful information, including course syllabus,
schedule, worksheets, lab safety rules, PowerPoints, test and fieldtrip info,
and numerous resource links.
4) There is no required oceanography laboratory
manual to purchase. However, you
will need to print out hard-copies of both the pre-laboratory worksheet and in-laboratory
worksheets each week off the Canvas course website. I will further explain the
laboratory prelabs and in-lab
activites during the first lab meeting.
5) There is a
free electronic oceanography textbook made available through the college that
closely supports the ocean topics that will be covered in this lab. This E-textbook titled,
“Oceanography 101”, is found at:
http://gotbooks.miracosta.edu/oceans/index.html
Please
make the most of this very valuable learning resource.
6) The Course Syllabus - an Important Must-Read Document - is
basically the official course contract between me (the instructor) and you (the
student). This is where all the
course information and logistics are found. Things like enrollment, attendance,
and grading policies, are all found in the syllabus. The syllabus also includes the
course Lab Schedule which is by
far the most important document during the semester for keeping your studies on
a timely track – things like lab meetings, tests, and fieldtrip dates are
all there. The Lab Safety Rules, another very Important Must-Read Document, are
also found in the course syllabus and also on the class website. Please read this document.
7) Contacting
me: Don't be shy when it comes
to communicating with me or your fellow students. There are several means of
communication: 1) during class, 2) email, 3) phone, and 4) fieldtrip
meetings. As a general rule, I can
be quickly contacted by email through the “Mail” link, or via my personal
email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com (I check for messages at
least once a day, typically several times). Alternately, you can reach me by
telephone at (760) 942-9201.
However, unless there is an urgent need to contact me, I prefer to be
contacted via email.
I think that
you will enjoy this fun lab course this semester, and that you will learn a lot
about our ocean. I hope that you make the most of it! Look forward to meeting everyone in
class.
Aloha,
Ray Rector