A Welcome Message from your Online
Oceanography Lab Professor
Hi and Welcome to MiraCosta’s Introductory Oceanography Laboratory
Course – OCEA101L!
My name
is Ray Rector, your instructor for our online oceanography lab this semester.
I
am very pleased that you enrolled in this introductory oceanography laboratory
course here at
Here is the general overview of this online
ocean lab course:
1) Over the next 17
weeks, you will be
exploring all the major aspects of
oceanography, including plate
tectonics, seafloors, marine maps and charts, marine sediments,
seawater properties, ocean circulation,
ocean waves, shorelines, marine life,
and marine environmental concerns, including virtual field trips to the beach.
2) This is a one-unit, inquiry-based,
science laboratory course currently
taught purely online and asynchronously from the Canvas learning platform. The lab class has no mandatory required meeting
days/times (No mandatory Zoom meetings). To
successfully complete this course,
you
must complete 14 weekly ocean lab learning module assignments on
Canvas, take a midterm and final exam, and
be an active lab participant in lab discussions.
2) I am your course content provider, facilitator and learning outcome assessor –
I’m here as your
guide to the wonderful
world of ocean science. As your lab instructor,
I will do my best to
present the
course curriculum to you, lead you
through thought- stimulating lab activities and discussions, help you to successfully complete all the
course activities,
and finally, assess your lab work and practical
exams. My goal and hope is
that you achieve all the student learning
outcomes in this introductory oceanography
laboratory course and successfully (hopefully) get a good
grade for doing it.
You can always reach me by
Canvas Message Center or my personal email
at oceanprof@seascisurf.com
3) The information (course
content) that you need
for successful learning in
this course is
found in two places: a) Primarily on the college Canvas course site, and
b) The instructor’s
supplemental educational website. Below are more details about the Canvas
course website:
The primary official school
Canvas site is found at this URL: http://www.miracosta.edu/instruction/distanceeducation/index.html The Canvas course site is your virtual
laboratory classroom. Here you will
meet and communicate with the professor (me) and your fellow students. You will also access the weekly lab activities
(modules) from Canvas, which includes lab activity assignments and tests. Finally, all course logistics
information is here too, like class announcements, the course syllabus and schedule, and
other valuable student support materials.
Every week, you will complete a lab assignment, which comes in the form
of a “lab “module”.
Within each weekly lab
module, you will find several sequential lab components, including preparatory
information, lab worksheet(s), self-assessment quiz(zes), and a post-lab
writing reflection. There are
a total of 14 labs, a midterm exam, and a final exam. The midterm and final exams are
practical tests that cover what you learned in the course – midterm
covers the first half, the final only covers the second half. You have a full week to complete
each lab at your own pace, and every lab is due at the end of the week –
Sunday at 11:59pm.
Download this
document for help with using Canvas and Zooming: Resources_for_Navigating_Canvas_and_Zoom.pdf
The instructor’s personal educational site - both available to for maximize your learning outcomes.
This instructor’s website is found
at: http://www.seascisurf.com Once there,
click
on this icon:
Here you will find a plethora
of
helpful information,
including course syllabus, schedule, PowerPoints, and
numerous resource
links.
4) This is a No-cost lab. This laboratory science course does NOT
require you to purchase a lab textbook or manual. You save a ton of money!!!
5) 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 lab
activities, enrollment,
attendance, and grading policies,
are all found in
the
syllabus. The
syllabus
also includes the course Schedule which is important for keeping your studies on a timely track – things like
assignment, tests,
and fieldtrip due
dates are all there.
6) Communication: There are several means of communication that will take place during this
course: 1) Discussion Board, 2) Zoom, 4) Recorded videos,
and 3) Email. Although the class will not meet at
a set day or time each week, (not counting my office hour), I may arrange times
during the semester where there will be non-mandatory, voluntary Zoom or
Conference meetings – as need be – typically during my office hour. As
a general rule, I can be quickly contacted by email through the
“Inbox” Canvas link, or via my personal
email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com
(I am available 24/7 and
typically check for messages several times). Please do not be shy when it
comes
to
communicating with
me
or with your fellow students.
7) Getting Started in Your Ocean Lab: To help you get started in this ocean lab and get familiarized with how
to navigate the Class Canvas site and complete the weekly online lab assignments,
I have put together a document that describes and explains the general layout,
instructions, and procedures for completing the weekly lab assignments. That document is listed under
“Announcements” on the home page and found at this link: Weekly Ocean Lab Procedure.
It is my hope that you will enjoy this
course this
semester and that you will learn
a lot
about our ocean. I look forward to reading
your personal introductions, and meeting you online the first week of class.
Aloha,
Ray Rector