Professor’s Ocean 101 Welcome
Message
Hello everyone and welcome to MiraCosta College’s OCEA 101
Introductory Oceanography purely online course!
My name is Ray Rector, your oceanography online instructor for
this course.
Congratulations for signing up
for my online introductory oceanography course here at MiraCosta College this summer
session – you picked a great program! This is a fairly challenging
3-unit, college-level, physical earth science course that is packed into a
super-fast-paced, 6-week session.
This course is purely online and asynchronous, with no mandatory set
meeting days or times.
This
course covers most physical and biological aspects of the ocean and is
especially suited for students who want to complete their physical science GE
with an emphasis on the ocean, and is required if you want to take the
oceanography lab.
Additionally, this course is for anyone who wants to learn all the
important aspects of our truly amazing ocean. You will learn many things about the
ocean: its origin and chemical make-up, plate tectonic theory, seafloors and
marine sediments, currents and waves, wind and storms, beaches, sea life, and
how the ocean is literally the life blood of the planet. Finally, this course is also about
ocean awareness, and how our ocean is under siege by pollutants, overfishing,
habitat destruction and undesirable climate change.
Here’s
how this fully asynchronous online course works:
1) You access this
course through Canvas at the following URL: https://okta.miracosta.edu/
2) The instructor (that is me!) is primarily a course content
presenter and facilitator, discussion leader, and learning outcome assessor
– I’m here to make sure that you are able to access all the course
content, that you understand how to successfully complete all the course
activities, and finally, grade your assignments and tests. You and
I primarily communicate via discussion board, Zoom, and email me using the
“Inbox” link found on the main Dashboard Canvas page. You can
also reach me at my personal website email address at oceanprof@seascisurf.com
3) The student (that is you!) uses this online classroom platform
(Canvas) to learn introductory oceanography and successfully (hopefully) get
college credit for doing it. To successfully complete this course, you
must successfully complete a couple of writing assignments, post on discussion
board forums, take several quizzes and exams, and go on a virtual fieldtrip.
4) The information (course content) you need to learn in this course
is found in several places: a) your textbook, b) instructor PowerPoint lectures
and notes, c) instructor’s website links, d) numerous website and online
article links that have been included in the assignment instructions, and e)
direct personal communication with me.
5) Navigating through our Canvas course site is somewhat
simple. When you log into our Canvas course, you’ll notice that
there is a menu on the left side of the course page, where all components of
the course are listed. This menu has several linked categories that
include the following: “Home”; "Announcements”;
"Assignments"; “Discussion"; "Quizzes; and
“Grades”.
Here are some details for each menu item:
a) The
“Home” link is where you will find all the various course
components listed/expanded to view.
The “Home” page also has important logistical documents and
information, such as my instructor welcome message and video links, and the
course syllabus and schedule. Other
useful items are also there and include assignment and test-taking tips,
plagiarism info, a link to my personal educational website, and Canvas help
links.
b) The
“Announcement” is where you find my weekly update message
concerning current course activities and due dates.
c) Means of communication between
course participants is done from the "Discussion" link. Note that "Email" messaging is
done outside the course page, but within the general Canvas Dashboard site
under the “Inbox” Icon.
d) Assessment components (graded
class activities) of this course are found under the "Assignments",
“Discussion”, and “Quizzes” sections.
e) The majority of the course
geology science curriculum is found at my personal student website at www.seascisurf.com, and includes textbook support, professor’s lecture
materials (lecture notes and PowerPoints), Oceanography streaming learning
videos, and Internet geosciences education links.
e) Required research/writing
assignments are found in the “Assignments” and “Discussion
Board” links. You access writing assignment instructions and
submit your assignment response from the “Assignments” or
“Discussion” portal, depending on the assignment.
f) Quizzes and Exams are taken via the
“Quizzes” link. You get three untimed attempts on
taking quizzes. You get one timed
attempt taking an exam.
g) You have
access to your grades in the course through the “Grades” link.
h) The
“Discussion” link includes several different forums, including two
graded forums. This where students
can hold public or private discussions concerning course work – primarily
students helping students – and for raising any sorts of questions,
comments and concerns about this course or anything in general.
6) Your typical work agenda for each week will include the
following: a) read several chapters in your e-textbook; b) view/study the
professor's Power Point presentations and lecture notes; c) watch/study several
ocean tutorial videos, d) watch the “Endless Voyage” streaming
video series; e) post on discussion board; f) work on a writing assignment; and
g) take a couple of learning self-assessment quizzes.
7) I personally grade your written assignments and forum posts,
whereas the homework quizzes and exams are automatically graded.
Therefore, you get homework and test results back rather fast, whereas your
submitted written assignments will take longer for me to grade and get back to
you. Please give me a little patience with getting back your graded
written assignments.
Important
Resources and Must-Read Documents
1) Syllabus and Schedule: 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 textbook information, 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
homework, assignment, and tests due
dates are all there.
2) Download this document for help with
using Canvas and Zooming:
Resources_for_Navigating_Canvas_and_Zoom.pdf
3) You will also be using an
additional educational website that is designed and maintained by the
instructor (my personal website) exclusively created for maximizing your
learning outcomes. This website is
found at:
www.seascisurf.com
Once there, click on the
button
to access our classroom web page.
Here you will find a plethora
of
helpful information,
including course syllabus, schedule, lecture
notes, PowerPoints, test and fieldtrip information, and
numerous resource
links.
4) Required NO-COST Textbook for this Course: Textbook
Option #1: This course
requires an oceanography
textbook that is ABSOLUTELY
FREE - an eText titled MiraCosta Oceanography 101
- Author: MiraCosta College Earth Science Faculty
Digital Copy URL:
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/oceanography-101-miracosta/view
Textbook Option #2: Another optional/supplemental oceanography e-textbook for this course that is also ABSOLUTELY
FREE – is titled “Introduction to Ocean
Sciences”
- 4th Edition and Authored by Segar
A free digital copy of this text is found here: https://www.reefimages.com/oceans/SegarOcean4Book.pdf
Textbook Option #3: You may also purchase an optional/supplemental (highly
recommended) hardcopy oceanography textbook
- or eText option
This text is titled “Essentials of Oceanography”, 13th Edition;
Authored by Trujillo & Thurman and Publisher:
Prentice Hall
13th Edition:
Print ISBN: 9780321814050, 0321814053
eText ISBN: 9780133558890, 0133558894
There is an e-text version of the Essentials of Oceanography is
fairly inexpensive and handy with electronic devices. Directions for access to Pearson
e-text for Essentials of
Oceanography, 13 edition are found below. This eTextbook is
simple to use on computers or iOS and Android mobile devices (even offline).
You can take notes and highlights within the e-text; they are added to your
virtual notebook, where you can organize them for the way you study.
1) Go to: https://console.pearson.com/enrollment/vzjfcf;
2) Create a Pearson Account or sign in if you
already have one; and
3) Purchase instant access online or redeem your access code
(temporary access is also available).
Note that you
are given options on your course textbook choice so that you find one that is
best suited to your reading and study style. Please make the most of
these very
valuable learning
resources.
7) Contacting me: Be proactive when it comes
to
communicating with
me
or your fellow students.
Contact me by either email,
or on the discussion
board. As a general rule, I can be quickly contacted by email through
the Canvas “Inbox” link, or via my personal
email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com
(I check for messages at least once
a day,
typically several times).
I really believe that you will enjoy this course this Summer Session and that you will learn a lot about
our ocean. And it is my hope that
you
make the most of it! Look
forward
to meeting everyone online during our first week of class.
Also, if you have not
done so yet, please check out my video class welcome on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgeToPGDIWw&feature=youtu.be
Aloha!
Ray Rector