Grading

Lab Guidelines

News Guide

Paper Guide

Course Work

Syllabus:  The syllabus is subject to change, particularly towards the end of the semester. Readings listed in the right column should be completed by the time of the lecture or lab for that day. Additional readings may be assigned. Watch for announcements on the course web page for any changes, particularly regarding assignments.

Lectures:  Most lectures will include several Powerpoint slides, primarily of graphic material. These will generally be posted to the course website the day before each class. You may want to print these out and read them before class and to write notes on during class. However, the information on the slides is by no means comprehensive – you will be responsible for taking your own notes during class and reading the course notes. Studying from the Powerpoint slides alone is not advised!

Labs:  About 9 labs will be assigned. These are designed to reinforce the lecture material, and to allow you to. Lab reports are due at the beginning of the following week’s lab session (Thursday), unless noted otherwise. Late labs will be penalized 10% per day for up to six days. Labs submitted after class the Wednesday following the due date will be graded but given no credit. See me if you will be submitting a lab late. Collaboration is allowed, so only one lab per group is required. However you will be responsible for all the material on the lab, so it is important that you understand each part. For assignments (in-class or otherwise) each student will usually be required to turn in their own work. Labs will be posted online the day before each lab, and the answers will be posted once all completed labs are turned in. Lab report guidelines can be found here.

Quizzes:  There will be 2-3 quizzes over the semester. These will generally be fairly short (~15 minutes or less). Quizzes will generally be announced at least one class period in advance and will usually be given during the lab session. Tentative dates for some quizzes are listed in the syllabus. These dates are subject to change and additional quizzes may be scheduled.

News Reports: Each lab group will present 1 brief (5 minutes or so) report on recent polar news. These reports will be given at the beginning of the lab periods. Details can be found here.

Exams:  There will be two hourly in-class exams, as scheduled in the syllabus, and a final exam.  Exams will be designed to test understanding of course content, not merely a regurgitation of facts.  Expect to have to extend your knowledge of class topics to new situations. Discussion of exams with anyone with anyone who has not yet taken the exam is not allowed until all students have completed the exam. The final exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire course content.

Paper Presentation: Each lab group will present a topical paper to the class in a seminar style. These will be presented throughout the semester at the beginning of the lab periods. Details are here.

Course Notes:  There is no formal textbook for this class. Unfortunately, no introductory level text is available that adequately covers all the material in this class. Therefore, course notes will be provided on the course website for each topic. The notes will follow the lecture material fairly closely and are required reading. Generally, these notes will not be provided in hardcopy, so it is your responsibility to download, print, and read the material. These can be found here

Supplemental Material:  Supplemental reading may be provided along with the course notes. In addition, links to useful online resources are here.
 

Class Guidelines

Academic Integrity:  Plagiarism and cheating are taken very seriously, and the penalty can be a zero on the assigned  task, an F in the course, reporting to the honor board, or all of these. It may surprise you how easy it is to discover plagiarism. Proper citation is a must for all sources. Proper citation alone, however, is an insufficient defense against charges of plagiarism - the thoughts presented must be your own. Direct copying of sentences and phrases is still plagiarism, even when cited. If you are writing a general review on a subject, you must synthesize the work of others into your own words, and not merely regurgitate sections from the work of others. The internet has become a particularly valuable resource for information, but care should be taken; it is recommended that you use web information primarily from widely recognized sources, such as NSIDC, NOAA, NASA, etc.

Collaboration:  The purpose of the labs and homework is to help you learn the material, so collaboration on in-class work is encouraged. However, it is important that you each do and understand all the work, otherwise you will not understand the material for the tests.

Class Notes: Slides and class notes and supplemental material will be provided for most topics covered in class, but for some, these may not be sufficient. You will be responsible for understanding all material presented in class and taking your own notes during class.

Mathematics:  Much of this course will involve qualitative knowledge, however some quantitative calculations may be required.  Calculators will be provided during exams and quizzes ONLY if they are necessary. Use of your own personal calculators is prohibited.

Extra Instruction:  I will usually be available for extra instruction at any time, but appointments are preferred.  I will give some help occasionally by e-mail, but I can’t guarantee it will be timely. Drop-ins are at your own risk – I may not be in or I may not be available.

Attendance:  Attendance policy is in accordance with established protocol. If you must miss a class, notify me in advance. Missed exams due to unexcused absences will be given a grade of zero; if the absence is excused, the exam must be made up within two working days to receive credit.

Standards of Conduct:  Appropriate standards of military conduct and appearance will be observed at all times. The section leader will bring the section to attention and take attendance as per the established protocol. Do not interrupt class with idle chatter. . Please turn off cell phones during class. Sleeping in class is strongly discouraged. You may stand up, if it helps keep you awake. I see a sleeping Mid as one who knows the material well and is therefore a good person to call upon in class! Do not play with computers during lectures unless so directed.