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| Geol 2161: GIS and Remote Sensing To download the Spring 2008 course syllabus in pdf format, click here. Instructor: Jamey Jones Lecture/Lab Room: MWF 1030-1135 am (lecture), Sci 2190; Th 1000 am-100 pm (lab), Sci 2530 Required Texts GIS Fundamentals, 2nd ed., Paul Bolstad, Eider Press, 543 p. (available online at AtlasBooks) How to Lie with Maps, 2nd ed., Mark Monmonier, Chicago University Press, 207 p. Auxiliary Texts (available in classroom/lab or on the network) Modeling Our World, M. Zeiler, ESRI Press, 200 p. Course Goals A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a robust and flexible platform for displaying, manipulating, creating, and analyzing geospatial data and imagery, and it is increasingly being used as an essential tool in the Earth and environmental sciences. The robust and flexible nature of GIS allows for a wide variety of applications ranging from maps of relatively simple spatial relationships ( e.g. , street maps) to the analysis of complex spatial interactions ( e.g. , 3-D hydrological models). This course focuses on the design, development, and application of GIS; the acquisition and utility of a wide variety of geospatial data products; and a broad survey of applications. The laboratory component focuses on the practical aspects of GIS development and use and includes original semester projects to be designed and implemented by individual students. The semester projects will ensure that the students become familiar with all stages of GIS development including data acquisition, analysis, and presentation, and students are required to design a project that will answer an original research question in the field of their interest and expertise. Portable Storage Media The GIS software you will be learning to use during this course (ArcGIS version 9.1) is available on computers in a number of locations around campus. You may complete your laboratory exercises wherever you wish, but you will need to come up with a reliable way to transport lab exercises, data, and your work products between different machines. UMM does not have centralized network folders (yet), so removable data storage products will come in very handy during this course. Computers in the campus labs are equipped with software that completely erases any saved material any time the machine is rebooted. USB flash drives are the most convenient and are reasonably affordable, but other options could certainly work (CD-R, CD-RW, zip disk, etc.). However, be aware that GIS data files and projects can become rather large, especially when raster datasets are being used. A device or storage medium that can store at least 512 Mb is highly recommended and will potentially save you a lot of frustration. Attendance There is no set policy, but you are responsible for all material covered in lecture, lab, and text. Exams There will be take-home mid-term exam and an in-class final exam (see lecture schedule). Exams will primarily consist of short answer questions, but I reserve the right to use any testing format that I believe to be the most effective. Exams will primarily cover material from both lecture and lab, and assigned material from the text and lab are also fair game. The final exam will be comprehensive. Make-ups If you must miss a lecture exam, you must notify me before the scheduled exam time with an acceptable excuse. Make-up exams and quizzes must be taken within one week of the scheduled test. If you miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to find out what material was covered and if any schedule changes were announced. Late work Work turned in more than 48 hours late without an acceptable excuse will be docked one letter grade. Late assignments will not be accepted more than one week past the due date except under extreme (and pre-arranged) circumstances. Academic Integrity For UMM policies regarding student academic integrity, refer to the Student Affairs website (click here). Cheating or other dishonest behavior will not be tolerated, and penalties will be imposed at the discretion of the instructor. In general, if you are caught cheating, you will receive a score of zero on that exercise and will not have a chance to make it up. You will often, if not always, have the opportunity to work in groups during laboratory exercises. Unless a group report is specifically requested, you must turn in your own work in your own words. Grading Final numerical grades will be calculated based on the following formula: Lab average = 70% [Assignments = 50%, Class project = 20%] Lecture average = 30% [Mid-term exam = 15%, Final exam = 15%] Final letter grades will be determined at the discretion of the instructor based on the distribution of numerical averages ( i.e., curving is possible). All University Grading Standards DEFINITIONS OF GRADES AND ACADEMIC WORKLOAD EXPECTATIONS Senate student academic workload policy For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. For example, a student taking a four credit course that meets for four hours a week should expect to spend an additional eight hours a week on course work outside the classroom. Note: Be aware that you will rarely, if ever, be able to finish each lab exercise during the three scheduled lab hours. Based on the policy stated above, you are expected to spend 6 hours of effort outside of the classroom and lab to achieve an average grade (4 credits x 3 hours of learning effort = 12 hours effort – 3 hours lecture – 3 hours lab = 6 hours effort outside of class/lab). Statement on accommodations for students with disabilities It is University policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. This publication/material is available in alternative formats to persons with disabilities upon request. Please contact the Disability Services office, 589-6163, Room 362 Briggs Library to discuss accommodation needs. Statement on classroom conduct Students are expected to interact with the instructor and other students with respect and courtesy. Students should attend every class session prepared to learn and work. Participation in class is expected, which includes both speaking up and listening. Give class your full attention while here. Complete all assignments including the reading -- in a timely fashion. Do not bring cell phones or recording equipment to class without the instructor's consent. Students whose behavior is disruptive either to the instructor or to other students will be asked to leave. Students whose behavior suggests the need for counseling or other assistance may be referred to counseling services. Students whose behavior violates the University Student Conduct Code will be subject to disciplinary action. Statement on academic misconduct Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis. In this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, ask. Statement regarding sexual harassment University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined by the University of Minnesota Regents ' policy. Course Evaluation A class evaluation form will be handed out at the end of the semester. However, I encourage you to make suggestions regarding content, style, and procedure throughout the semester. We're in this together, so let's work to make this the best possible experience for everyone. Discussion and Questions Questions and class discussion are welcome and expected at any time. If there is anything throughout the semester that is unclear (schedule, procedure, content, etc.), please ask as soon as possible. There is no such thing as a stupid question, and someone else in the room is probably wondering about the same thing. HOWEVER, I reserve the right to say “I don't know,” but I will do my best to find the answer before the next class meeting. If you ask a question outside of class that others might benefit from, I will share it with the entire class (without your name attached, of course). Helpful hints • Although there will certainly be overlap between concepts discussed in lecture and lab, they may not entirely overlap in time. Keep two sets of notes (lecture and lab) so that you can combine them by subject at the end of the semester (if you wish to). • This is a technology-intensive course, and computers and software can be very fussy. If you try something that doesn't work, try it again. If it repeatedly fails, let me know so we can evaluate the problem together. Don't waste your time banging your head against a wall or fretting over something that might be out of your control. • This is a technology-intensive course, but don't plan on blaming the computer, software, etc. if you can't turn in your exercises or project in time (except under extreme circumstances). Save your work often, and back up your files as frequently and as completely as possible. If you leave your work on a random computer's hard drive and it's not there or has been altered or corrupted the next day, that's your problem. Take your work/files with you and/or back them up such that they can be recovered easily. • Read the texts including all figures. Figures are incredibly useful for conveying substantial amounts of information and might take a couple of looks and/or readings to fully understand. If you don't understand what a figure, map, or image is meant to convey, please ask. The schedule shows only general reading assignments, and I will try to identify key parts of chapters as we go along for you to focus on. If you have any questions about what you are supposed to read, what the text is describing, or parts of the reading that are glossed over in lecture, please ask at any time. • Look through and use the various reference texts available to you in the Geology computer lab. There are also numerous resources on the web for GIS. These sites often have images and descriptions that are better than anything you will find in a textbook. Be aware, however, that they might not be published by professionals and might be directed toward a specific audience. • Ask all questions as soon as they come to mind. If something occurs to you at 3 a.m., send an email or write it down so you'll remember it in the morning. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You don't have to wait until class or lab to ask questions. • Even though we have a relatively small class, it is easy to hinder other people's progress if you remove materials (especially group files) from the computer lab. • Geology discipline computers are not centrally maintained, so please use them with care. You are only allowed to download data or images that are pertinent to this class. All other downloaded material is subject to the Recycle Bin at the instructor's discretion. If you must save files locally, create a folder with your name on the hard drive. Any files not saved in this folder will be purged regularly, and your personal folder will be deleted at the end of the semester unless other arrangements are made. • If you need software that is not available on one of the discipline or computing services lab computers, please let the instructor know. We have a wide array of software available in the discipline, but all of it might not be installed on each individual machine. • Please follow all of the posted instructions and guidelines in the computer labs on campus. These are community resources, so please respect your fellow users.
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Monday, January 21, 2008 4:46 PM