G110 Hybrid - Human Geography - 21996

G110 Hybrid – Introduction to Human Geography – Section 21996

Please read the following course guidelines carefully & completely.

Instructor
My name is Andy Baker. My office is located in Cavanaugh Hall, Room 213 B. My office hour will be from 11-Noon on Wednesday. I can also be reached via bakeran@iupui.edu

Course Overview
I have designed this section of G110 to be a "hybrid".  A hybrid course contains a mix between online coursework and in-class/on-campus meetings.  After teaching this course for many semesters as a traditional lecture, I noticed students were increasingly not enjoying or succeeding with the format of one person (me) talking for nearly three hours each week.  For example, if a student missed a lecture or was staring at their smartphone during the entire lecture, they would never have the chance of learning critical information pertinent to an exam or assessment.  Times have changed, and so have I. 

Starting during the Fall 2015 semester, I developed this course (G110 Hybrid).  Most of my lecture material and your coursework is found online via the e-textbook as you complete your work at your own choosing and pace.  However, we will have three required on-campus meetings for each of the three exams along with nine completely optional, on-campus "Discussion Meetings" (see Course Schedule below).  All three exams and nine Discussion Meetings will be held in IP 231.  This means we will have only 12 total meetings this semester.  By adding more content online and decreasing the number of on-campus meeting times, I have freed up even more time to help students on a one-to-one basis. In other words, if you have questions, I have even more time to answer them directly, whether it be via email or during office hours.

Discussion Meetings
As mentioned above, the nine Discussion Meetings are completely optional.  But, if you are in attendance for a Discussion Meeting, you will be rewarded with two bonus points that will be added to one of your exam scores.  In other words, you get two free points every time you attend a Discussion Meeting and 18 total bonus points if you attend all nine! 

The Discussion Meetings will vary throughout the semester.  Some will be exam review sessions, others will be used to prepare you for one of the assignments, and a couple will be additional lectures about a very relevant and/or current topic.  The Discussion Meetings are also another opportunity for you to ask me questions about anything related to G110. In the Course Schedule image below, the dates for the nine Discussion Meetings are shown in green and the three exams are in yellow.

Online Coursework
You will be learning exclusively from the online e-textbook containing readings and video lectures in 15 different chapters.  Each chapter is the basis for how the course content is delivered from instructor to student. Every Monday morning at 12:01am, a new chapter is opened and then closed a week later on Sunday evening at 11:59pm.  For example, Chapter 1 opens Monday, January 11 at 12:01am and then closes the following Sunday, January 17 at 11:59pm.  Contacting me within hours of a quiz or assessment deadline, or well after the fact, about your failure to complete assigned work is not acceptable.

Course Schedule

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Technology Requirement
In order to participate in G110 Hybrid, you must understand that the ability to use the technology enabled in this course is your responsibility. I will be of limited help with problems not directly related to course content. Technology problems, whether hardware or software related, are your responsibility. If you use the internet and email on a regular basis without any issues, you should not have a problem in G110 Hybrid.

Required e-Textbook
There are two ways to access the online, e-textbook used in G110. The first, more expensive option is to visit the IUPUI bookstore and purchase an access card with a code to enter once arriving at the following internet link: http://www.grtep.com/. The other (cheaper) option is to visit the same link (http://www.grtep.com/) and purchase the e-textbook online. Hopefully, the following image will provide some helpful tips. The e-textbook is titled “Human Geography” and you are in the "Spring 2016 – G 110 Section 21996 – CAMPUS Monday/Wednesday" version.

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Grading and Assessments of Learning

There are 400 total points in this course. These points are…

15 Chapter Quizzes, 10 points each = 150 points (37.5% of total points)
3 Exams, 50 points each = 150 points (37.5% of total points)
3 Assignments = 55 total points (14% of total points)
6 Discussion Forum posts, 5 points each = 30 points (7% of total points)
15 Free Point Activities (FPAs), 1 point each = 15 points (4% of total points)
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Chapter Quizzes (150 total points):
There are 15 chapters. Each chapter concludes with a 10 point quiz that focuses on the material only from that chapter, so there are a total of 15 quizzes in the course worth 150 total points.

The 15 quizzes will be taken and submitted online via the course e-textbook and are found at the very end of each chapter. A chapter quiz will open at 12:01am each Monday and will close at 11:59pm the following Sunday. Once they close, they close for the rest of the semester. If you are in the middle of taking a quiz when it closes after the due date, you will receive a zero, so plan accordingly. Also, you only get one attempt for each chapter quiz.

Quizzes include multiple-choice questions. Once you start a quiz, you will have 20 minutes to complete 10 questions. Most questions are automatically scored after you take the quiz and are available after quiz completion in the e-textbook’s Gradebook. However, the correct answers for the quizzes will be revealed and available to you after all students have completed each quiz. The e-textbook is also a handy tool to use while taking the quizzes online. During the second week of the semester, more information about gradebook procedures will be announced.

Computer Problems During Quiz: In Human Geography, you only have a limited amount of time to take and submit a quiz (20 minutes). Any problem that causes your quiz to close, submit with an error, or shut-off/disappear must be immediately reported to me. Otherwise, your actions can constitute academic dishonesty.

Since the Chapter Quizzes are an important part of your final grade, click HERE to read some tips I gathered from previous Human Geography students who earned (nearly) perfect scores on all of the quizzes.  I hope this helps you!

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Exams (150 total points):
There will be three exams completed on campus during our normally scheduled time and location on three specific dates. Each exam is worth 50 points.

Exam 1 will be at 1:30pm on Monday, February 15 in IP 231 and will cover only Chapters 1-5
Exam 2 will be at 1:30pm on Monday, March 28 in IP 231 and will cover only Chapters 6-10
Exam 3 will be at 1:30pm on Monday, May 2 in IP 231 and will cover only Chapters 11-15

These exams will be explained in more detail during Discussion Meetings prior to each exam.

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Assignments (55 total points):
1) Assignment 1 (5 points) & Assignment 2 (10 points):
Early in the semester, you will complete both Assignment 1 (found in Chapter 2: "Doing Geography") and Assignment 2 (Chapter 4: "Where Does Your Stuff Come From?"). These assignments are rather simple in the sense that all you have to do is follow the directions, do good work, and submit them on time. Details regarding these two assignments are described in the chapters they are located (Chapter 2 & Chapter 4).  Both Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 are completed/submitted inside the e-textbook.

2) Country Profile Assignment (40 points):
The purpose of the Country Profile Assignment is to showcase to me (Andy) your understanding and application of key concepts discussed in the textbook and, in particular, the video lectures included in the chapters. It is essential that you realize the purpose of the Country Profile Assignment is not a recitation of encyclopedic facts about a country.

There are three Country Profile Assignments, of which you will complete only 1 of them. This means two of the Country Profile Assignments you will choose not to do. You will have 14 days (2 weeks) to complete each Country Profile option once they open. But, choose wisely because you cannot turn-in a Country Profile Assignment after its due date. NO EXCEPTIONS!  The Country Profile Assignment instructions will be available in Canvas via “Assignments”.  This is the only assignment this semester that you will complete and submit via Canvas and not the e-textbook website.

Finally, no plagiarizing. It is easy to identify and will result in a 0 for the assignment and submission of an Academic Misconduct Report to the School and the Dean of your academic department. You cannot copy and paste text from internet sources for these assignments. As mentioned above, you have to apply concepts discussed in this course.

 
The image above provides basic information about each of the three optional Country Profile Assignments.

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Discussion Forum Posts (30 total points):
During the semester, each student will participate in 6 discussion forums (Chapters 1, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13) by submitting a well-reasoned, proofread, and thoughtful post. Although the degree of difficulty varies for each of the forum posts, they are each worth 5 points. To earn all of the points possible, all you have to do is follow the directions, do good work, and submit your post on time. Details regarding the specific instructions and grading rubric for each of the Forum Posts are described in each chapter containing a Discussion Forum (Chapters 1, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13).

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Free Point Activities (FPAs - 15 total points):
Throughout the e-textbook, 15 “Free Point Activities” (also known as FPAs) are randomly placed within the chapters and are worth 1 point each. These activities are extremely simple and are easy ways to earn a free point. Typically, the activities will ask a simple question and if you respond to the question, you get 1 point. Some chapters will contain more than one FPA, while others will not contain any.

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Assessments Checklist:
Below is a "checklist" to help you keep track of the assessments due each week.  In previous semesters, students would print this image and then mark off each assessment as they completed it.  The only assessment not included in this checklist are the Country Profile Assignments, but I already discussed the dates for those in the image above.

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Final Course Grades (Grading Scale):

396 - 400 = A+

376 - 395 = A

360 - 375 = A-

352 – 359 = B+

336 – 351 = B

320 – 335 = B-

304 – 319 = C+

288 – 303 = C

272 – 287 = C-

256 – 271 = D

0 – 255 = F

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Student Resources Available on Campus & Other Course Information

University Information Technology Support:
Please contact the UITS Support Center (317-274-HELP) if you have a computer, network, or technical problem. They are very helpful. I have called them many times and in every instance they provided information to correct my problem. You will have to provide your user-id to speak with one of the consultants employed there. This is a free service to IUPUI students, faculty, and staff.

Adaptive Education Services (AES):
Students needing accommodations because of a disability will need to register with Adaptive Educational Services (AES) and complete the appropriate forms issued by AES before accommodations will be given. The AES office is located in Taylor Hall, UC 100. You can also reach the office by calling 274-3241. Visit http://aes.iupui.edu/ for more information.

Dean of Students/Student Advocate:
You should be aware that the campus Student Advocate Office can help you overcome obstacles towards your academic goals. The Advocate will answer your questions, direct you to the appropriate departments and people, familiarize you with university policies and procedures, and give you guidance as you look at ways to solve problems and make choices. The Student Advocate Office is located in UC002 and can be contacted by phone at 278-7594 or email at stuadvoc@iupui.edu.

Withdrawals and incompletes:
You may withdraw with an automatic “W” through the stated date in the Academic Calendar. Withdrawals after that date will be assigned a grade of “F”. Incompletes will not be given except in cases of documented medical emergencies or illness.

Administrative Withdrawal:
A basic requirement of this course is that you will participate in all class activities and assessments and conscientiously complete all required course activities and/or assignments. Keep in touch with me if you are unable to attend, participate, or complete an assignment on time. If you miss more than half of the required activities within the first 25% of the course without contacting me, you may be administratively withdrawn from this course. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are administratively withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible for a tuition refund. If you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the semester, please contact me.

Academic Dishonesty:
Please read Sections 1 through 6 of Part G in the Academic Responsibilities & Misconduct of the IUPUI Student Code of Conduct carefully by clicking HERE. I assume that you have read and agree with all terms of the Code and will grade your submitted assessments & evaluate your communications accordingly. The consequences of academic dishonesty range from a warning, penalty, or removal from university, depending on severity of your fraud.

What is cheating? Any one of the following situations involves cheating:

• copying the answers from a quiz obtained from another person in the class or from a previous term
• having the aid of another person, electronically or physically, to assist you in selecting an answer on a quiz
• having another person take a quiz or for you
• altering the quiz time length or submission techniques
• attempting or completing any method that bypasses the security features of the course e-textbook
• printing or copying any question on a quiz

If I detect suspicious activity concerning submission times I will contact you via Canvas Inbox or email. You might have to come into my office to take a substitute quiz that might include essay questions.

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Course Description:
“GEOG-G110 Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.) An introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of analysis used in the study of human geographic systems. Examines geographic perspectives on contemporary world problems such as population growth, globalization of the economy, and human-environmental relations.” –from the Indiana University Bulletin

IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning:
G110 Online also includes connections to IUPUI’s “Principles of Undergraduate Learning.” This course addresses to some degree all of the principles, particularly critical thinking, the integration and application of knowledge, and the understanding of society and culture. Core communication and quantitative skills will also be utilize as students will be expected to solve some basic problems that are quantitative in nature; analyze and make informed decisions regarding complex issues; synthesize information; use knowledge to explore new questions; apply knowledge to enhance their personal lives; and demonstrate substantial knowledge and understanding of the field of human geography. Further, organized class discussion will encourage students to actively participate in their learning.