GEOG 402/504

GEOG 402/504: Online Weather Studies, Spring 2005

Syllabus and Course Outline

Instructor	Office	Electronic Mail	Phone	Office Hours
Dr. Rob Hellström	301, Conant Science Bldg.	rhellstrom@bridgew.edu	(508) 531-2842	MWR 10-11, or by appointment

There are no prerequisites for this course. You must have weekly access to an Internet browser and printer. After the first meeting you will need to create an account for the Blackboard course offering system at BSC. You will receive the login and password to access the Online Weather Studies web site.

Meeting	Purpose	Day, Time	Place
#1	Introduction	Wed. Jan. 19, 4:30 – 7:10 PM	#208 Conant Science Bldg.
#2	Weather Briefing	Wed. Feb. 23, 4:30 – 7:10 PM	#208 Conant Science Bldg.
#3	Final Exam	Wed. May 11, 4:30 – 7:10 PM	#208 Conant Science Bldg.

This text and study guide combination is available at the Bridgewater State College bookstore:

Online Weather Studies Textbook and Study Guide Seventh Printing. 2004. American Meteorological Society. ISBN: 1-878220-66-7

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) designed and regularly services this course which allows students to access and work with current weather maps delivered via the Internet. The AMS coordinates these maps with learning activities keyed to the day's weather. This study of the atmosphere includes weather systems from local to global scales, severe weather, and current weather applications. The course meets three times per semester for evaluation. Students will complete other activities solely on the Internet, with the faculty mentor guiding the student in understanding the basic principles of meteorology, and analyzing real-time weather data. The textbook integrates an Earth Systems approach to learning about the atmosphere.

Weekly announcements and important review material for exams will be available through the Blackboard web course site:

http://plato.bridgew.edu/

This web page requires that you have a BSC account and have enrolled in the GEOG 402: Online Weather Studies blackboard course. Utilize instructor’s email (and office hours) for help with course materials.

Your final grade is based one Final exam and weekly Online Weather assignments. The Exam will contain multiple choice, short answer, and analysis/map interpretation questions; information is taken from material covered in the Online Assignments and Textbook Readings. No makeup exam except under extreme circumstances; you must notify instructor prior to the exam date.

· Weather Briefing (10%): Second meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 23^th, 4:30-7:10 P.M.

Prior to this meeting, each student is required to select a city in the United States and type a one-page of the current conditions and five-day forecast for the work week starting Monday, February 21^st. Send the name of your selected city to you Instructor by Tuesday, Feb 22^nd_,one day before the second meeting. You must hand the weather briefing in at the beginning of the second meeting. The instructor will give an interactive weather briefing that includes all the selected cities. You will receive more information at the first meeting and through the Blackboard course web site.

· Online Activities (60%): To be completed on your own from a computer of your choice.

Online Weather Web site: www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/online/onlinewx

You will get the login and password at the first meeting. The instructor will demonstrate the procedure at the first meeting. Be sure to follow the directions and keep up with weekly activities; they disappear from the web site within a week to make room for the next week. You are required to send the instructor your weekly answer sheets before Monday of the following week. There is a 10% deduction for each day the assignment is late. Please email the instructor if you are having any trouble or need additional background information to complete the activities. You should purchase a 2.5 inch binder to keep your investigations organized.

· Final Exam (30%): Last meeting, Wednesday, May 11^th, 4:30 am-7:10 P.M. This exam is comprehensive and will cover

*Additional Research Project for students taking GEOG 504: Graduate Level (20%):

Students enrolled at the graduate level are required to produce a research project tailored to the student’s job and/or interests. For example, teachers could produce a complete lesson plan with rubric on a topic related to weather. The final paper is due on the date of the Final Exam. The outline and rough draft should be submitted to the Instructor via email or Blackboard digital drop box at least two weeks prior to the Final exam. This project replaces 20% of the online activities, so that the online activities count toward only 40% of the final grade. You will receive more information at the first meeting and from the Blackboard course web site.

Please attend all three meetings. No credit for meeting if not present, unless under extreme circumstances. You must inform the instructor before the class meeting if you cannot attend.

Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak with the professor within the first two weeks of scheduled classes. At any time during the semester, feel free to contact the Office of Disability Resources in the Academic Achievement Center, located in the basement of the Maxwell Library 001 (508) 531-1214. “In compliance with Bridgewater State College policy and equal access legislation, I am available to discuss appropriate accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Requests for academic accommodations should be made during the add/drop period, unless there are unusual circumstances, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register with the Disability Resources Office in the Maxwell Library for disability verification and determination of reasonable academic accommodations.”
	Geography 402: Online Weather Studies, Spring 2005 *Online Investigations, Textbook Readings, and Study Guide Questions to Review*
	You are strongly advised to answer the Questions For Review in Each Textbook Chapter
	Online Week	Topic	Chapter Readings	Questions to Review	Investigation	Deadline for completion
	Preview	Monitoring Weather	1	All	Preview	Jan. 23^rd
	1	“ “	“	“	1A & 1B	30^th
	2	Atmosphere	2	All	2A & 2B	Feb. 6^th
	3	Solar and Terrestrial Radiation	3	All	3A & 3B	13^th
	4	Heat Temperature and the Atmospheric Circulation	4	All	4A & 4B	20^th
	Second Meeting	Send Instructor your Weather Briefings	--	--	--	Feb. 23^rd @ 4:30
	5	Air Pressure	5	All	5A & 5B	27^th
	6	Humidity, Saturation, and Stability	6	All	6A & 6B	Mar. 6^th
	Break	None	Catch up	Catch up	None	13^th
	7	Clouds, Precipitation, and Weather Radar	7	All	7A & 7B	20^th
	8	Wind and Weather	8	All	8A & 8B	27^th
	9	Atmosphere’s Planetary Circulation	9	All	9A & 9B	April 3^rd
	10	Weather Systems of Middle Latitudes	10	All	10A & 10B	10^th
	11	Thunderstorms and Tornadoes	11	All	11A & 11B	17^th
	12	Tropical Weather Systems	12	All	12A & 12B	24^th
	Final Exam	Study Investigations and Questions to Review		*Study* Selected Review Questions (TBA)	*Study* All Investigations	May 11^th @ 4:30

GEOG 402/504: Online Weather Studies, Spring 2005

Syllabus and Course Outline

Place

Attendance: