faqs

Do you take attendance, and if not, how important is it to come to class, anyway? I don't take attendance. However, I base the exams on the material I cover in class, supplemented from the text. A portion of your grade - the in class activities - explicitly requires class attendance. I have also found that students who attend class regularly and participate in the in-class activities do significantly better on the midterms and final exam than their peers who do not. Here is a plot that shows the difference in the final class grade for student who attend class as vs. those who do not. I have seen this pattern each time I have taught the class. Is this course the same as an introduction to marine biology? No, it isn't. Oceanography deals with all aspects of the oceans, including marine biology. Only a small part of the course will be about animals and plants in the oceans. Other topics, including waves, tides, ocean circulation, climate-ocean links, sea-floor spreading, coasts, and volcanoes are included in oceanography. I am not a "science" person at all, and I am worried how I will manage in a science LER course. Will I crack under the strain? No, you will not crack under the strain. Almost everybody who has taken this course has found something of interest, because the topics change constantly, and the subject of the oceans is so broad. I know the class is composed of students from all disciplines, and I always introduce subject material in general terms. I can't afford the textbook-what should I do? There are several copies of the textbook on reserve at the main library. They are available for overnight and 2 hour use. You may also be able to obtain a used copy of the text for less than the new price of the 5th edition by going through a web-based textbook buying service. There is so much material-how can I tell what is important? Use the outline I give during each lecture as a guide to what is important. If I am spending time in the lecture on it, you are likely to see it on the exam. What are the review sessions like? Review sessions are question and answer style. I begin each session with a brief reminder of what material the exam will be covering, and how best to approach and organize the material to study it efficiently. Then I take questions on anything about the material, and answer it. This has proved to be a very efficient method-and all of us learn something-I learn what areas are particularly problematic, and I have the opportunity to improve everyone's understanding before the exam. When a video is shown in a class, I usually leave. I figure, its not important, right? It is important! I use them when they are important parts of the lecture. Therefore, material on them is part of the class material that is used in the exams. Several videos may be shown during the semester that cover certain topics best seen in film footage. I always introduce the subject matter, summarize the important points after it is shown, and answer any questions about it. Videos are not commercials! They are part of the course. I am just taking this course because it is an LER that fits my schedule-why should I bother to spend time on this, anyway? LERs are a great chance to pick up information you wouldn't get in the ordinary way. And, if you do well, chances are you will remember a lot of the information, and it will, sooner or later, be useful. Remember what Louis Pasteur said: "Chance favors the prepared mind." You never know when information will be useful, even vital, to YOU.

Do you take attendance, and if not, how important is it to come to class, anyway?

I don't take attendance. However, I base the exams on the material I cover in class, supplemented from the text. A portion of your grade - the in class activities - explicitly requires class attendance. I have also found that students who attend class regularly and participate in the in-class activities do significantly better on the midterms and final exam than their peers who do not.

Here is a plot that shows the difference in the final class grade for student who attend class as vs. those who do not.
I have seen this pattern each time I have taught the class.

Is this course the same as an introduction to marine biology?

No, it isn't. Oceanography deals with all aspects of the oceans, including marine biology. Only a small part of the course will be about animals and plants in the oceans. Other topics, including waves, tides, ocean circulation, climate-ocean links, sea-floor spreading, coasts, and volcanoes are included in oceanography.

I am not a "science" person at all, and I am worried how I will manage in a science LER course. Will I crack under the strain?

No, you will not crack under the strain. Almost everybody who has taken this course has found something of interest, because the topics change constantly, and the subject of the oceans is so broad. I know the class is composed of students from all disciplines, and I always introduce subject material in general terms.

I can't afford the textbook-what should I do?

There are several copies of the textbook on reserve at the main library. They are available for overnight and 2 hour use. You may also be able to obtain a used copy of the text for less than the new price of the 5th edition by going through a web-based textbook buying service.

There is so much material-how can I tell what is important?

Use the outline I give during each lecture as a guide to what is important. If I am spending time in the lecture on it, you are likely to see it on the exam.

What are the review sessions like?

Review sessions are question and answer style. I begin each session with a brief reminder of what material the exam will be covering, and how best to approach and organize the material to study it efficiently. Then I take questions on anything about the material, and answer it. This has proved to be a very efficient method-and all of us learn something-I learn what areas are particularly problematic, and I have the opportunity to improve everyone's understanding before the exam.

When a video is shown in a class, I usually leave. I figure, its not important, right?

It is important! I use them when they are important parts of the lecture. Therefore, material on them is part of the class material that is used in the exams. Several videos may be shown during the semester that cover certain topics best seen in film footage. I always introduce the subject matter, summarize the important points after it is shown, and answer any questions about it. Videos are not commercials! They are part of the course.

I am just taking this course because it is an LER that fits my schedule-why should I bother to spend time on this, anyway?

LERs are a great chance to pick up information you wouldn't get in the ordinary way. And, if you do well, chances are you will remember a lot of the information, and it will, sooner or later, be useful. Remember what Louis Pasteur said: "Chance favors the prepared mind." You never know when information will be useful, even vital, to YOU.