Spring 2007 G356 Syllabus

MEETING TIMES (get pdf of this document)

Students are required to meet at class times from 12:00–12:50 and 3:00-3:50 p.m. (or later, as needed) every Friday for

- Formal instruction,

- Student presentations, or

- LEEPS or other presentations/seminars.

Students are also urged to attend other departmental lecture presentations held at other posted times (e.g., LEEPS, graduate student proposals and defenses).

Atypical times will be announced in class, posted, and/or e-mailed to students. Students have the responsibility to be aware of lecture offerings.

Students are required to check their e-mails daily (this is UND policy and a good idea).

Students are required to attend at least 75% of all student presentations and other seminars and must submit thoughtful evaluations (on forms to be provided).

This means students must attend three of four of all presentations to pass the course.

Students must attend talks in their entirety. No evaluation forms will be distributed after a talk begins.

The dates and topics of student and department presentations/seminars will be posted on the class syllabus on my (Hartman) Web site (www.geology.und.edu or www.und.edu/instruct/jhartman), announced in class, and, commonly, sent to students by e-mail. Because LEEPS and graduate student seminars are scheduled throughout the semester, no complete or stable calendar can be made available. By attending class, checking this Web site, and reading your e-mails, you will not have any worries.

Seminar I (Geol 421)

PREREQUISITES

Geol 356 for Geol 421

Note that Geol 421 and 422 may not be taken concurrently with Geol 356.

COURSE DESIGN IN THE GGE CURRICULUM

Basic to success in life is a person’s ability to communicate successfully with others. GGE has a series of three courses designed to allow student’s to become more effective communicators, specifically in the area of science and engineering, but also in speaking to the public. Part 2 of this series is Geol 421, known as Seminar 1, where students continue to be involved in the evaluation of others and their peers, but also give talks in a number of formats. As (potentially) first-time science/engineering presenters, students get evaluated by other students and course professor on professional and style skills. In the “lecture bowl” environment, students get to practice their toastmaster abilities without unnecessary fear of ridicule and are given suggestions on how to improve. Students performances are taped. Thus students can self-critique and observe first hand the comments made by classmates. Students continue to evaluate other presenters and reflect on what attributes of a speaker and the visuals used go into making an effective presentation. Students listen to LEEPS (Leading Edge of Earth and Planetary Science), other Geol 421, Geol 422, and graduate student presentations throughout the semester.

Geol 421 students should use information from courses in their presentations. In addition, students are suggested to incorporate research being developed in Geol 487 (Research I) in their presentations.

OBJECTIVES

Both Geol 421 (Seminar I) and Geol 422 (Seminar II) are meant to prepare students for communicating the results of their scientific and engineering studies to a live audience and to enhance a student’s educational background through attending departmental seminars, undergraduate research, and graduate thesis presentations. A student's educational awareness and understanding of the speaker's effort will be accomplished through critical review of all presentations.

READING MATERIALS

Preparation of visual aids for a professional presentation: Tips and guidelines, by Robert, E. Crowder, R.E. Crowder Consulting, Golden, CO (available in class)

Electronically speaking: A presenter's guide to communicating using PowerPoint, 35-mm slides, or poster-sized media, by Robert E. Baxter, Jr., AAPG media CD (available for purchase from the Department , $5.00).

1) Students are required to give three prepared and scheduled talks during the semester.

Presentations by GeoE majors must have substantial engineering content.

Presentations by Geology majors and Environmental Geoscience majors must have substantial geoscience content.

The topics of these talks will be determined in class with my help.

The student presentations will have the following formats:

• Artifact presentation

– An 8-to10-minute talk to Geol 356, Geol 421, and Geol 422 students (followed by questions and discussion) on an object as a visual aid chosen by the student (e.g., the object may be a geologic map, a model, a piece of equipment, etc.).

• Chalk talk presentation

– A 10-to 12-minute talk on a topic of interest to Geol 356, Geol 421, and Geol 422 students (followed by questions and discussion) using the chalk board or a markable transparency.

• PowerPoint research presentation

– For Geol 421 students, a 15-minute lecture (followed by questions) on a research topic to be presented to Geol 356, Geol 421, Geol 422 students, other students, and faculty.

All presentations are taped for student self evaluation and saved as a record of the student's performance as part of an educational activity within the department.

Other student responsibilities will include

• A 1-minute spontaneous talk

• Structured controversy presentation, with Geol 356 students as moderators

• Public topic presentation

• In-class assignments, including

- Artifcat talk topic selection

- Chalk talk topic selection

- PowerPoint title submission

- Abstract/executive summary writing example submission

- PowerPoint abstract/executive summary submission

All homework is required to be submitted on time to receive credit.

GRADING

Grades will be based on:

0-20% Evaluation of at least 75% of the required seminars and lectures

0- 5% Homework and in class assignments

0- 5% Spontaneous talk

0- 5% Structured Controversy participation

0- 10% Public talk

0-15% Artifact talk

0-15% Chalk talk

0-25% PowerPoint presentation

The grades will be based on the following scale:

A = 86-100

B = 75-85

C = 64-74

D = 50-63

F = 00-49

Note: All course requirements must be completed to receive a passing grade.

A zero in any category will result in a failing grade.