Soil 1125 The Soil Resource- Fall 2007 -4 credits: MW from 6:20 pm to 9:00 pm in 365 Borlaug Hall. & Soil 5125 - Soil Science for Teachers
Welcome to The Soil Resource. I hope you will find this class interesting, enjoyable, and valuable. Our primary goal over the next 14 weeks is to learn about the five major areas of Soil Science. Understanding the classification system, physical properties, chemical properties, biological properties, and the fertility of soil will allow you to plan the use of an area of land according to the soil's potential. Together we can discover why soils are such an important natural resource. Without soil, the world as we know it would be a much different place. Learning how to protect our soil resource will be an important job for all of us in the future.
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Terry Cooper Office - Office 244 Borlaug Hall- phone 612-625-7747 e-mail: tcooper@umn.edu Campus Mail 439 Borlaug Hall. My US mail box is in room 439 Borlaug, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, 55108. My secretary in 439 is Kari Jarcho. You can leave things with her and she will put them in my mail box.Cooper's web page
Cooper's Office Hours: 4:30 to 5:30 P.M.. M. You are welcome to make an
appointment for any other time also. The best way to contact me is via
e-mail.
I have voice mail but I may miss your message. I do not have a
preference as to
how you address me. You can use: Dr. or Professor, or Mr. or Terry,
whatever is
comfortable for you. I will try to learn your first name and use it,
that is
why I make the seating chart with pictures.
Graduate Student : Megan Lennon - Office in S505- Soil Science Building e-mail= lenn0043@umn.edu; office phone = 612-625-4731
I have been teaching beginning soils since 1975 and since 1980 at the University of Minnesota. I have a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Soil Science. I have worked for the Natural Resource and Conservation Service and the US Forest Service as a soil scientist. I am very interested in how our soil resources can be protected so they are a sustainable resource. I also teach courses in Soil Geography, Field Study of Soils, Soil Judging, Environmental Impact Statements and Env. Science Seminars.
LECTURE: Monday in 365 Borlaug Hall.
NOTE: We will start class promptly at
6:20, your
arrival on time is most appreciated. If you are late, please just enter
and
take your seat. Lecture is a time for me to explain important concepts
and to
get you excited about soil science. I have all my lectures on power
point and
have placed them on the course CD and in your course packet. Attending
lecture
is very important.
During lecture on Monday you will have two exams due that cover the
material
from the previous week. 1) "Team
Exam". The Team exam will provide you the opportunity to
discuss with class members the answers to relevant problems about
soils. If you
are absent from class, it may be possible to take a makeup exam. This
would
need to be completed before the next class period. Make-up exams are
worth 80%
of in class exams. Team exams will be at the beginning, middle or end
of the
nights session, depending on the week.
2) "Webexams" can be
turned in during lecture or no later than Tuesday morning at 8:00 am.
Answers
to Webexams will be posted Wednesday mornings. If you know you are
going to be
absent from class Monday you may send your Webexam answers via e-mail.
You only
need to turn in the answers. Answers to Webexams will be available on
Tuesday
on the web the day after they are due. See the course schedule for
finding the
Webexam answers, or go to Web Exam Answers
Midterm Exam will consist of 40 multiple choice questions and one essay question. It will cover materials from week 1-6 (not soil water). It will count for 10% of your course grade.
Final Exam will consist of 40 multiple choice questions and one essay question. It will cover materials from week 7 -14 with a few questions from week 1-6.
LABORATORY: Room 243 Borlaug- Lab Hours: Monday - 8-4, Tuesday 8-5 and Wednesday 8am - to 9:00 P.M.,(Tenative Schedule)
Investigations: IT IS IMPORTANT TO READ THE WEB LAB UNITS on
the CD
BEFORE DOING THE LABORATORY.
The Laboratory is an open lab where you can come and work at your own
pace. It
will generally take you one to two hours to complete the lab
activities. The
lab is used to help you see, touch, smell, weigh, moisten, listen,
taste, (OK,
maybe not taste) the SOIL. Doing the lab will help you learn about
concepts
presented in lecture and on the Web. Fill out the Laboratory
Investigation
Form. These will be graded by the TA in the Lab. If a TA is not present
when
you finish you may get it graded at a later time.
It is very important to READ the Web Lab Units before going to the
lab.
TA's are in the lab to help you and the more familiar you are with the
readings, the easier the lab will be to complete.
TEXTs:Lecture: 1) Elements of the Nature and Properties of
Soils by
Brady and Weil. NOT REQUIRED BUT RECOMMENDED
2) Soils and Landscapes of MN. Anderson, Grigal & Cooper (http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution
cropsystems/DC2331.html)
3) Course Packet: Available from instructor at cost ($10.00). Make
checks out
to: University of Minnesota.
4) CD that contains Web Lab Units, Power Point Lecture notes,
Laboratory
Investigations, and Course Information: This CD is provided by
instructor. The
readings for this course are found in the Web Lab Units. That is why a
text
book is not required. You must read the Web Lab Units and use them as
your
text.
Teaching Method: This course will use lecture, laboratory and web reading assignments to present information about soils. From time to time video clips in lecture will also present information. During a typical class period, I will begin with general business, and then will present two (approximately 50 minute) segments of material broken up by a "Lecture Break." I will always answer questions at the beginning of class. Laboratory investigations will provide you with another "hands on " approach to learning about soils. Often the activities in laboratory will be used for a segment of the team exam.
Student Roles: I hope this will be a positive learning experience for you; to that end, I want to be as clear as possible about my expectations. I expect you to read the Web Lab Unit for the week before class on Monday and again before you do the laboratory. I expect you to attend class unless serious circumstances prevent that, in which case, I would appreciate you speaking with me about your absence. I expect you to take yourself and the material seriously, refusing to stop at the absolute minimum requirements. What you learn in this class will be used again in many of your other advanced courses. It is important that you learn the material. Your success in this course will depend on several factors: 1) attendance and participation in class discussion; 2) being an active member of your team during team exams, 3) actively participating in your laboratory experience; 4) taking all exams seriously and spending time on their completion; and 5) giving yourself the time needed to prepare your land use report
You are expected to be attentive during class, ask questions if you do not understand something, and participate in class discussions. You are also expected to listen respectfully to others when they are speaking. You are by definition a very diverse group of students, even if on the surface you all may look more or less homogeneous. Diversity is a strength in our society at large and here at the University of Minnesota. In this class, you will be asked to maintain an open mind to the differences around you, and you are encouraged to place positive value on those differences. Points of view may be actively argued but the speakers are to be respected as essentially fair-minded individuals working to enlarge their thinking about ideas and people.
GRADING:
Laboratory Assignments: Laboratory Investigations will have
various
activities for you to do. Record your observations on the lab sheets
provided
in the Lab Packet materials. Have you lab report checked by a TA after
completion. Lab Reports are worth 5 points each. Total Possible=65 pts
(5 x 13
labs)
Exams: In lecture there will always
be a Team Exam and a Webexam due.WE). These exams cover
material
from the previous week. See the Weekly Schedule
for
the exam schedule. Team exams are open book and can be cumulative but
will
generally cover the material from the preceding week. You will be
assigned to a
three or four person team. If you miss a Team Exam it may be possible
for a
make up, but it must be completed before the next recitation. Make up
exams are
worth 80%.
Web exams will be 10 to 15 multiple choice questions
that are
available on your CD and in your course packet. Only the answers need
to be
turned in. Web exam answers must be turned in the the night they are
due. If
you forget to bring it to class it must be e-mail before 11:00 pm for
it to be
counted. The Midterm exam will be similar to the Webexam questions. The
Final
Exam will be 70 multiple choice questions the same or similar to the
Webexams
with 85% of the questions from after the midterm. Questions for all
exams can
come from: Lecture, Laboratory, or Web Units.
Land Use Project: Each person will complete a land use
project. A
given section of land in a county will be chosen by you. You will
determine the
most desirable land use according to the soil capabilities on that
parcel. This
project will design the use of the land according to the soil's
potential.
Details on this project provided at Land Use
Project
. The Land Use Project is graded on both content and style. If you
need
help in your writing skills use the Rhetoric on line writing center at (http://www.owc.umn.edu/
)
Part one is due Monday December 4. Part two is due Wednesday December
13.
Please turn in part one with part two.
FINAL EXAM: Monday December 18, 2004 Room 375 Borlaug Hall
Grading Percentages:
Team Exams=25 %
Midterm Exam=10 %
Web Exams 20%
Lab Assignments=10%
Land Use Project=20%
Final Exam=15 %
Course Grades: Course grades will be determined using a curve of A> 89%, B>79%, C> 69%, D> 59%. Final Course Grades will use the + and - system of grading. The class average is expected to be 76%(C+)
Teaching Philosophy: Studying about soils is difficult because we have lots of new terms that you need to learn and understand. Thus, each week I want you to be learning these terms and new concepts. Web Exams will be used to determine your understanding of these terms and concepts. I also want you to discuss these terms and concepts with others and use them to solve problems. Team Exams will provide you the opportunity to show your understanding of these terms while solving soils problems. I also want you to be able to use these terms and concepts in real world situations. Thus, the experiments and demonstrations in the laboratory will require your use of the terms and concepts. The land use project will allow you to practice all of your soils skills at the end of the semester. I also hope that you will remember some of these terms and concepts as you move on to other classes. The Midterm and Final Exam will measure your retention of these terms and concepts.
I want to provide the student with many ways to see the terms and concepts we study in soils, thus we have lecture, lab, web pages, and discussion. This will give you lots of exposure and practice. The more you practice the better you will be. Exams are just one way to evaluate your success. If you do the assignments, attend class, and participate regularly you will be successful. If you are having trouble at any time during the semester, please see me for assistance. Studying soils should be fun and we want to make it so.
If any student has disabilities that need special consideration, please see me early in the semester so we can develop a plan that will accommodate you.
Go To Weekly Schedule
