As announced in class, the course syllabus, MTSU's course catalog, and the schedule of classes (!), you cannot enroll in GEOL1030 lecture without enrolling in lab (GEOL1031). There is only one exception to this (see below).  If you do not enroll in both lecture and lab, eventually you will be administratively dropped from the roster for this class. At that time you will have to apply for re-admission; I believe there is also a required fee. To avoid all these unnecessary problems, you need only enroll in both GEOL1030 and 1031.

Q. I have already passed lab, but I am re-taking the lecture course. Any problem with that?

If you have already taken and received a passing grade in laboratory, you can enroll in lecture alone. However, you must notify your lecture instructor (that's me) that you have already passed GEOL1031. Specifically, I need you to send me an e-mail with the following information in the body: Your full name, your social security number, and the semester when you completed your lab class. The subject line of the e-mail should be something like: "Passed Earth Science lab, re-taking lecture."

There is one unfortunate exception to the above: Generally, students who need to take GEOL1030, but not GEOL1031, are not allowed to enroll in GEOL1030 during the summer. I have nothing to do with this policy, nor can I explain the reasoning.

Q. Do I really need to buy (or read) the textbook for this class?

Short answer: Only if you want to pass the class.
Long answer: This class involves a simplified presentation of the complex topic of Earth Science. My approach is process-oriented and rather detailed. My assumption is that, before coming to class, students have already read the textbook assignment, which covers the lecture material. Without doing the assigned reading before class, most students will find that they don't get nearly as much out of the lecture. However, there are students who comprehend things fairly well without doing the readings. In fact, some students have claimed that all they did was attend lecture, follow the lecture guide, take good notes -- and they got an 'A'. The vast majority of students, however, seem to think that reading the textbook and attending lectures were both critical to their success.

In my experience, people who ask this question tend to be the very people who could benefit most from buying the textbook. In other words, these are the folks who want to put minimal effort into class, and who, therefore, have rather poor attendance. If you don't read the book, and you don't attend lectures, I seriously doubt that you will pass any of the exams.

Q. My roommate gave me a copy of the [insert number here]-th edition of the textbook. Can I use that instead of the most recent edition?

Yes, you can; however, responsibility for determining which pages to read from older editions (or other Earth Science textbooks) is entirely your own. As long as you read the same topics in the other book -- and attend lecture -- you are unlikely to miss any material that is critical to your understanding of the lecture and test material. However, I do not take any responsibility should this happen to not be the case. This comes down to a choice between money vs. risk. If you want to save some money by using another book, you have no guarantee that the same material will be available for you to study. The savings though, which can be substantial, may exceed the risk.

Q. Do I really have to buy the lecture guide for this class?

The lecture guide is designed to make it easier for you to follow, understand, and review the lecture material. It should also make it possible for you to get maximum benefit from lecture topics -- to focus more on comprehending lecture material and less on taking notes. Finally, the lecture guide contains material that is not in the textbook. If this is not worth a few dollars to you, then you may not want to buy the lecture guide. However, saving a few bucks on the lecture guide is likely to be a false economy; by comparison, the cost of tuition is relatively high, therefore, retaking this class is comparatively expensive. In addition, my assumption is that everyone in class will buy this ancillary and the pace of my lecture is based on this assumption.

Q. Should I bring both the textbook and the lecture guide to class each day?

No, you should only bring the lecture guide and a notebook. Bringing the textbook would serve no purpose; I always lecture using a computer presentation based on the lecture guide. Therefore, your attention should be focused on the lecture guide, as well as taking notes, if necessary.

Q. Do I need to take notes in lecture?

That is entirely up to you. Note-taking during lecture serves at least two purposes. One, it allows you to record information that you think is important, and that you think you need help to understand. Two, it allows you to use a different part of your brain, which should assist you with learning and recall.

However, many students have rather poor note-taking skills. So they spend too much time focused on notes and too little time on thinking. Recording your impressions, or the lecturers' words, while dealing with concepts that you don't even understand is a waste of time. I strongly suggest (actually it is a class requirement) that students read the assigned textbook material before coming to class. That way, you should have a much better understanding of terms and concepts before the lecture even begins, and you can concentrate on developing even better conceptualizations ("mental models") of lecture topics.

In addition, most students tend to wait much too long to review, revise, and correct their notes. Studies have shown that comprehension and retention of lecture material is much higher if class notes are reviewed within a few hours of class. Waiting days or weeks to look them over makes your class notes a rather ineffective study aid.

In most cases: No, you cannot. If there is some overriding reason that this is necessary, then perhaps we can work out a viable solution. If the reason is just to avoid the hassle of changing your enrollment, then the answer is a definite NO. It is comparatively easy for students to change sections. On the other hand, I know from personal experience it is a hassle for the two instructors involved to deal with the aftermath of not changing.

Q. How much does attendance count towards our grade?

In the conventional sense, it counts 0 (nothing, nadda, zilch, zip, doo-dah, null, 1/infinity, the big goose egg, etc.) You are required to attend, but I do not check attendance. You are on your own.

Experience has shown, however, that most students do better in this class if they attend regularly. Therefore -- in another sense -- attendance counts quite a bit towards your grade, but the credit is not so obvious as a daily tally in my grade book. There are, in fact, a question or two on each exam that cover my lecture material, but the answers cannot be found in the textbook. Skip class and your odds of guessing the correct answer to those exam questions will be rather marginal.

Q. I can't hear because the *$%#! who sits behind me is constantly talking. Can you do something about it?

It is hard for me to know who is talking in a large lecture. I'm mostly focused on what I'm thinking and saying, so I tend to overlook quiet discourse in the crowd. If it is loud enough to distract me, I will often call down whoever is causing the disruption.

I strongly suggest that you simply move down front, away from the offending chit-chat. This will probably improve the quality of your experience in other ways as well.

Q. I missed class today. If I phone/e-mail you, can you tell me what we covered?

With few (if any) exceptions, we covered just exactly what is on the syllabus. So I suggest that you check that instead.

Other than that, what you really need is to get a detailed accounting of what we covered and how. There is no way that via e-mail I can provide you with much more information than you will get from looking at the syllabus. By phone, I may do a little better but not much. Therefore, if you really want more than just a cursory idea of how I covered the lecture material, you should make an appointment to see me during my office hours (or at some other mutually convenient time) and we can discuss it at length. However, before you come to my office you also should read the assigned material in the textbook, and review the associated lecture guide material, so you are very familiar with the information we covered in class. If you don't, you will be wasting both your time and mine.

Q. I wanted to ask you a couple questions to clarify some of the material covered in class. Should I make an appointment or just stop by your office?

If you haven't yet read the assigned material in the textbook, I suggest you start there. If you have already read the textbook, I welcome your questions. Feel free to ask about anything you wish, so long as it is related to the topic for that day or the previous couple lecture. However, I would prefer that you ask your question(s) during classtime, so that everyone can benefit.

If we have long since left a topic behind, I suggest then that you e-mail me your question, and we can go from there. I may be able to explain the answer in written form so that you have a permanent record to refer to, or we may need to meet face to face for further discussion.

Q. Should I bring a SCANTRON computer grade sheet to the exam?

Yes, you must provide your own SCANTRONs for this class. As of Fall 2011, the Geosciences department no longer provides Scantrons for students. You can buy them at the campus bookstore.

Q. What material will be covered on the first exam?

See your syllabus for a listing of the general topics. Then consult the lecture guide and textbook for detailed information on those topics. Any deviations from the syllabus will be announced in class.

Q. I heard that you're a really hard instructor. Why don't you give us a break? -- MTSU students pay your salary!

This is a student comment that has become more common in recent years. It deserves a thorough, detailed response -- as a result, the answer is a bit too long to include here. Instead my response is available here.

Q. I didn't do as well as I hoped on the first exam -- is there any way I can earn some extra-credit points?

As stated in the syllabus, I do not offer extra-credit. My responsibility is to motivate you to learn as much as you are able concernng the various topics of Earth Science. In my opinion, offering extra-credit provides no incentive for you to do that. In addition, it teaches a bad lesson -- that there will always be some way to work around the task at hand, some way to beat the system. In the real world, more often than not, one must simply put one's nose to the grindstone and do our best. In the words of a now-retired Geosciences faculty member: "Why should I assign you extra work? -- you're having enough trouble with the work you've already got!"

Q. I spent THREE HOURS(!) studying for the last exam, but I still got a failing score. Do you have any hints on how to prepare for this class?

I probably get this question more than any other. As a result, I have a complete, but brief response already prepared and posted elsewhere on this site. Whether or not this advice works for you, it is the best that I have to offer. If you instead want my candid assessment of your study habits, I have prepared a self-evaluation sheet that is available here. If you want expert (but more detailed) advice, my personal favorite is available here. Additional resources are available from many, many other web-sites as well, including these: University of St. Thomas "Study Guides" (very extensive); Palm Beach Community College "Study Habits for Success"; Virginia Tech "Study Skills Self-help Information" (also very extensive). Finally, if you feel you need personalized attention, then you should contact the MTSU Counseling and Testing Center (898-2670; KUC-329) and talk to a study skills counselor. If you don't want to follow any of the advice available above, try to approach your classmates and find out what is working for them.

If you are wondering why I don't offer lots of more specific hints on how to succeed in this class, my reasoning is simple. When it comes to studying a particular academic discipline, a specialist in that subject  is perhaps the least qualified person to make suggestions. I say this because a specialist probably found his or her own discipline especially easy and interesting. Consequently, specialists have little experience with struggling to earn a grade. In addition, everyone is different. So advice that works for one student might be a complete waste of time for another.

If you are unconvinced that this is all I have to offer, if instead you suspect there's a "silver bullet" that will solve your study problems -- then think again! Just because geology is my specialty, does not mean that I possess some specialized knowledge of how general education students should study it. I earned my college degrees the same way that everyone else does -- through hard work and initiative. No one ever said college was going to be easy. In fact, I consider three hours of studying to be a token effort rather than a herculean one. I would have done two to three hours of studying for each class session. In other words, more like 18 to 24 hours for the exam, not a measly three!

Q. I studied the wrong things for the last exam. Without a study guide, how can I know what will be on the test?

"I over-studied for the exam" and "I studied the wrong things" are two of my least favorite student comments. Let me start by briefly addressing each one.

"I over-studied" - Although some educators actually claim that this can happen, I consider this concept downright silly. It is akin to saying "I knew too much about the subject so I couldn't figure out the right answer"(!!!?)

"I studied the wrong things" - I doubt that this is actually the case for most students who regularly attend class and take good notes. In any case, this simply shouldn't happen to anyone for the following reasons.
(1) The material from the lecture guide that I discuss in class is a clear indication of what I think is important.
(2) During class I emphasize (overemphasize in some cases) material that I think is especially important.
(3) Each major section in the lecture guide has a set of objectives at the beginning that provide a fairly thorough indication of what you should know.

Typically, when I verbally quiz students who make the latter claim, they seem to have a good grasp on little or none of the material. In other words, they didn't study the wrong things, they simply didn't study anything thoroughly enough to do well on the exam.

Okay, so how about my response to the question: "Without a study guide, how can I know what will be on the exam?" Hearing this is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. In my opinion, the simple-minded mentality behind such a question is simply inappropriate for a college student. Remember -- you graduated from high school a while back. My answer to this often posed question is equally simple-minded: You can't know -- that would be cheating! But you can know thoroughly the material that might be on the exam, and that way you are assured that you will perform to the best of your abilities. However, that requires a large investment of your time. Yes, that's right -- you have to STUDY!

Telling students exactly what is on an exam is a great way to ensure high scores. But it is a lousy way to get someone to really learn anything about a subject. Imagine if the great minds of history had never been challenged -- where would we be now? It is true that lazy, incompetent, or insecure instructors may provide handy study guides with all the answers in hopes of being "well-liked" or receiving good student evaluations. However, they are only cheating you out of your tuition dollars. In other words, they aren't giving you what you paid for -- the opportunity to prove what you are capable of learning. They are also depriving you of the opportunity to really gain command of their subject, and to develop a stronger, more fully developed set of mental skills. Remember, a mind truly is a terrible thing to waste.

Q. I missed the test because I/my [fill in the blank]. So when can I take a make-up exam?

As indicated during the class orientation and in the syllabus, there is no opportunity to make-up Exams 1, 2, or 3. In the past, before I developed this policy, the vast majority of students did very poorly on make-up exams. In addition, studying for the make-up in my class probably contributed to poorer performance in their other classes. Likewise, it probably delayed their preparation for the next exam in GEOL1030. In other words, they suffered multiple set-backs as a result of studying for an exam on which they performed poorly. Secondly, with large class sections and therefore multiple students, it is extremely difficult to find a time that is acceptable to everyone for the make-up exam. Finally, preparing a make-up exam requires that I do additional typing; as I am a carpal tunnel sufferer, I try to avoid that whenever possible. As a result, I no longer give make-up exams.

In GEOL-1030, one of your first three exam scores is dropped to determine your final grade. If you should miss an exam, that is the score that will be dropped. If you should have the misfortune to miss more than one exam, then you should contact me, and we will make other arrangements (this still does not mean a make-up exam). If you should miss the final exam, contact me ASAP to make arrangements to take the final late.

Unfortunately, our department does not offer a tutoring service. I don't know of any academic department that does, other than perhaps math. There are undergraduate geology students who might be willing to do fee-based tutoring. However, I would hate to advise you that someone could help, have you pay them for their time, and then have it turn out that you didn't consider it helpful.  Our departmental secretary (Karen Dunkley, 898-2726, KOM 325) might be able to provide the name of an undergraduate geology major, but likewise I certainly wouldn't vouch for their tutoring ability.

I have never been a big believer in tutoring -- other than perhaps for math and physics. I always found that spending the same amount of time studying was just as effective or even more so.

If you have specific questions about material, I am more than happy to answer them, but as the syllabus states, I don't do tutoring per se. If you are not reading before classtime, then I strongly advise you to do so. That may answer many of your questions. If you read before you come to class, I would welcome the kinds of questions that you would have since they would probably help others to comprehend things better as well. So if you've done your reading, don't be shy, speak up and help me clarify my lectures as well as answer your questions.

Q. I got my exam score, but I don't understand what it means. How can I figure out how I'm doing in this course?

Because this is a common concern of students, and because many GEOL1030 students don't really understand how to figure percentages, I've prepared a page that deals with this very subject. It consists of simple examples of how to figure your grade after each exam.

Q. Can you e-mail me my exam score/course grade?

It is against privacy laws for me to e-mail your test scores or grades to you. In fact, there are very few methods that are still considered legal except for personal communication. Therefore, to receive this information you must either log on to WebCT or make an appointment to come see me.

Q. According to the posted grade scale, my first three exam scores combined give me a B in this class. Since I'm satisfied with this grade, can I just skip the final exam?

No -- you cannot. The day I count students' first three exam scores and let them skip the final would surely be the last day I would ever see them. That would contradict the whole point of taking (and teaching) general education courses.  It isn't about a grade -- the point is to learn more about the world and all that's in it. Whether you take the final or not, I will drop your lowest score of the first three exams, and at best that leaves you with 50 points -- which is far less than a B. In addition, anyone who does not take the final exam will receive either an incomplete in the class (if their point total is passing) or a failing grade.

Q. Do you grade on a curve?

I suspect most students don't really have an inkling of what this really means in statistical terms. However, delving into that topic wouldn't serve much point, so let's just skip it.

I have posted a grade scale for this class, and I adhere to it as closely as possible. At the low end, it is pretty generous, but sometimes that just isn't enough. In fact, average test scores have been on a steady decline over the past few years. As a result, I sometimes do fiddle a bit with where the breaks fall between particular grades. Ideally, if any change was necessary, I would strive for 15% A's, 20% B's, 30% C's, 20% D's, and 15% F's. In other words, a pretty standard, bell-shaped curve. Grades for students who -- for whatever reason -- do not take the final exam are not included in this distribution.

Q. Unlike most of my classmates, I really like this class. Do you have any advice if I'm thinking about majoring in geology?

My best advice is to speak in detail with one or more MTSU geoscience professors to get a perspective on what is required of geology students, what geologists do for a living, their earning potential, etc.

For the most part, prospective geology students should have strong science and math abilities. In this sense, success in GEOL-1030 is not a very good measuring stick for assessing one's aptitude for a career in the geosciences. I should also point out that there are few curriculums that require as broad a background in the allied sciences (i.e. biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics). Finally, the professional degree in the geosciences is generally considered to be a Master of Science (rather than a B.A. or B.S.) On the upside, geology is a wonderful career choice that provides lots of opportunity for seeing the world, rewarding and challenging work, a good salary, and in most cases, a very stimulating work environment.

Q. Geology is okay, but what I really like is weather and climate. What kind of classes do I have to take to become a meteorologist?

Meteorology is essentially atmospheric physics. Accordingly, a degree in meteorology requires many classes in physics and upper-level mathematics. Upper-level courses in meteorology are likewise very quantitative, i.e. math-oriented.

You cannot obtain a meteorology degree at MTSU, or for that matter, anywhere in Tennessee. A few schools in bordering states offer meteorology degrees, but they are few and far between. Finally, like geology, the professional degree in meterology is considered to be a Master of Science.