Lesson 0: Orientation

About Lesson 0

"Lesson 0," which you are reading right now, is our course orientation. It is important that you review all of the material on all these pages and all of the resources located in the Lesson 0 folder in ANGEL (under the Lessons tab). Doing so will not only prepare you to be successful in this course, but it will also help you prepare for the "Course Information" quiz at the end of Lesson 0. You must get a score of at least 90% on that quiz to gain access to Lesson 1...and the answers are all contained in Lesson 0!

Learning Objectives

By the end of Lesson 0, successful students should be able to...

  • articulate your own course expectations as a student in EARTH 105
  • understand the expectations we have of YOU as a student in EARTH 105
  • locate key information about the course, including assignments, due dates, and course policies
  • understand the rules and regulations regarding Academic Integrity and plagiarism at Penn State
  • understand how Turnitin.com will be used in EARTH 105

Lesson Activities

Lesson 0 is relatively straightforward! Simply complete the activities listed below. While it may look like a lot, it is relatively painless! You must complete Lesson 0 by the end of the first week of class. (See the Calendar tab for specific due dates.)

You may want to print this page to serve as a checklist as you go along.

ACTIVITY
LOCATION
DIRECTIONS

1

Introduce yourself and meet the rest of the class!

ANGEL: Communicate tab

  1. Click on the Communicate tab in ANGEL.
  2. Scroll down to the "Discussion Forums" section, then click on the link to the Personal Introductions discussion forum.
  3. Post a new message containing your personal introduction: Who are you? What do you do when you are not taking this class? What is your interest in this course?
  4. View other students' postings to learn more about them.

Need more help using discussion forums? Review the ANGEL discussion forum directions.

2

Learn about Academic Integrity and Plagiarism at Penn State

ANGEL: Lessons tab

See the "Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Copyright Issues at Penn State" folder within the Lesson 0 folder

  1. Listen to the introduction to this topic, "Instructions and Introduction to Academic Integrity and Plagiarism at Penn State"
  2. Review the information on "Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Copyright" and complete the associated activities
  3. Listen to the end message, "What will happen if I suspect an Academic Integrity violation"

3

Learn about citing sources in your EARTH 105 assignments

ANGEL: Lessons tab

See the "How to Cite Sources for Assignments in EARTH 105" folder within the Lesson 0 folder

  1. Listen to the introduction to this topic, "Citations in APA Style"
  2. Follow the “Finding and Documenting Sources” link, and review the resources on this site.
  3. Review the sample title page, done in APA style

4

Learn about Turnitin.com

ANGEL: Lessons tab

See the "Information About Turnitin.com" folder within the Lesson 0 folder
  1. Listen to the "Dr. G's Introduction to Turnitin.com" audio file by Dr. G
  2. Watch the quick video tour of Turnitin.com by Dr. G
  3. Read the "EARTH 105 instructions for enrolling in Turnitin.com"
  4. Read the "Quickstart" for Turnitin.com and follow the instructions (a link to Turnitin.com is also located in our Turnitin.com folder)

5

Take the EARTH 105 Pre-test

I'd like to get a sense of what you already know about Africa and the geosciences, so we've constructed this short pre-test. The pre-test is not a graded activity, just a vehicle for gathering information.

Pre-test Web site

To access the pre-test, you will need to enter the following log-in information (be sure to use all lower case letters):

  • "Name" - enter your Penn State Access Account user ID (such as, uxg3)
  • "Password" - enter "earth105"

NOTE: If you are having any problems logging in, please contact Sarah Zappe (ser163@psu.edu) immediately.

6

Take the Course Information Quiz

ANGEL: Lessons tab

See the Lesson 0 folder

The quiz is designed to test your knowledge of the course and the information covered in this lesson.

You must get a score of 90% or better on this quiz to unlock Lesson 1. You may retake the quiz as many times as you need.

7

Personalize your ANGEL space

ANGEL

If you are new to ANGEL, personalize your ANGEL space (follow directions on the "ANGEL Overview" page of this lesson)

Deliverables

The following items must be submitted by the end of this lesson (see the Calendar tab for specific due date).

  • Post a note of self-introduction to the Personal Introductions Discussion Forum
  • Complete the anonymous "Initial Course Survey"
  • Complete the EARTH 105 Pre-test
  • Complete the "Course Information Quiz" with a score of 90% or better

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post them to our "General Discussion" Discussion Forum (not e-mail), located under the Communicate tab in ANGEL. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.

Keep reading!

On the following pages you will find important information about the course structure, requirements, scheduling, and technical requirements and assistance...all of which you'll need to know in order to pass the course...and the Course Information Quiz!. Remember, you are also responsible for the information located on our course syllabus, which can be accessed by clicking on the Syllabus link above.