Earth Science Lecture (ESC1000) Blended Course

What does the course cover?  
  • Earth Science is all about the "workings" of the Earth's surface and interior, Earth’s atmosphere, and Earth’s Oceans. In this course, you will learn about volcanoes and earthquakes, the forces that create and destroy the ocean floor, and the formation of the highest mountains on Earth. These are all powered by the internal heat of the Earth's core and mantle. You will also learn about those processes that are powered by the external heating of the Earth by the Sun, such as weathering and erosion, soil formation, the hydrologic cycle (rivers, glaciers, ground water) and the modification of coastlines by waves. Furthermore, you will learn about the Earth's structure, the rocks and minerals that make up the Earth, as well as the history of the Earth, fossils, and geologic time. In the Earth’s Oceans and Atmosphere part of this course, you will learn why the ocean is salty, what controls the salinity, how the heating of the planet creates patterns of global wind and ocean circulation, and  why we have seasons and climate variability. You will also learn about the weather, severe storms, different types of precipitation and clouds.

    Course Outcomes:
    Upon finishing this course with a passing grade, a student. should recognize the impact of geologic processes on the solid, liquid, and gaseous portions of the planet Earth. Students will have positioned themselves with the knowledge to make informed decisions as responsible citizens concerning issues where geology and geologic processes impact or are influenced by human endeavors. The same holds true regarding atmospheric and oceanic processes, which are driven by the unequal heating of the Earth by the Sun and modified by geology. At the completion of the course, the student should be able to advance to the next level of geology and/or Earth science coursework
     
Are there any course pre-requisites or corequisites?
  • There are no prerequisites for this course. ESC1000 is a general education course that satisfies the 3 credit hour physical science requirement for the A.A. degree.  You do not need to take ESC1000L, the Earth Science Lab, with this course.  You can take the Lab portion before or after you take this course, or never take it.
Are there any face to face meetings during the semester?
  • 50% of the course is conducted face to face in a classroom and 50% is done online.  Class meets for 1.25 hours one day a week.
Are you prepared to take an online course?  Read the following list of skills and knowledge that you should already have before taking an online course.
  • Computer Knowledge and Skills:
    • Students in this course should be familiar with the following computer skills.
      • File Management - You should be familiar with finding and saving files on your computer.
      • The Internet - You should be familiar with connecting to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider or Network Connection.
      • Web Browser Software - You should be familiar with using web browser software to navigate the Internet and locate information.
      • Email - You should be familiar with sending and receiving email messages.
      • Discussions - You should be familiar with posting and reading discussion messages in a threaded format.
      • Attachments - You should be familiar with sending email messages with attached files.
      • Word Processing - You should be familiar with creating, editing, saving, and printing documents using Microsoft Word.
Other Requirements:
  • You'll need a BC email address to access the online portion of this course.
  • Online courses are best suited for the self-motivated student willing invest a considerable amount of time and effort on the course.  How much time?  Consider that in a face to face classroom course you have 48 hours of "face time", and are expected to put in about 2 hours of studying for every hour the course meets.  That totals 144 hours of study time per course, or about 10 hours per week.
How is your grade determined? 
  • Your grade is determined by the average of 14 weekly Exams and 3 Tests.  Exam questions are multiple choice and true/false. Exams are taken online at home.  Tests are taken in class. There will be limited extra credit in the form of participating in discussion/written activities.
What textbook and other items do you need for the course?
  • Required Text:    Foundations of Earth Science , 8/e , Lutgens and Tarbuck, 2017, ISBN: 0321811143  Publisher: Prentice Hall. 
How to access course once you are enrolled:  Normally, the login date is the first day of the session in which the course is scheduled.  The only people who will be permitted to login are those students who have registered and paid for the course.There may be a delay of several hours from when a student registers and pays before BConline login is activated.

  • Your BConline User Name is the same as your BC email ID.
  • Your BConline password is the same as your BC email PIN code.
  • If you need login information, obtain BC email user ID and PIN code before attempting to login to BConline.
  • The BC email address site, click on "ID Lookup", then enter your Student# (or INTL Student ID#) and PIN code (2 digit birth month and 4 digit year). Write down your email ID (not the @mail.broward.edu part), which is your BConline User Name.

Links to help students get connected to BConline course(s)

Any more questions?

Email: jmuza@broward.edu
Phone: 954-201-6771