
The materials for this class are on the World Wide Web. Registered students in this course will need to navigate between several environments in the World Wide Web. These include:
- This site: The instructional materials in this site include 12 modules, plus this course orientation. Each module contains an introduction, followed by the reading assignments, lengthy presentation of the topic and a formative assessmne or a summative assessment or both. The assessments are a key part of the class, designed to provide you with a stronger grasp of the concepts in each module. The other key components of the course are the readings. These are mandatory. Some of the material in the readings are not covered in the course website text of the course and you will be expected to master that material. Even though the reading material is compiled at the beginning of the module, we recommend that you read the references after you have read the text. The Earth is very visual and we have incorporated a lot of images in the text, more than a typical online course. Make sure that you take in these images as you read the text. The final element of the course are videos. Make sure you watch them.
- Course Management Systems
- Penn State Students use Canvas, the learning management system. In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.
- Colorado Mesa students use D2L, CMU’s course management system, which is accessed through the MavZone portal. In D2L, registered students consult course calendars, communicate with instructors and fellow students, submit assignments, receive feedback from the instructor, take online quizzes, and check assignment scores and course grades.
Topics of study
The content of this course is divided into three broad areas or Sections. Each Section is made up of Modules. There are eleven weekly modules in the course with the final week reserved for the Capstone.
Section 1 Introduction
- Module 1: Introduction
- Module 2: Geographic and Historical Context
- Module 3: Diet and Nutrition
Section 2 Environmental Dynamics and Drivers
- Module 4: Food and Water
- Module 5: Soils as a Key Resource for Food Systems
- Module 6: Crops
Section 3 Systems Approaches to Managing our Food Systems
- Module 7: Soils and a Systems Approach to Soil Quality
- Module 8: Pests and Integrated Pest Management
- Module 9: Food and Climate Change
Section 4 Food Systems and Sustainability
- Module 10: Food Systems
- Module 11: Human-Environment Interactions
- Module 12: Future Food Scenarios
Course assignments
Evaluation of student performance will be based on the following assignments
- Formative and Summative Assessments. You will complete formative assessments for Tuesday and either submit the worksheet or take a quiz based on the worksheet. You will complete summative assessments for Thursday and either submit your work or take an online quiz based on your work through Canvas.
- Capstone Activity. You will work on this activity on your own. It will be due at the end of the semester. This activity will be documented at Capstone Assignment and after Module 3.
- Weekly Quizzes: The quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions and are designed to assess your understanding of the week's module content
- Discussions: see Discussions in Canvas.
Students are expected to read all assigned materials, study them well, and submit work according to the deadlines.
Refer to the course syllabus for assignment weighting and final grade calculation.