School of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Course Outline for RREN 420

GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS I

Fall 2009

WebCT Access of Course Material On-line (for students enrolled in the course)

INSTRUCTORS:

GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:

RREN 420 involves the presentation of two integrated teaching modules that focus on the application of geospatial technology to forest and wildlife management.  The first module includes the application of geospatial technologies to the integrated management and monitoring of forest land.   The second module utilizes the application of geospatial technology to assess habitat resources for wildlife management.  The two modules incorporate the global positioning system (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing technologies combined with field-tested, scientifically-based principles providing an integrated approach to natural resources management.  The two modules are vertically integrated where field measurements are combined based on common sampling points.  The course is offered during the first five weeks of the fall semester for students who are in their final year of the Bachelor of Technology (BT) program in Renewable Resources (RREN).

EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES:

Upon the successful completion of RREN 420, students will have

1. Gained an understanding of how inventory systems can be used to account for standing trees, culls, and snags; herbaceous vegetation; tree regeneration; soils; the presence of wildlife; and anthropomorphic access ways.

2. Developed an understanding of how to identify and describe existing floral communities as to tier classification, taxonomic grouping, and wetland indicator category status.

3. Demonstrated the basic skills needed to gather overstory and understory forest inventory data as well as collect cover-type data using field data recorders associated with global coordinate systems.

4. Working within predetermined project management goals, determined project area boundaries, estimated probable compartment units, and established transect baselines for upland, wetland, and riparian ecosystems.

5. Analyzed data using appropriate GIS software to delineate boundaries and summarize represented cover types.

6. Utilized tabulated standards to determine values for wetland areas, riparian buffer strips, wildlife habitat needs, and habitat fidelity.

7. Developed an understanding of how appropriate goal-oriented management strategies can be devised based on collected data.

8. Created and presented professional quality reports of their field work and results.

OFFICE HOURS:

Each of the instructors has a minimum of five designated office hours per week. The times will be shared with the students during the first class meeting (also to be posted on the instructor’s office door). If necessary, students are also encouraged to make appointments to see any of the instructors at other times. Students with disabilities who require accommodations to fully participate in the course activities are requested to contact one of the course instructors within the first two weeks of the semester.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

1. Lecture/laboratory/problem solving sessions.

2. Reading assignments.

3. Homework and laboratory exercises.

4. A group project.

5. Reading current literature related to the covered topics.

CONTACT HOURS AND CLASS SCHEDULE:

RREN 420 is a one-credit hour course that meets for the first five weeks of the semester.  It includes four contact hours per week (two for lecture and two for laboratory).  One section of the class is offered during the 2009 Fall semester.  The schedule of the offered section is as follows:

• RREN 420 - Section 1 (lecture):  Meets on Tuesdays (1:00 to 2:50 p.m.) in Room 102, Marshall Hall (or 207 Library as announced by the instructors).
• RREN 420 - Section 01L (laboratory):  Meets on Fridays (3:00 to 4:50 p.m.) in Room 102, Marshall Hall (or 207 Library as announced by the instructors).

TEXTBOOK(S):

A course manual will be available from the campus bookstore. It will include the instructors' lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations (printed in handout format), pertinent reading material, and printouts of the laboratory exercises. Course material will also be available on-line under WebCT, accessible only by those students who are enrolled in the course. Numerous resources are also available at the college library and on-line. Students are encouraged to be actively involved in acquiring some pertinent knowledge from all available resources. The following publication (utilized in RREN 303) will also serve as a reference:

1. Ormsby, T., E. Napoleon, R. Burke, C. Groessl, and L. Feaster.  2004. Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo (2^nd Edition).  ESRI Press, Redlands, California.

STUDENT REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:

1. Notebook, manuals, and textbooks.

2. Appropriate dress for scheduled laboratory operations and field work .

CLASS POLICIES:

• Attendance: Students are required to attend scheduled lectures, laboratories, and field work. Also, they are expected to work on class and laboratory/field assignments as scheduled by the professors. Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Failure to do so will result in the student being counted absent. If a student must leave class early during a regularly scheduled meeting, s/he must discuss the reasons with the professor beforehand. If a student must miss a scheduled class meeting due to an acceptable, verifiable time conflict, s/he must resolve the time conflict prior to class. If a student is unable to attend class because of an emergency, one of the professors (or the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources office) must be notified (expected prior to the scheduled class meeting). The office telephone number is 684-6083. Use of e-mail is highly recommended. Students failing to call ahead or discuss absences prior to the class will be unexcused. If a student accumulates two unexcused absences, s/he will be given the option of either dropping the course or receiving a failing grade for the semester.

• Student Behavior: As students in a technical program are preparing for a professional career, all students are expected to conduct themselves as professionals (in both manner and dress).

• Eating, drinking, or the consumption of any tobacco products is prohibited in the classroom situation (lecture hall, classroom, laboratory, or field). Doing so may result in the student's dismissal from that class period and will count as an unexcused absence.

• Cell phones and pagers must be turned off during instruction time. Use of or disruption of class by these devices will result in the student's dismissal from that class period and will count as an unexcused absence.

• Honesty Policy and Discipline (Due Process): Honesty and integrity are major elements in professional behavior and are expected of each student. Any assignment (including those in electronic media) submitted by a student must be of the student's original authorship. Representation of another's work as the student’s own shall constitute plagiarism. Cheating, in any form, is an unacceptable behavior within all College courses. Students having academic problems should consult with their academic advisor or a college counselor. Instances of cheating will be dealt with in accordance to College policy. Standards of academic honesty and due process procedures for Morrisville State College are located in the Rules, Regulations, and Expectations section of the Student Handbook.

• Safety Guidelines: Certain class assignments may require the student to be absent from the professor's immediate supervision. Whether the student is under immediate supervision or not, safe conduct and safe use of equipment shall be the ultimate rule. Failure to comply with prudent safety practice and/or willful disregard for class participants and/or equipment may be cause for immediate dismissal from that particular class session by the professor(s). Subsequent similar activity may be cause for dismissal from the course by the Dean.

GRADING/EVALUATION OF STUDENT:

Evaluation is a shared responsibility between the teacher and the student. The purpose of the evaluation is to demonstrate how well the professor has taught and the student has learned specific course materials, the principles, concepts and terms relevant to the covered topics, and to determine the students' ability to apply that knowledge to specific situations.

Many class periods will have a graded component or exercise. These may be written assignments, in-lab assignments, homework, or the evaluation of the student's participation and attitude. These components will total twenty percent (20%) of the total course grade. It is important that students complete their assignments accurately, neatly, and submit them on time. Assignments received past the due date will be devalued for any late assignment. No class assignment of any student will be graded (for credit) once the same assignment is corrected and returned to the class.

Several quizzes will be given in this course. These will be generally given at the beginning of the class and will be worth thirty percent (30%) of the overall course grade. No make-up quizzes will be given without a written medical excuse, family emergencies, or prior permission from the instructor. Students are responsible for all material covered in the class whether presented orally during the lectures/ laboratories or assigned.

Each student will contribute to a group project defined by the instructors. The project will be presented during week six of the semester (oral presentation). The project will be worth thirty percent (50%) of the final grade.

The breakdown of grading in this course will be as follows: 

• Class Participation, Attendance, and Work Ethic ==> 10%

• Class Assignments ==> 10%

• Quizzes ==> 30%

• Term Project and Oral Presentation ==> 50%

The distribution of grades in this course will be based on the A-F College grading scheme. The letter grades correspond to the following percentage scale: A (90-100%), A- (87-89.9%), B+ (83-86.9%), B (80-82.9%), B- (77-79.9%), C+ (73-76.9%), C (70-72.9%), C- (67-69.9%), D+ (63-66.9%), D (60-62.9%), and F (<60%).

OUTLINE OF TOPICS: