4  Assignments, Points, and Grading

Activities and Assignments (512 points)1

In this class we emphasize process over product - and because this is a 5000-level course which encourages use of all available resources, I will expect you to learn through your own reading, writing, and experience in addition to materials from lecture and class activities. In other words, lecture in this class is not designed to spoon-feed you everything you need to know - instead lecture will be a place to construct some basic knowledge scaffolds and ask questions in the process. We will use the course textbook 2.1 as a basic scaffold for most of the information but will also be building our own wiki-style textbook as we go throughout the semester.

The activities and assignments in this class are designed around several organizing principles:

  • We will strive for deep integration of theory, measurement and application.
  • I will ask you to stretch your comfort zones and challenge you to grow.
  • A significant emphasis is placed on engagement and effort - I don’t expect you to come into this class with any particular skill set. I do expect you to put forth the effort to learn new things.
  • We will work on asking questions (see ?sec-thinking5yo) (lots of questions!) and foster independence and curiosity.
  • We will code! We will work with raw data! We will practice research and citation skills!
  • Although there will be work you will need to do on your own time, we will also provide the time and space for in-class work on most assignments.
  • Weekly practice and group collaboration is very important!

Weekly Reading Annotations and Wiki Contributions (56 points, 11% of your grade)

Each week, you will be asked to complete required readings, largely from Vepraskas and Craft, 2016. To encourage ?sec-reading I will ask that you provide an active reading audit trail in the form of annotations and marginalia (either physical or digital). You will turn this in on Canvas each week. Additionally, each week you will be asked to contribute a minimum of 5 researched citations and 3 pieces of content (either full pages or sections) to our class wiki, which you will be asked to summarize using a wiki-contribution log. Your reading annotations and wiki-contributions will be due on Friday of each week. (14 Reading Audits x 2 points + 14 wiki contributions x 2 points = 56 points).

Lecture Reflections (56 points, 11% of your grade) In every lecture, you will be given a sheet with questions or reflection prompts. These will be completed during lecture. If you miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to complete the lecture reflection for points on your own. (28 reflections x 2 points = 56 points).

Field Trip Reports (45 points, 9% of your grade)

You will be required to write a brief report for three of the four field sessions. More specific details will be given before each field session. You will be working in groups on the field sessions and each group will turn in a single report. It should be well-written, clear and concise and follow standard format for soil profile descriptions that will be provided. (3 reports x 15 points = 45 points).

Assignment 1: Biochemistry Exercise (15 points, 3% of your grade)

You will be given access to a simplified R shiny app which will allow you to adjust parameters and experiment with what happens to soil redox potential under different scenarios. This will allow you to further your understanding of the biochemical processes that lead to redox reactions in wet soils. You will turn in individual reports online, but may work together if you like. (1 assignment x 10 points = 15 points).

Assignment 2: Redox Vial Project (15 points, 3% of your grade)

We will set up an experiment to monitor the formation of soil redoximorphic features in controlled vials throughout the semester. You will work in groups but turn in an individual report online. (1 assignment x 15 points = 15 points).

Assignment 3: Hydric Soils Exercise (15 points, 3% of your grade)

You will be given a set of soil profile descriptions and will determine if the soils are hydric or non-hydric and why. You will turn in individual reports, but may work together if you like. (1 assignment x 10 points = 15 points).

Assignment 4: Soil Hydrology Exercise (15 points, 3% of your grade)

You will be asked to interpret the type of hydrology for specified wetlands and interpret hydrologic monitoring data from piezometers and tensiometers. Independent work. (1 assignment x 15 points = 15 points).

Assignment 5: Wetland Assessment Exercise (15 points, 3% of your grade)

You will be provided with an area that contains significant hydric soils and will describe the nature of the wetlands and hydric soil conditions on site using publicly available digital resources such as Digital Elevation Models (and derivatives), the National Wetland Inventory, and . Independent work and turn in online. (1 assignment x 15 points = 15 points).

Assignment 6: Wetland Case Study (15 points, 3% of your grade)

You will select a wetland type and location of interest to you and produce a 2 page technical summary of the soils, hydrology and vegetation of the wetland system. Independent work and turn in online. (1 assignment x 15 points = 15 points).

Group Hydric Soil Delineation Project (150 points, 30% of your grade)

Your group (3-4 students) will be assigned a parcel of Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor land located to the north of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Shoreview. Your task will be to delineate all areas of hydric soils within your parcel of approximately 40 acres. Your group will flag the boundary in some sections (that I will field check); prepare a map of hydric soils; descriptions of upland, transitional, and hydric soils; and compile a comprehensive report for the site. Final projects will be due on Monday, December 8. We will provide field equipment for this project and be available on certain dates to answer questions in the field. Your group will compile a single report including background information, soil profile data, landscape descriptions, general vegetation, presumed hydrology, and a map of the hydric soil boundary for your assigned parcel of land. You will use QGIS or ArcGIS to assist in the preparation of your final project and you will submit your project in an electronic pdf file. More details for the report will be provided in the laboratory session. (1 assignment x 15 points = 15 points).

Midterm Exam (50 points, 10% of your grade)

The midterm exam will be given in-person in Room 365 Borlaug Hall. More information will be provided prior to the exam. (1 midterm exams x 50 points = 50 points).

Small Group Activity/In-Class Wetland Assessment Proficiency (15 points, 3% of your grade)

In this small group activity and proficiency assessment, you will be split into groups and assigned a location during our lab session and produce an initial technical report on the location by utilizing publicly available resources. Your technical report will be due by the end of the class session. (1 small group activity exam x 50 points = 50 points).

Final Comprehensive Exam (50 points, 10% of your grade)

The final exam will be comprehensive. (1 final exam x 50 points = 50 points).

Grade Drops and Adjustments Prior to Final Grade Calculation:

You may drop the lowest of each of the following prior to the calculation of final grades:

  • 2 Weekly Reading Annotations
  • 2 Lecture Reflections
  • 1 Assignment

Dropped scores will NOT be allowed for the following activities:

  • Exams (including in-class group wetland assessment proficiency).
  • Field Trip Reports.
  • Group Hydric Soil Delineation Project

Final Grades

Final course grades use the +/- system of grading. Course grades will be assigned using the following scale, which is based on the UMN Grading and Transcripts Policy:

Letter Grade Percent
A > 93
A- 90 to < 93
B+ 87 to < 90
B 83 to < 87
B- 80 to < 83
C+ 77 to <80
C 73 to < 77
C- 70 to < 73
D+ 67 to < 70
D 60 to < 67
F < 60
Note

A grade of C- is required to pass this class if you elected to take this course under the Pass/Fail grading system.

Grade Assignments

Grades will be assigned by earned point values as described on this page. No curve will be applied. I do not oblige requests for grade “bump-ups” for extra credit at the end off the semester as these requests are not fair to your fellow students and against University policy. However, I do calculate everybody’s final grade with a 0.5% grace. So, in other words, if you are within 0.5% of the next grade category you will receive the higher grade. Be proud of the grade you earned!

Grading Challenges

Any challenges to graded assignments you wish to be considered should be emailed to the instructor within one week of the posting date of the graded item.

Student Workload Statement

This course conforms to the UMN expected time per course credit policy.) Per that policy:

  • For all academic sessions, courses, and modalities, hours of instructional time for a course must equal at least the number of credits for the course times 15 weeks in an academic term. 3 credits x 1 hour in class per credit (average) x 15 weeks = 45 hours of in-class instructional time.

  • One credit equals 3 hours of work per week (both in and out of class). So, a 3 credit class equals 3 credits x 3 hours/credit = 9 hours per week. 3 credits x 3 hours per week x 15 weeks = 135 hours total

Here is how the course conforms:

Activity Number Hours
Lectures* 27 27 x 0.84 = 23 hours
Assignments\ 6 6 x 3 = 18 hours
Lab/Field Sessions* 8 8 x 3 = 24 hours
Field Trip Reports\ 3 3 x 3 = 9 hours
Hydric Soil Delin. Proj. 1 1 x 25 = 25 hours
Weekly Reading Annotations & Wiki 14 14 x 2 = 28 hours
Midterm Exam 1 1 x 2 = 2 hours
Small Group Exam 1 1 x 3 = 3 hours
Final Exam 1 1 x 3 = 3 hours
IN CLASS* 47 hours
TOTAL\ 135 hours

  1. see makeup policies↩︎