Paleo 200: Introduction to Dinosaurs in the Fossil Record Course Syllabus
Fall 2016
INSTRUCTOR: Angelica Torices
Office Hours: online only, via eClass site
ONLINE COURSE:
Lessons available online
(https://www.coursera.org/learn/dino101/home/welcome) throughout course.
You must register for the free (not Signature Track) version of Dino 101 with Coursera, preferably using your ualberta email address. Supplementary readings and study guides are available via eClass throughout course.
MIDTERM EXAM: The midterm exam will be October 17‐22 in the Learning
Assesment Center at the University of Alberta (North Campus). Address: Education North 3‐104, University of Alberta,11210 ‐ 87 Ave Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G5.
Midterm exam covers Lesson 1 to Lesson 6 included.
You need to register for the exam previously with them. We will post the date on eClass when students can begin registration. From that moment on the students will have to follow these instructions to register:
1.‐ Go to http://techined.ualberta.ca/events 2.‐ Login using your UofA account.
3.‐ Search Paleo
4.‐ The dates for the midterm exam will appear under Paleo200/201 Fall 2016 Midterm
5.‐ Select the date and a new small window will appear to your right where you will be able to select the time to begin the exam and the seats available. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam.
6.‐ Register
Please see Section H of this syllabus if you are unable to write the midterm exam at the scheduled time.
MIDTERM REVIEWS: A period for midterm reviews will be established once the grades are posted on eClass (tentative dates: October31 to November 4). Reviews will only be through appointment. Students will write an email to the Instructor/TA asking for an appointment. The instructor/TA will assign a day and a time slot. As much as possible the Instructor/TA will try to accommodate to the student but please, take into consideration the high number of students (around 600 students)
and petitions. Due to the high number of students on this course we need to
establish a rigid schedule to attend the highest number of students. Failure to meet the established appointment will result in losing the chance to review the exam.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be will be December 8‐14, 2016 (December 11 is a Sunday so the exam would be Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)in the Learning Assessment Center at the University of Alberta (North Campus). Address: Education North 3‐104, University of Alberta,11210 ‐ 87 Ave Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G5.
Final Exam covers Lesson 7 to Lesson 12 included.
You need to register for the exam previously with them. We will post the date on eClass when students can begin registration. To register for the exam please follow these instructions.
1.‐ Go to http://techined.ualberta.ca/events 2.‐ Login using your UofA account.
3.‐ Search Paleo
4.‐ The dates for the final exam (December 8‐14) will appear under Paleo200/201 Fall 2016 Final
5.‐ Select the date and a new small window will appear to your right where you will be able to select the time to begin the exam and the seats available. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam.
6.‐ Register.
Please see Section I of this syllabus if you are unable to write the final exam at the scheduled time.
NOTE: Students in PALEO 200 must be able to attend the exam dates or provide documentation to the instructor to support a deferred midterm exam request. For final exam deferral requests, see Section I of this syllabus.
ECLASS: Students registered in PALEO 200 should post questions about course content, logistics, and exams in the eClass forums, not in the Coursera forums. By posting in the eClass forums, you will have more direct access to help from your instructors – the Coursera forums may include thousands of students, and it will not be possible for the forum moderators to address every single question. To access the eClass site, go to https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/portal/, login to the University of Alberta Credit Courses section, and select PALEO 200.
A. Description: Dinosaurs in the Fossil Record
* 3 (fi 6) (either term, 3‐0‐0). Students will learn the fundamental processes of how and what we know about the fossil record, with a special focus on dinosaurs. Topics include fossilization, fossil collection/curation, morphological analysis, organismal evolution, paleoecology, protection of fossils, speciation, stratigraphy, and
taphonomy. Students learn how paleontological research determines the ages,
behaviour, breeding, life cycles, physiology, sexes and other aspects of the biology of dinosaurs and other extinct animals. This course will be delivered entirely on‐line.
Prerequisites: Biology 30 or equivalent, or any 100‐level course in the Faculty of Science. Note: Students who have obtained credit for PALEO 201 cannot take PALEO 200 for credit.
B. Organization
This course will be delivered solely online, and students will work through each lesson at any time during the week that the lesson is released. Students will access the online portion of the course via the Coursera website above and via the eClass Moodle site for PALEO 200. The midterm and final exams will be given to students in person, and students must be able to sit for these exams at the times and dates given.
C. Course objectives
In this course, students will learn about the many kinds of non‐avian dinosaurs that roamed the earth during the Mesozoic Era, from 250 to 65 million years ago.
Numerous topics are covered in order to deliver a comprehensive survey of this important group of animals. These include adaptations for attack and defense, anatomy, appearances, behaviors, birth, deep time, evolutionary theory, feeding, fossilization, growth, integumentary structures, locomotion, major groupings, origins, paleogeography, plate tectonics, reproduction, species definition, stratigraphy, and the extinction event that brought their dominance to an end.
Specific learning objectives for each lesson are available in the study guides.
D. Course topics
The course will cover the following topics:
Lesson 1: "Appearances and Anatomy" covers the diversity in dinosaur appearances, and students will be able to identify major features of the major groups of dinosaurs.
Lesson 2: "Death and Fossilization" describes how fossils form, how we interpret the taphonomy of skeletons and bonebeds, and looks at the possible biases taphonomic events may create in the fossil record.
Lesson 3: "Eating" looks at the variety of food types, feeding habits, and feeding adaptations amongst the major groups of dinosaurs
Lesson 4: "Moving Around" helps students understand the general modes and styles of locomotion in the major dinosaur groups. The lesson also describes general methods of evaluating hypotheses on locomotion.
Lesson 5: "Birth, Growth, Reproduction" provides a generalized life history of a dinosaur, from birth through adulthood, including reproduction. The student will be able to describe major techniques of evaluating growth stages and rates in
dinosaurs.
Lesson 6: "Attack and Defence" examines the behaviours and structures that may have served for attack or defence through the lifetime of a dinosaur.
Lesson 7: "What is a Species" will teach the different ways of defining what a species is. Students will be able to compare the strengths and weaknesses of different species concepts for different situations.
Lesson 8: "Evolution" will describe the basic theories of speciation, and discusses how these different methods of speciation may have occurred, including both hypothetical and empirical examples.
Lesson 9: "Stratigraphy and Geologic Time" provides basic stratigraphic concepts and the scale of earth history. Students will understand the evolution of dinosaurs through time, including which groups evolved when and where.
Lesson 10: "Palaeogeography and Plate Tectonics" presents the basic concepts in plate tectonics and the evolution of the earth’s surface.
Lesson 11: "Dinosaur Origins" will look at the evolution of dinosaurs from non‐
dinosaurian archosaurs.
Lesson 12: "Dinosaur Extinction" will examine the end Cretaceous extinction event, and provide examples of vertebrate groups that both persisted and died out during the event.
E. Text and required supplies
In addition to the online lectures, a study guide and supplementary readings will be posted for each lesson on eClass. These are required readings unless noted
otherwise.
F. Grading plan
Coursera Quizzes: Quizzes at the Coursera Dino101 site are components of the online course, are provided for the benefit of students, but are not graded
Midterm (October 17‐22): 50%
Final exam (December 8‐14): 50%. There is no possibility of a re‐examination in this course.
Grade evaluation will be by a combination of relative standing in the class and absolute achievement. This means that each assignment and test will be assigned a numerical mark and those marks will be summed. A final grade will be assigned based on the overall quality of the work done and where possible on natural breaks in the grade distribution, so as to be consistent in standard with previous years' grading. No absolute grade distribution ('curve') will be imposed on the grades, but the overall level and range of grades is likely to be similar to other classes at this
level at the University of Alberta, in which the mean grade is typically in the B to B+
range.
Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and/or Faculty offering the course.
* WARNING: Students must verify this date on Bear Tracks when the Final Exam Schedule is posted
G. You are encouraged to give feedback whenever you feel there are things that can be improved.
H. Missed Term Exams and Assignments:
Due to the ability to choose the midterm date and time, a deferral will not normally be granted. However, a student who cannot write a term examination due to
Incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons can apply for a deferred midterm examination.
Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right. There is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
I. Deferred Final Examination:
A student who cannot write the final examination (December 8‐14, 2016) due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons can apply to write the deferred final examination, which will be held on Jan. 10, 2016.
Such an application must be made to the student's Faculty office within 48 hours of the missed examination and must be supported by a Statutory Declaration or other appropriate documentation (Calendar section 23.5.6). Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right. There is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted.
Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
J. Student Responsibilities:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: "The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at
http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStan dards/CodeofStudentBehaviour.aspx) and avoid any behaviour that could
potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University."
All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Any offence will be
reported to the Senior Associate Dean of Science who will determine the
disciplinary action to be taken. Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offences. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive at
minimum a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. As well, in the Faculty of Science the sanction for cheating on any examination will include a disciplinary failing grade (no exceptions) and senior students should expect a period of suspension or expulsion from the University of Alberta.
EXAMS: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity.
Students will not be allowed to begin an examination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes. Students must remain in the exam room until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment cannot be brought into examination rooms and hats should not be worn.
CELL PHONES: Cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers and similar pieces of equipment are not to be brought to exams.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students who require accommodation in this course due to a disability are advised to discuss their needs with Specialized Support & Disability Services (2‐800 Students' Union Building).
ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTRE: Students who require additional help in
developing strategies for better time management, study skills or examination skills should contact the Student Success Centre (2‐300 Students' Union Building).
Disclaimer: Any typographical errors in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced in class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus.
Note: Recording is permitted only with the prior written consent of the professor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan.