I am incredibly grateful for this class, and it was overall a very pleasant experience. I particularly enjoyed the ungraded approach, as I ended up biting off more than I could chew this semester with five classes and a full time job. Likewise, I started off strongly, but as more and more things came up I began to have trouble keeping up and fell behind greatly, in a normal graded class this could’ve been unrecoverable, but thankfully the unique approach of an “ungraded” class helped me get back on track. Overall, I mostly stuck to the goals I set aside for myself at the start of the semester, with a few hiccups during the semester. I feel as though the Eportfolio aspect of the class was a fantastic way to learn and also prove knowledge about each particular Significant Learning Objective. In the end, looking back, I feel as though I did a decent job in the class despite missing a couple of classes/assignments which I feel didn’t hinder my learning.
Please give as full an explanation as possible of your CURRENT knowledge of the ocean, its processes, and human impact on it.
As of now, I have a relatively basic understanding of the ocean, its processes, and the human impact on it. I’m aware of basic ocean ecosystems, as well as some basic ocean processes such as currents and how plate tectonics interact with the ocean. I’m aware that humans are overfishing and trashing the ocean, but that’s about it.
Below are the student learning outcomes for this class. How comfortable do you feel with those objectives at this point in time?
Explain the theory of plate tectonics and how it relates to the formation of undersea floor structures.
I’m aware of the theory of plate tectonics, but I don’t have a full understanding of how it relates to the formation of undersea floor structures.
Reconstruct the major circulation patterns of the dominant ocean circulation systems, atmospheric circulation systems, and analyze their interrelationships.
I’m relatively uninformed on major circulation patterns and would be unable to reconstruct them.
Describe the principles involved in the formation of tides and waves and evaluate their effects upon oceanic coastal processes.
I would be unable to describe the principles involved in the formation of tides and waves and their effects on coastal processes.
Summarize the major physical properties of the oceans and evaluate how they affect the marine life communities.
I think I could summarize a few physical properties of the ocean, but I’m not too knowledgeable, and wouldn’t be able to evaluate how they affect marine life communities.
I struggled a bit when it came to meeting my goals, particularly the time management aspect and staying up to date with all assignments and deadlines. I missed a good chunk of class time and a couple of assignments, which I do feel hindered me a bit, but overall didn’t hurt my complete understanding of each SLO.
Methods
What methods did you end up using for this class? How did they work?
I did end up making a planner with all important class deadlines, although, I will say the most important method to employ would’ve been showing up to each and every in person meeting as that was the best way to stay on top of my work and deadlines.
How many hours a week did you typically spend on this class?
I spent a reasonable amount of time on the class each particular week, probably about 6 hours weekly including class time. I probably could have and should have spent more time outside of class working, which probably would’ve led me to stay on top of all my work.
How many objectives did you complete within the last 3 weeks?
I was incredibly behind on my eportfolio, so I won’t lie, I completed all four objectives within the last 3 weeks because I wasn’t on top of my work and procrastinated a tad too much.
Conclusions/Discussion
Look at your overall involvement and engagement with the class. How many assignments did you complete, how present were you,
According to my roll call grade, I was here for 70% of classes and my assignment completion is similar. Aside from that, I felt when I was in class, I did a good job participating and communicating with my fellow classmates to contribute to a good learning environment.
We discussed the fact that this class was meant to help you practice a variety of skills useful to any future, not just oceanography. Which do you think you have had most practice with due to class?
This class was a wonderful opportunity to learn about oceanography while also honing other essential life skills. Particularly, I enjoyed a lot of the group work and practicing discussions with my classmates. Aside from that, I felt it also really helped my online researching skills which is an important skill to have in any class.
Honestly think about your true knowledge of all the topics we've covered in this class and how well you understand their basic concepts and connections.
I had a reasonable understanding of each topic before, but now I can 100% say I have a very concrete understanding of each particular learning objective, as well as their particular connections with each other and the environment we live in.
In what, if any, ways do you think this class has intersected with, impacted, or made any difference in your life?
As I mentioned in our first meeting, I think understanding and having knowledge of the surrounding processes which shape and influence our environment is incredibly interesting. Now I can look at currents, atmospheric circulation, and plate interactions and be knowledgeable about the mechanisms which drives them.
What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in this course?
I would say I’m most proud of the experiments we conducted during the class as they were fun and interactive, aside from that I think I’m proud of my eportfolio as it's an amalgamation of all the things we learned in the class condensed onto one website.
What grade would you give yourself?
I’ve never had the opportunity to give myself a grade in any particular class, but If I were to decide on a grade for myself in this class, it would probably be a C or B.
Do you think that your grade would match the grade I would give you? Why or why not?
Honestly, I haven’t been a very model student in this class, so I could understand if the grade you had in mind differed from the one I suggested. I think despite my absences in the class, I was still able to demonstrate my understanding of each particular learning objective.
This is your paper...is there anything else you feel would be valuable here?
I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and support which you offered us. I really enjoyed the flexibility of this class as well as how organized the canvas page was as it was a very big help for this particularly stressful semester.