Raven Ellinwood
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to assess my learning of Geology this semester. In the beginning I had minimal knowledge on the subject, and as I continued through the class I gained more and more understanding of our planet.I think this class went really well. Being ungraded I was nervous about how much effort I would put into learning, but in the end the class was so much fun that I wanted to show up and learn. I had two goals, turning in assignments and taking extra steps in my learning process, which I believe were met. Because my goals were met and I feel confident that I learned more, and can at least meet the SLO’s, I believe I deserve a B for the class.
Introduction/Background
I would say that my current knowledge of geology is not much. From grade school I remember the main three types of rocks being sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. I remember being told that an earthquake is caused by a drastic shift in tectonic plates, and that tectonic plates are always moving. After reading all the SLO’s for geography I am a bit nervous. I do not think I have a great memory so being able to identify 20-30 minerals and identifying rock types with 60% accuracy is a bit nerve wracking. I also am not a great speller and so the spelling of some minerals is foreign to me. Regardless of the hesitation I have, I am excited to learn and hope to apply what I learn to the hikes I like to take.
Goals and Objectives
My SMART goal for the class is to turn in assignments to show that I am learning. Working on and turning in the assignments will hopefully showcase what I can learn in this class. If this were a graded class, I would do the bare minimum to pass. If there were number grades for assignments I would do the math to see if I can get a passing grade and miss this assignment, or I can get a passing grade if I half study for this test. I think not having the numbers to figure out how to moderately pass will give me the freedom to really learn and explore the subject material. A secondary goal I want to achieve is to take the extra steps in my learning process. I would like to watch more videos pertaining to our lecture topics. I would also like to look into other books and methods of learning.
Methods
In order to meet my goals and objectives there were a few specific things I did. The first was checking canvas as regularly as I could, I checked it nearly everyday. This was simple to do because of an online class I was on canvas almost every single day. I also had notifications set up for canvas which helped to alert me quicker to check it. In order to make sure I would turn in my assignments on time I would make sure to block out time to work on assignments at home, as well as, time blocked out for extra learning opportunities. On average I would spend at least 1-3 hours twice a week (Monday & Wednesday) to work on assignments and twice a week (Tuesday & Thursday) I would also spend 2 hours at least for studying, sometimes more. In total I would say I spent about 6 hours a week on Geology alone. There were times I would spend a lot of time on the subject; This was dependent on how much extra material was given and what else I could find. I made sure to watch extra videos that were in canvas and I used google searches and chatGPT if I needed clarification on something or needed a topic explained in a different way. I made sure not to miss class overall and tried my best to learn the materials. In the past three weeks I would say I achieved at least one goal by continuing to take extra steps in my learning process, however I was slightly slacking in turning assignments in on time.
Conclusions/Discussion
I think the methods did help me to achieve my goals. While I did not turn in every single assignment like I wanted to, I did more than I even expected of myself which is why I believe I reached my goals in some way. I do think the assignments I turned in showcased what I was learning and I was able to connect the outside with some of the things we were learning inside of the classroom. Overall there were a few tiny assignments that I did not turn in, for example the library response visit, and maybe two other assignments were also not completed. As far as attendance goes I cannot remember if I missed any classes or if I just showed up late once. I usually made it to the campus at least 5 minutes before class was supposed to start which helped me to be on time. The most practice I had in this class was on plate tectonics. Throughout this class I really got to see the connections you were talking about in the beginning. At the beginning of the semester I really had basic knowledge of geology, it was whatever I remembered learning in grade school. After the class I do feel confident that I obtained more knowledge. I studied hard to memorize rocks and minerals, I got 100% and was so proud. I also learned so much about our planet and how we are such a huge detriment to it even though we are a blip on geological time. I think I still struggle with geographic maps which was probably the driving force behind a couple assignments that were not turned in. I think that this class not only made my hikes more entertaining but also gave me insight on the things I do that impact the earth and how I can possibly help. The impacts humans have on the earth is what really stuck with me from this class. The thing I am most proud of was my ePortfolio. I have never built a website before and it was really fun to tie geology into one of my favorite locations of all time. Overall, with all the assignments I did turn in and the class I attended I think I do understand the SLO’s of the class to a good extent and deserve at most a B. I do think you would grade me similarly since there is still a little struggle with maps.