General Oceanography - Geology 105 Final Exam Instructions See Greensheet for Date and Time of Final Exam As defined by Undergraduate Studies at SJSU Area R courses: “An educated person will be able to apply concepts and foundations learned in one area to other areas as part of a lifelong learning process ……. and to develop abilities to address complex issues and problems using disciplined analytic skills and creative techniques.” Ocean science is a disciplined approach to address creative questions, the results of which contribute to the body of knowledge about the ocean. Throughout the class, you have participated in several critical steps in the scientific method through a number of virtual scientific expeditions. The purpose of the final exam is to engage students in the process of the scientific thinking as practiced by contemporary ocean scientists, in other words the student are the scientists in this assignment. In particular, this exam is designed to meet the goals stated above by addressing the three required learning outcomes in the SJSU Studies Earth & Environment (Area R) category. Students should be able to (1) demonstrate an understanding the methods and limits of scientific investigation; (2) distinguish between science and pseudoscience and (3) apply a scientific approach to answer questions about the earth and environment. I. Final Exam Scenario – Read Closely The Don Reed Trust for Ocean Science provides a total of $10 million in awards to support scientific research of the ocean and coastlines for a period of three years. The emphasis of this year's program is the ocean and climate change. The average level of funding per award is usually between $150,000 and $1,500,000, spread over three years. All investigators, that means you, must be the lead scientists on the project and be fully responsible for supervising the effort. Always remember -- you are the scientist leading this project. Also your plan must be realistic. Students will apply a scientific approach by designing and describing a research study that will acquire knowledge on a topic of their own selection within the broad field of the ocean and climate change. General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 1 of 5 1 Students will be asked to combine: (1) the scientific knowledge gained from this class, (2) their personal imagination, critical thinking skills, and insight about the methods of ocean science, (3) ability to communicate in a well-organized discussion (clarity of thought), (4) a respect for accurate scientific data, and (5) a sharp focus on developing a means of answering a very specific scientific question or hypothesis pertaining to a research project of their own design. II. Final Exam Format Students will describe their research study in a 750-900 word-long essay, which is fairly brief – 2 to 2.5 pages, double-spaced. Proposals over 950 words will be subject to a penalty ranging between 5 and 30 points. Each section needs a heading (Summary, Introduction, Background Information, Project Description, Data Analysis and Significance of Proposed Work) The proposal should be organized into the following sections: Title page with one paragraph summary of not more than 100 words (not included in 900 word limit) I. Introduction - establishes the context, framework and importance for the research and ends with a clear and well-focused statement of the question or hypothesis to be addressed and the two-three sentence summary of the methodology to be used. (1/2- 3/4 pages) II. Background - provides just enough background information on the subject to be able to identify what is presently known and where additional knowledge needs to acquired (1/2 page) III. Project Description - describes the proposed project design in as much detail as possible to answer the Who, What, Where and How? (and how long?) Describe the scientific experiment, test, computer model, computer analysis or field study that you propose to complete to obtain knowledge that may be used address the question or test of the hypothesis. (1 page) IV. Data Analysis Plan - describe the plan to analyze the acquired data in order to make a potential conclusion once the study is completed (1/4 page) V. Significance of Proposed Work - offer your thoughts on the potential importance and implications of your study (1/4 page) VI. Reference List (not included in 900 word limit). Grading of exam will be based on writing quality (30 points), critical and creative thinking, and scientific knowledge of the topics covered in this class (114 points). Proposal should contain at least two graphics, each with a descriptive caption. General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 2 of 5 2 In preparing for exam, students should review the topics in the class that they believe are the most interesting about the ocean and climate change and about which many questions remain to be addressed by oceanographers. Students should also focus on topics that they understand the best. III. A Plan for a Scientific Study of the Ocean After formulating a hypothesis or research question, students need to develop a detailed plan of action or research plan, which often includes: • • • • • • • • • who will be involved in study? when will the study take place (maximum 3 years)? where will the data be collected (specific locations – stations)? what type of data will be collected and why? how will the data be collected (very important)? how often data will be collected? how will the data be analyzed? how do the different types of acquired data relate to one another and to the question under investigation> what is the significance of the proposed research IV. Devising a Study Plan - Some of the questions you need to answer 1. What is needed to conduct your study? "What do we need to know?" a. What type of data will be necessary to address the question or hypothesis? b. What resources are required to acquire these data? (Don’t worry about specifics) c. Where will you conduct study? d. How will you organize your experiment or study? e. Will you require a control group? f. How long will it take to collect and analyze data? All scientific studies build upon the work of previous studies, so you may need to present the ideas of other scientists, however, you do not need to cite references in this paper as there is simply not enough time or space. Let me repeat my advice on previous writing assignments (and I apologize for the repetition), students cannot copy material directly from other sources and paste text into exam without substantially rewriting it in your own words - your answer should reflect your words, not those of the others. V. Recap and Summary You will be a professional oceanographer in this assignment proposing to lead a scientific study that will contribute to our understanding about this question or hypothesis. General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 3 of 5 3 Therefore, you will need to address the “What, Who, How, When, and Why” of your hypothesis/question and the scientific approach you will present to address your hypothesis/question. The proposed project should have the potential to provide information on its clearly stated scientific objectives, and be logical, well conceived, and justifiable. The final exam is only a small part (14%) of the 1000 points in the class, so it has only a small effect on your overall grade, unless you are on a borderline between letter grades or put in either a truly stellar or very poor performance. Relax, it is much easier than you think, mainly due to the word limit. Grading Criteria This assignment will assess your ability to (1) apply a scientific approach by identifying a question about the ocean that can be addressed by science, (2) maintain a sharp focus on this question and how it can be addressed to generate new knowledge based on a proposed scientific investigation, (3) go into depth on the key elements of your proposed investigation but within the word limit of the assignment, think logically and communicate your ideas clearly. 30 points - Ability to communicate ideas and project design in writing, including organization, grammar and composition, sentence structure, punctuation, clarity and vocabulary 110 points - Ability to apply a scientific approach to a problem of the Earth and environment; in this case, the ocean and climate change. General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 4 of 5 4 See assignment area for detailed scoring rubric If you have any questions, please keep in touch. General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 5 of 5 5
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