Course Syllabus
Download the syllabus here
Instructor: Dr. Kendra Dresback
Research Assistant ProfessorCivil Engineering and Environmental ScienceTechnical Areas:
Research Interests:
Phone: (405) 325-8529 Email: dresback@ou.edu Live Session: Thursdays 6:30-7:30 Zoom link: https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/5608998885 |
Course Description
Course Purpose
Groundwater hydrology is the study of the occurrence and movement of water in the subsurface. It has many important applications in water resources, ranging from municipal water supply to understanding the transport of environmental contaminants. The course will introduce students to the basic principles behind groundwater hydrology, including groundwater’s role in the hydrologic cycle, principles of flow in porous media (both saturated and unsaturated), properties of aquifers, well hydraulics, and the mathematics of groundwater models. Students will also be instructed in the use of industry-standard software (e.g., MODFLOW), with emphasis on solving practical problems. Class activities will allow the student to gain a qualitative understanding as well as a sound theoretical background. Students must demonstrate a conceptual understanding and familiarity with analysis tools via quizzes, homework assignments, projects, and exams. Upon successful completion of the course, the student should have the skills to solve a wide variety of problems facing groundwater hydrologists.
Required Course Materials
Applied Hydrogeology (4th Edition) C.W. Fetter Prentice-Hall, ©2001
Throughout the semester, you will be asked to scan and upload your work. Here are some options for free scanning software:
- Evernote Scannable (iOS)
- Tiny Scan (Android & iOS)
- Genius Scan (Android & iOS)
- Handy Scan (Windows Phone)
Topical Outline
We will cover a good portion of the material in the text, which will be supplemented with handouts. The tentative order of the topics is listed below; note that we do not proceed sequentially through the book.
- Introduction
- Properties of aquifers
-
Equations of groundwater flow:
- Conservation of mass
- Darcy’s law
- Applications (e.g., well hydraulics, superposition, regional flow)
- MODFLOW
Course Expectations
All assignments will be announced via Canvas. We recommend that course materials be assembled into a portfolio. Homework due dates will be given on the assignment when it is assigned. In most cases, two weeks will be allowed for each of the assignments. We will grade only a portion of the homework instead of all of the problems given in the assignment.
About halfway through the semester, after you have learned some of the basic groundwater concepts, a computer project will be assigned. In particular, we will use the most widely-used software in groundwater hydrology, MODFLOW, to model an application. The project will be an individual project, and it will culminate with a written report and a short video.
Course Components
Concept Quizzes
There will be concept quizzes given after some of the topical area; they will be designed to test your understanding of basic concepts and will consist primarily of true/false and multiple-choice questions. Unless stated otherwise, all concept quizzes will be closed book and notes. Students can drop their lowest score.
Homework Assignment
Homework assignments will be given for a portion of the modules and you will be given approximately two weeks to complete the homework assignment unless noted on Canvas. On each homework assignment, a due date and time will be given to each homework assignment.
Mid-Term Exam
This is an open-book or open-notes assessment that will be given after we have covered the basic groundwater concepts. This will be approximately half-way through the semester.
Comprehensive Final Exam
This is an open-book or open-notes assessment that will be given at the end of the semester.
MODFLOW Project
There will be an individual project based on a computer modeling exercise.
Course Grades
Breakdown
| Class participation | 5% |
| Concept quizzes | 10% |
| Mid-term exam | 15% |
| Homework | 15% |
| MODFLOW Project | 30% |
| Comprehensive Final | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
Letter grades will be assigned based on the 90-80-70 scales. Grade weights (we reserve the right to adjust percentages by plus or minus 5% depending on how the semester progresses and the amount of effort given to each category)
| 90-100% | A |
| 80-89% | B |
| 70-79% | C |
| 60-69% | D |
| 0%-59% | F |
Course Policies
Communication
All communication, either with me or the TA, should occur via email and not through Canvas. If you email me via Canvas, I will not respond.
W’s, I’s and AU’s
Withdrawal deadlines, and deadlines for switching from credit to audit, are listed in OU’s Course Schedule. No exceptions to these dates will be granted. A grade of incomplete will be issued only if, due to extenuating circumstances, the student has a small amount of work remaining to be completed at the end of the semester. The student must be passing the course at the time the “I” grade is given. Work must then be completed within the specified time frame, but not to exceed one year.
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalogue.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Academic Misconduct
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.
If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Disability Resource Center.
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident.
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.
Copyright Policy
It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.
Registration and Withdrawal
If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Student Grievances
In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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