Course Syllabus
Contact Information
My Teaching Assistant this semester is Kaitlin Williams (kaitlin.h.williams@ou.edu) who will be available to answer questions regarding the lab assignments via email and during the lab sessions on Friday. Her office hours are also on Friday between the lab sessions: 10:00AM-11:00AM in N106 and 1:00PM-2:00PM in M104.
Course Details
This course is designed to help students learn introductory to intermediate concepts of geographic information science (GIScience) and become proficient users of geographic information systems (GIS). The course covers a variety of topics but focuses on GIS data models, data structures, and spatial analysis, enabled by the ESRI software package. Teaching formats include video lectures, zoom live sessions, lab exercises, and practical projects. For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to enrolling in this course. It is expected that students have a general knowledge and familiarity with personal computers, computer terminology, files and directories, and the Windows operating system. A background in geography and/or computer science may be advantageous.
Course Materials
There is no required textbook for this course. Instead, two optional texts are listed below for purchase at the discretion of the student. Other readings and software download information will be provided through the RESOURCES: Course Materials page.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Lab Assignments | Practical application to re-enforce the theoretical materials you learn in lecture | 350 |
| Projects | Assess a student’s working knowledge of both the theory and practice in GIS towards solving spatial problems | 400 |
| GIS Literature Review | Familiarize with pertinent literature in GIS | 100 |
| Graduate Exercises | Practical Mapping Exercises to enhance the spatial analysis materials covered in the course | 100 |
| Total | 950 |
Scale
Grades will be assigned using the following grading scale based on percentage. Note, I will not round grades for any reason so please do not ask. It is not fair to the students who legitimately earned the same grade. I do however factor in a course participation grade that accounts for up to a 100 point (10%) of the final grade. The grading scale is as follows:
A: 90% or more, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%, and F: less than 60%.
Course Components
Lab Assignments
There will be a number of lab exercises assigned throughout the semester. Labs will re-enforce the theoretical materials you learn in lecture each week in an applied setting. Generally, they will make use of the ArcGIS or other open source software. Labs will be administered, generally once a week, with varying due dates. These due dates are based on the length of each assignment and will be noted on Canvas. While your instructor expects each student to utilize the week efficently to complete each lab exercise, your TA will be available in the lab to assist you each week during your assigned lab section should you need assistance.
Projects
To assess a student’s working knowledge of both the theory (terminology, concepts, analysis) and practice (use of ArcGIS software, spatial reasoning and problem solving) of GIS, there will be a practical project at the end of each module. The purpose of each project is for students to demonstrate their comprehension of fundamental GIS concepts and terminology in a practical setting. The project format will be detailed in an associated handout found on the modules page and turned into Canvas via dropbox.
GIS Literature Review
As graduate students, it is important to familiarize yourself with pertinent literature in GIS. A short literature review assignment will introduce you to the major journals used in GIS and start you on a path towards reviewing relevant literature in GIS. Further details will follow, but the literature review is designed to be very narrow in scope, tailored to GIS based journals, and completed in a relatively short period of time.
Graduate Exercises
Two graduate exercises will be assigned covering the basics of map making in GIS. The exercises are meant to complement the lab assignments, which focus primarily on spatial analysis.
Course Policies
Communication
While I do not have a campus phone number, I do check email and Canvas regularly throughout the week, and try to respond within 48 hours M-F. While I am generally unavailable over the weekends, I have scheduled our Monday class period as "in person assistance" hours where I will be available via zoom or use the time to answer emails should you prefer that method of communication. In the event I need to communicate with the class outside of our live sessions, I will post an announcement to the course Canvas page.
Late Policy
In this course, there is an absolute due date for completing each of your lab assignments which will be indicated on the lab answers document. The reason for this is that each lab conceptually builds on previous labs, so it is important that students do not fall behind the schedule. If you do, you may find it hard to catch up. As such, late lab assignments will incur a 20% reduction in points for each day late; after that no late labs be accepted after the assigned due date. Labs must be submitted on time and to the correct dropbox to be considered for grading. In the event of an emergency, contact me as soon as possible and we will work towards a solution on a case-by-case basis.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog.
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 Accessibility and 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 at 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates at 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 |
|---|---|---|