* Prospective NCAA Division I and II student-athletes should visit the NCAA Eligibility Center website (www.eligibilitycenter.org) and seek the NCAA's acceptance of a particular Education Provider's virtual course prior to registration.
Starting from the farthest reaches of space and time, and journeying toward Earth, students will investigate Earth and space science, develop a deep appreciation of Earth as a system, and then consider human impact on this system.
The course is organized into three week, theme-based modules that explore Earth’s place in the universe and solar system, examine the five spheres of the Earth (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere), and consider the impact of human activity on Earth.
Students engage in a series of inquiry-based and investigative activities designed to have them become participants in Earth science instead of passive observers. As they learn Earth science, they incorporate the same methods that scientists employ in their work, and use the same technology tools scientists use to “do scienceâ€Â.
Through the use of science datasets, visualizations, animations, interactives, and modeling activities, students study important science concepts from multiple perspectives and contexts. In many modules, students can join citizen science projects and add data to ongoing science research efforts, giving them the opportunity to both experience the science process first hand, and to apply NGSS Science and Engineering Principles in an authentic research project.
In place of a textbook, this course incorporates a variety of multimedia resources. Students will perform hands-on and virtual investigations to develop a deeper understanding of earth science, incorporating the same online data sets and rich technology tools that scientists use, including Google Earth, ImageJ and GIS (Geographic Information System).
Students will engage in collaborative activities to generate and evaluate class data, and discuss observations, trends and questions. In each module, students complete a “Challenge,†a summative performance assessment project where they have the opportunity to demonstrate how to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired in a variety of ways.
There is a lab kit for this course that must be purchased for an additional fee of $100. Students will need to care for kit contents responsibly, plan accordingly, follow directions carefully and work independently to successfully complete these labs.
Students will use Google Earth, ImageJ (requires Java), GIS (Geographic Information System) and Stellarium to collect and analyze data throughout the course.
Students will also need a digital camera to document hands on work throughout the course.
