AGRONOMY 114 - Principles of Agronomy

General Information Sheet and Syllabus

 

Agron 114. Principles of Agronomy. (2-3 to 4 individualized study). Cr.3. F.S. Mullen. A foundation course in agronomy applying crop, soil, and environmental sciences in understanding agricultural systems in the world.  Includes introductory concepts of plant, soil, tillage, pest, environmental, and sustainable aspects of crop production.

 

General Learning Goals (see extended list of learner objectives for the course for more detail):

1.       To develop an understanding of the science and principles of crop production systems in agriculture and the importance of crops to our society.

2.       To develop a basic foundation for continued learning in agronomy courses and for agricultural related careers.

3.       To develop an appreciation and knowledge of agro-ecology, environmental risks, and sustainability practices for crop agriculture.

Course Textbook: 

Plant Production Systems-Food, Fuel, Feed, Fiber by Mullen, McAndrews, and Taylor, 2008.  5th edition, Kendall-Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, IA.   The textbook is strongly recommended for students enrolled in the course.  The course covers each chapter in the textbook and each textbook comes with a personal access code which enables the owner to utilize web-based learning tools, quizzing programs, and grade records for the course.

Course URLs:

Course Homepage:  http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron114/

Course Management Website (WebCOM® ) for enrolled students with textbook: http://webcom3.grtxle.com/agronomy

Class Requirements:

·         Prerequisites: None

·         1 hour of discussion/week in the classroom (Thursdays or Fridays),  2–4 hours of study and taking unit quizzes in the PLANTS Learning Center (G525 Agronomy Hall) per week, 1 hour of ethical/environmental/entrepreneurial issues/activities per week (Mondays)

·         Examinations: Chapter/unit weekly quizzes (13 total), 2 exams, and a final.

·         Grading: Letter grade (plus-minus)

·         Tutoring: An instructor is available for tutoring 33 hours/week in the PLANTS learning center associated with the course.  There is a 1 hour, general tutoring session most weeks on Wednesdays.

·         Estimated Expenses: Textbook, which includes computer based learning tools for the course

 

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE AGRONOMY 114 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF:

Name or Place

Agron. Hall Rm. #

Office Phone

Home/cell Phone

Email

PLANTS CTR

G525

294-4528

 

114staff@iastate.edu

Dr. Russ Mullen

1126

294-3271

232-2826

remullen@iastate.edu

Dr. Gina McAndrews

G510

294-7832

292-2993

gina@iastate.edu

Brent Brekke

1525

294-8641

515-509-1547

bhbrekke@iastate.edu

Ross Ennen

1021

294-2230

641-590-0973

rennen@iastate.edu

Stefan Gailans

1021

294-2230

 

gailans@iastate.edu

Heather Hall

1019

294-32235

294-9629

hsueh@iastate.edu

Ignacio (Nacho) Carranza Cerda

1019

294-2235

 

carranza@iastate.edu

Ryan Van Roekel

1019

294-2235

641-780-9429

rvr@iastate.edu

You can make an appointment to see us by visiting or calling our secretaries (phone: 294-3846) in the Agronomy Student Services Center (Rm. 1126 Agronomy). 

 

AGRONOMY 114 WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

 

FLEXIBLE STUDY HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY IN THE PLANTS LEARNING CENTER (ROOM G525 AGRONOMY):  Agronomy 114 is designed to give you the opportunity to learn in different ways.  Our emphasis is placed on individually tailored learning in the PLANTS Learning Center (Room G525 Agronomy) rather than on large-group instruction in a lecture hall.  Students have a significant degree of flexibility in structuring their learning and quizzing schedule, utilizing a variety of learning tools (a variety of computer-based video, practice learning and quizzing activities, hands-on demonstrations, etc.) and scheduling instructor tutoring help in a learning center utilized for the course that is open over 30 hours/week.  We encourage you to ask questions and interact with the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center.  You may study in the PLANTS Learning Center anytime during the week that it is open for general student use.  Time spent in the during the week will vary from 2 to 12 hours per person depending on their familiarity with the subject matter, speed of learning, difficulty of the subject matter, and other factors.  You will be able to access the computer-based supplemental learning tools for the textbook on the computers in the Plants Center during the week the unit is taught but you must bring your WebCOM username and password with your textbook.

 

MONDAY SESSIONS:  Thinker and Entrepreneurial Learning Sessions will be held Mondays at 4:10-5:00 PM) (possibly one or two Wednesdays at 4-5 pm). 

 

THINKER SESSIONS – On some Mondays we will conduct “Thinker Sessions”.  Students discuss environmental and ethical topics related to the course material.  This requires a typewritten decision justification and discussion participation to obtain bonus points for each Thinker session attended.  Bonus points earned from Thinker participation will be added only to the exam t-score average in the calculation of C+ to A  course grades.  More detailed information on this program will be given during the first week of classes and is provided on the course homepage menu.  Participation in the Thinker sessions is optional. 

 

ENTREPRENUERIAL SESSIONS – During the semester, we will suspend the Thinker sessions to conduct a 5-week program on entrepreneurship in agriculture and life sciences.  The entrepreneurship program will require you to participate in a group and to formulate and present an entrepreneurial idea.   More detailed information on this program will be given to students as we approach the start of the program. Participation in all Entrepreneurial sessions is required.  Failure to participate in all sessions will result in a 1/3rd course grade penalty (see Course Grade Requirements section)

 

THURSDAY-FRIDAY DISCUSSION SESSIONS:  Besides the individualized study that you do in the PLANTS Learning Center, all of you are assigned to a discussion section that is taught by the faculty instructor. Information given in discussions sessions will be included in the exams.  You are required to attend your Thursday or Friday discussion sessions according to your schedule.  If you have a scheduling conflict that prevents you from attending your regularly scheduled discussion session, you may attend another discussion session to avoid grade penalty.  These sessions will give you an opportunity to discuss problems and interesting aspects of the subject matter with other students and your instructor. 

 

TUTORING SESSIONS: There will be a tutoring session for each unit on Wednesdays at 4:10 to 5 p.m. except on the Wednesdays for Exam 1 and Exam 2 (the tutoring sessions for those units will be suspended).  Students from all sections are invited to attend.  Attendance is optional and under your discretion. 

 

SEMESTER EXAMS AND WEEKLY QUIZ SCHEDULES:  You will be provided a handout of exam and quiz schedules from your instructor.  The schedules will also be posted on our course Web page. 


SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDYING:

Here are a few suggestions that should help you gain the most for the time invested in the course:

 

1.        The freedom of individual study should not be interpreted as a relaxation of standards. Since this is a three-credit course, most of you should study a minimum of  9 hours per week (3 hours for each course credit).  Try to schedule 4 to 6 hours/week in the PLANTS Center and 2-3 hours/week outside of learning center.

 

2.        Check with the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center for the time when the fewest students are present.  Study at these times if possible.  Studying with a partner or small group may be effective for you.

 

3.        STUDY HABITS:  Although some materials are maintained for studying the previous week's unit, you should not plan to delay your study time until "the last minute".  You should start your study early in the week and study in periods of 1 to 2 hours rather than attempting to spend a 3- to 5-hour period to complete a unit in one visit to the PLANTS Center.  Most students find studying in the PLANTS Learning Center much more meaningful than studying notes at home because of the hands-on demonstrations and tutoring assistance available in the learning center.  Effective learning requires a rested and alert mind – please schedule your study time in the PLANTS Learning Center when you are mentally and physically alert.

 

4.        Use the computer based learning tools in the course to help you visualize and understand course material.  These tools can give you learning objectives, diagnostic quizzing programs, video tutoring, learning aids, practice learning programs, problem solving exercises, and more.

 

5.        Thoroughly study the material in the presented sequence.  Observe and study the demonstration material in the PLANTS Learning Center as you study your text.  The demonstrations in the demonstration area and the greenhouse have been designed to help clarify and supplement the principles in the text.

 

6.        Plan to take a quiz during the time that the demonstration material is still available and on display.

 

7.        Do not delay the study of, and quizzes for, any unit(s) until the end of the semester. Your success in the course will be much greater if you “stay-up” with the course as scheduled.

 

8.        Enrich your learning with supplemental reading, observations, and discussions with fellow students and instructors.

 

9.        Quiz yourself.  Take the Self Evaluation Test (SET) that is at the end of each chapter in your text and score it (the answers are in the PLANTS Center).  Use the Chapter Assessment Test and the many smaller self-check quizzing programs in the computer learning tools to give you personal feedback and scores over each subunit in the chapter.   When you are ready to take the regular quiz over the unit you are studying, present a properly prepared answer sheet along with an ID to the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center.

 

10.     ASK THE INSTRUCTOR FOR ASSISTANCE ANYTIME WHEN NEEDED.  WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU LEARN.

 

11.     Please check our Agron 114 homepage for announcements, study tips, and other scheduling information.

TESTING AND LEARNING ASSESSMENT:

 

Learning progress and accomplishment of each student will be assessed by weekly quizzes and 3 exams.  Individual course grades will be influenced by performance on weekly quizzes and exams.

 

13 Unit Quizzes:

There are 13 total units of subject matter in this course corresponding to the 13 chapters in your textbook.  Students must pass each of these 13 subject matter units in order to pass the course.   Students pass a unit by passing a unit quiz in the PLANTS Center.  The text, demonstrations, posters, computer learning programs, and the Agron 114 instructors are all available to help you learn the unit material.  To evaluate your learning progress, be sure to take a Self-Evaluation Test (SET) at the end of each chapter in your text and correct it yourself with the posted answers in the PLANTS Center.  You should also use the Chapter Assessment Tests and subunit “self-checks” to help you analyze your learning progress located in the computer based learning tools on our PLANTS Center computers.  When you are ready to take a regular quiz over the unit you are studying, present a properly prepared answer sheet and a photo ID card to the instructor.  The regular unit quizzes can be taken when you are ready and at your request during the time a unit is being presented and before the absolute deadline as posted in the course schedule.

 

Students will be allowed to review the quiz after it has been corrected.  Instructors will mark only the correct answers you obtained on your answer sheet.  We encourage you to find answers to "missed" quiz questions by using the text or any pertinent displays in the PLANTS Center, but be sure to restudy the deficient areas of subject matter as indicated by the missed quiz questions before taking your second chance on the quiz.  Also, feel free to discuss any quiz question with the instructor on duty.  Only the use of the instructor's textbook is permitted in the quiz room to review a corrected quiz.  Students requesting to take a quiz will be given priority over students requesting to review a quiz already taken.  To stay current, you should actually complete a quiz during the week that the unit is presented.

 

                Students will be given TWO chances to achieve a passing score on a unit quiz during the period that the unit is being taught.  If you take the weekly unit quiz by the suggested deadline, one point will automatically be added to your score for that quiz.  If you fail to pass the unit quiz by the scheduled deadline, that unit will be labeled as a “makeup” unit for you. On the designated makeup weeks listed on your schedule, you will be allowed 1 attempt to pass a makeup unit.  If you fail to pass the makeup attempt, you must wait until the third makeup week to pass remaining makeup units. Acceptable performance levels for each unit are posted in the PLANTS room.

 

The number of attempts to pass the unit quizzes is important! Do not take unit quizzes unnecessarily because “wasted” attempts can lower your course grade (see Course Grade Requirements section).  Study the material thoroughly and ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE you take the weekly quiz!

 

COURSE GRADE REQUIREMENTS

 

I.  Course Grades Requiring 3 Semester Exams:

 

A to C+ Grades: The A to C+ grades will be determined on your unit quiz performance, discussion and entrepreneurial points, the 3 semester exam scores, and any grade penalties. You must:

·         Pass all 13 units of the course.

·         Average A, A-, B+, B, B- or C+ on the 3 semester exams to achieve the corresponding course grades (with no grade penalties).

 

Bonus Points Can Be Earned for A to C+ Grades:  You can earn bonus points, which will be added to your final exam t-score average in your quest for A to C+ course grades in two ways: 1) by passing unit quizzes with the fewest attempts possible according to the following scale:

 

Total Number of Quiz Attempts for 13 Units

Points Added to Total Semester Exam (T-score) Ave.

Approximate Grade Increase Factor

16 or less tries

20

.33

17-20 tries

15

.25

21-23 tries

10

.17

 

And 2) by earning up to 4 bonus points for each time you fully participate in the Monday “Thinker” sessions 

 

II.  Course Grades Achievable Based Only on Weekly Performance and NOT Requiring 3 Semester Exams:

 

The C to D- grades will be determined on your unit quiz performance and discussion and entrepreneurial points.  You do not have to take any semester exams to achieve C to D grades; however, you must pass all 13 units in the course. 

C Grade:  You must:

·         Pass all 13 units in 20 or fewer quiz attempts with no grade penalties.

 

C- Grade:  You must:

·         Pass all 13 units in 21 or more quiz attempts with no grade penalties.

 

F Grade:  You will receive an F course grade for the following circumstances:

·         If you did not eventually complete any one of all 13 subject matter units in the course. 

·         If by noon on the Friday of the dead week you have 4 or more units not passed unless there are extenuating circumstances that are accepted by your discussion instructor.  Such circumstances should be discussed with your instructor at the time of occurrence, and not at the end of the semester or after you have received the “F” grade. 

·         IF you still have one, two or three subject matter units not passed and have NOT filled out and signed an “I” (incomplete) grade form by noon on the Friday of the dead week (the week before finals).

 

III.  Course Grades Penalties:

Any final course grade calculated at the end of the term will be lowered by 1/3rd each for scoring 74% or less of the total discussion and entrepreneurial points. (for example: A to A-, C- to D+, etc.).  Attendance/participation points for discussion will be taken randomly during the semester at the professor’s discretion.

 

I Course Grade:  With one to three units not passed, you can receive an "I" (Incomplete) grade for the course, if you fill out and sign an Incomplete Form before finals.  The "I" grade can be removed by passing the necessary units during the following two semesters.  If you will not enroll at ISU the following semester(s), please inform your discussion instructor of this.  The makeup quizzes that must be taken the following semester(s) should be taken during the normal time that the unit(s) is (are) taught rather than waiting until the last week (review week) of the following semester(s).  If the deficient unit(s) is (are) not satisfactorily completed within the allotted time (two semesters), the "I" course grade is automatically changed to an "F" course grade by the university.

 

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:  You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course and all other courses.  Academic misconduct in any form is in violation of Iowa State University Student Disciplinary Regulations and will not be tolerated.  This includes, but is not limited to: copying or sharing answers on tests or assignments, plagiarism, and having someone else do your academic work.  Depending on the act, a student could receive an F grade on the test/assignment, F grade for the course, and could be suspended or expelled from the University.  See the Conduct Code at www.dso.iastate.edu/ja for more details and a full explanation of the Academic Misconduct policies.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  Iowa State University complies with the American with Disabilities Act and Section floor of 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  If you have a disability that qualifies under these provisions and seek accommodations to meet your learning needs, please visit with the faculty instructor.  Students who request accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office (phone 515-294-7220).  The DR office is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Each student must assume the responsibility of checking the bulletin boards in the PLANTS Center and/or their ISU emails each week for announcements and instructions.  Also, be sure to check with the PLANTS Center instructor every week or periodically for "make-up" units to make sure you have not unjustly been given an "M" for a unit.

 

Academic Courtesy Requirements for the Course: 

  • Please silence you cell phones and talk on your cell phones in the hallway outside of the Plants Learning Center.
  • No tobacco or alcohol use allowed inside of the Plants Learning Center or in the classroom. 
  • No drinking or eating at the computer work stations in the Plants Learning Center. 
  • Please help take care of the equipment and materials in the Plants Learning Center so all students will have an opportunity for learning.  Report malfunctions and irregularities to the instructor.
  • No use of electronic devices, such as cell phones, i-Pods, calculators is permitted during class or during examinations.
  • Students are expected to be courteous, attentive, and participative in the classroom.

 

You will receive all the help for studying and learning that you request.  Please ask the faculty instructor or instructors in the PLANTS Center for assistance when you need it.  We are here to help you learn and to be successful in the course.  We wish you a very successful and enjoyable semester learning Agronomy 114, Principles of Agronomy.

 

Sincerely,

Your Agron 114 Instructors