Course:APBI200/Bonus Assignments
| APBI200 Introduction to Soil Science | |
|---|---|
| Course Info | |
| Instructors: | Dr. Maja Krzic; Dr. Sandra Brown |
| Email: | maja.krzic@ubc.ca; sandra.brown@ubc.ca |
| Office: | MCML 227 (Maja); MCML 229 (Sandra) |
| Instructors' Office Hr: | Wed 12-1 pm |
| Classroom: | MCML 166 Lab: MCML 102A |
| TAs: | TA Info |
| ' | PASS Info |
| Syllabus: | | Syllabus |
| Course Material | |
| Lecture Notes | Lab Manual |
| Problem Sets | Exams |
| Lab Assign. | My Grades |
| Bonus Assign. | |
| Course Discussion | |
By completing the short, bonus assignments on this page, you may earn up to bonus 5% of the lab assignment mark in the APBI 200 course. There are 3 categories of the bonus assignments:
- Soil in the News (worth 2% of total lab assignment mark)
- Review & Reflect (worth 2% of total lab assignment mark)
- Soil Meme & GIF (worth 1% of total lab assignment mark)
-Each student can submit up to 3 bonus assignments; one per category.
-If a student submits more than 1 bonus assignment / category, only the most recent submission will be marked.
Due dates are as follows:
-Memes need to be submitted by April 1, 2020 by 5 pm
-In the news by April 3, 2020 by 5 pm
-Review and Reflect by April 5, 2020 by 5 pm
-Assignment instructions are below
Assignment "Soil in the News"
Soils and soil science play an important role in society, and can impact the well-being of our environment. For this bonus assignment, write a short post on a recent (within the last 12 months) news report featuring soil or soil science. In this post (250 words maximum, paragraph format), you are expected to:
- summarize the key findings in the news report,
- provide the date and news source,
- provide a link to the news report, and
- explain why the information is important to you, and what topic(s) in the APBI 200 course it relates to (e.g., Soil chemical properties, Soil organisms, N-cycle, etc.).
Relevance to YOU: It is important to relate the concepts you’ve learned in the class with the real world, outside of the university, not just memorize for a test. Writing this discussion piece is a helpful skill to develop for future courses. As you go to higher level courses, you are expected to develop higher-order thinking skills (e.g., evaluating, reflecting, critiquing, etc.) and integrating of ideas. In addition, this exercise is another way of learning about soil science. A selection of these posts will be featured on the Soil 4 Youth website, an educational resource for high school students and teachers on soil science. If your post is selected to be linked to the "Soil 4 Youth" website, we will contact you directly for permission to include your name and post.
Add Your "Soil in the News" Post Here
Directions
1. Add title of the news post (or article) into the field for your assignment below
2. In the new window that opens up, add the following content after the equals sign:
- URL= The link to the post (or article)
- Date= Date the article was published
- Authors= Authors of the article
- Summary= What is the article about? Why is it important to you? What topic does it relate to in APBI 200?
- Provide you name (to receive bonus credit)
3. Hit Save
| Soil in the News |
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Soil in News Repository
Assignment "Review and Reflect"
The APBI 200 instructors regularly update and adapt the SoilWeb200 e-textbook materials, based on feedback from students. For this bonus assignment, you are asked to post a short reflection on the materials presented in SoilWeb200, and how effective they were at supporting your learning in APBI 200. We are also looking for creative ideas and suggestions to enhance this e-textbook. Your reflection piece (250 words maximum, paragraph form) can focus on answering one of the following questions:
- What aspect of the SoilWeb200 e-textbook could be improved to help you better learn the material covered in APBI 200? Focus on one or two specific units in the SoilWeb200 e-textbook.
- Read through the “Soil Science” article on Wikipedia (link TBD, or perhaps provide several options? i.e., soil potassium cycle, soil organic matter, soil compaction, etc.). How does this compare to the equivalent unit in the SoilWeb200 e-textbook? What information is easier to understand and why? How would you suggest to improve the Wikipedia material?
- What is another soil science learning resource on the web that you found useful to learn concepts in APBI 200? It could be a website, book, video, etc. Please post it, include the author and source, and explain why you found it helpful.
Add your "Review and Reflect" Post Here
Directions
a. Add your "Review and Reflect" Post Title into the field for your assignment below
b. In the new window that opens up, add the following content after the equals sign:
- URL= The link to the page/article you reviewed.
- Date= Date the article was published
- Authors= Authors of the article
- Summary= Answer to one of the Questions 1, 2 or 3 in instructions above.
- Provide you name (to receive bonus credit)
c. Hit Save
| Review and Reflect |
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Review and Reflect Repository
Assignment "Create a Soil Meme or GIF"
For bonus marks, create your own original meme or GIF on a soil science topic you learned in the APBI 200.
Example
(Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/157782-schrute-facts)
Post it via the field below. A selection of these creations will be used to decorate APBI 200 examination booklets and assignments. These will be decided upon by the course TAs – tell them which ones you like best! Note: The course instructors and TAs are happy to be included in your meme, but you must ensure it is appropriate for the classroom environment.
There are many free online tools to help create a meme that are quick and easy. Some examples are provided here:
Assignment "Create a Soil Meme or GIF"
Directions
- Add your Meme/GIF Title (and your name) into the field for your assignment below
- In the new window that opens up, you will need to use the Upload File tool. - Please see this page for more info on how to upload files.
- Follow the instructions to upload your Meme/GIF file. Select the button indicating "This file is my own work." You may only submit your own creations for this bonus assignment.
- A link will be generated to insert this file into your post. Copy and paste the link.
- Hit Save.
| Create a Meme |
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