| Map & Compass (PE 282 / 491) |
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| Ron Watters, Professor of Outdoor Education |
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Class Syllabus
Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation (PE 282 or PE 491) Summary Class: PE 282 Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation Also Held as a Summer Workshop: PE 419 Backcountry Map & Compass Instructor: Ron Watters (208.282.3912 / wattron@isu.edu) Course Website: Map & Compass 1 Credits - Fall Semester Workshop Format (For dates, check the most recent class schedule - click on the Index Number for details) Important Class Notes - Read First This class is held in a worshop format. Be sure to find out the dates of the class. To do so, go to the class schedule on the ISU Website and click on the Index Number (not the Course Number). If the information is not available by clicking on the Index Number, feel free to drop an email to the instructor. Write down the dates and times on your calendar. Many students in the past have missed the class because they haven't double checked the class dates -- or they have forgotten about it. This is largely an active, participation-oriented class held in the field. In order to receive credit for the class, you must attend ALL sessions. That includes both Saturday AND Sunday. If you have family, work or church responsibilities during these time periods, you should not sign up for the class. A considerable amount of hiking is required for the class. The hiking is done at your own pace, but you should be physically fit enough to be able to hike 5-8 miles in up-and-down terrain. Maps, compasses and other classroom materials are supplied. You'll need a notebook, pen, small pack and water. Wear clothing appropriate for the weather. Weather can change quickly in the fall, and you should bring warm clothing and rain gear if it's needed. Course PE 282 Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation 1 credit. (Fall Semester) Course Instructor, Office and Contact Information Ron Watters is an adjunct faculty member of the Physical Education Department. He is the former director of the ISU Outdoor Program and the author of seven books on outdoor activities. He is one of the founders of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and is the director of the National Outdoor Book Awards. Note that he is a part time instructor and does not have office hours like full-time faculty. Feel free to contact him via email (wattron@isu.edu). You may reach him at the Outdoor Program Office (236-3912), or feel free to call him at home 232-6857. His university website is located here. University Catalog Course Description "Practical application of map and compass and wilderness navigation concepts including map and field bearings, declination, resection, contour line interpretation, GPS receiver use, map types, scales, and coordinate systems." Course Content The use of map and compass is one of the most basic of outdoor skills. This class is designed to provide enough information and practical experience that students will feel comfortable with land navigation techniques. Topics covered include: map symbols, contour line identification, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System, township and range surveying system, latitude and longitude, map scales, declination, resection and map and field bearings. During the class students go on three map and compass courses. Each course is a little harder than the previous, giving students a chance to gradually develop proficiency in field skills. The land course utilizes advanced orienteering techniques such as following bearing through heavy timber and pacing to control points. Course Objectives Objective 1: To gain an understanding of maps, their development, interpretation, and the wealth ofText and Readings No text is required, but material and readings come from the following: Hjellstron, B. (1994). Be expert with map and compass. New York: Macmillan. Other References Other resources supplementing the class are available in the Outdoor Program library and resource center. In the library you'll find maps, guidebooks, magazines, videos and catalogs, all of which are available on a free check-out basis. The Outdoor Program office is open 9 to 5 weekdays. A number of professional papers, some of which cover class lecture material, are available at the Outdoor Program web site: www.isu.edu/outdoor/ Course Requirements and Attendance Policy Since this course meets on a workshop basis, attendance is critically important. All of the field work in the class takes place on the two weekend days planned in the schedule. Not attending one of the weekend days is equivalent to missing as much as four weeks of a normal class. Missing that much of a class in which participatory activity is a key component is unacceptable. Thus, you must attend both weekend days to receive credit for this class. Remember, attendance on two weekend days is mandatory. If you miss one or more days you can not receive credit for the class. Evaluation Criteria and Grading Scale College of Education approved percentage scale is utilized: A = 94 - 100 A- = 90 - 93 B+ = 87 - 89 B = 84 - 86 B- = 80 - 83 C+ = 77 - 79 C = 74 - 76 C- = 70 - 73 D+ = 67 - 69 D = 64 - 66 F = Below 63 The final grade for the course is based on the following two components: 1) the completion of three map and compass courses; and 2) final written exam. The map and compass courses are 60% of the total score. The final written exam is 40% of the total score. Here is an example of how final grades are calculated: Total Map & Compass Course Score: 95% Final Exam Score: 85% Final Grade = (.60 x .95) + (.40 x .85) Final Grade Percentage = 91% Final Grade = A- (Using the chart above) Physical Activity Required in the Class In order to learn how to use a map and compass, you'll need to do quite a bit of hiking. The class begins indoors on the first day, but we soon go outside to do the first map and compass course. The first course involves hiking up and down moderately steep to steep hills for about a distance of 2.5 miles. Most of the hiking is on old roads and trails, but some of it is cross-country across sage-covered areas. The next day is spent almost entirely outdoors. In the morning, you will hike a three-mile course, mostly off-trail across moderately steep to steep country. In the afternoon, we are in the Scout Mountain area, and you will be hiking about 4.5 miles cross-country through heavy timber, brush, and some marshy areas. There are some very steep hills in the Scout Mountain area. The weather can range from cold-and-snowy to hot-and-sunny. You should be physically fit enough to be able to hike these long distances over a two-day period--and you need to be mentally prepared for changeable weather. Assessment Consent A part of institutional and state outcomes assessment requirements, and state and national program accreditation requirements, the College of Education collects copies of performance assessments and assessment data for the purposes of individual and program accountability. By enrolling in this course, you consent to have your assessment information collected and utilized by the College of Education for these purposes and as part of credibility studies supporting the validity, consistency, and fairness of the assessments. To protect your confidentiality, when summary reports are published or discussed in conferences, no information will be included that would reveal your identity. If photographs, videos, or audiotape recordings of you obtained from your performance assessments are used to demonstrate program accountability, then your identity will be protected or disguised, or we will ask you for permission to disclose your identity in order to give you credit for your performance. We may disclose the assessment information we collect about you under other circumstances as permitted or required by law. Assessment data are maintained and disclosed in accordance with Idaho State University policies to insure compliance with the provisions of the Federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Peter Denner, Assistant Dean, at 282-4230 or dennpete@isu.edu. Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism and cheating. For more information refer to the ISU Student Handbook found on the following webpage: www.isu.edu/references/st.handbook/conduct.html#CONDUCT. For definitons of cheating and plagiarism, see the ISU Faculty and Staff Handbook (Part 6, Sec. IX, page 6.9.1) found on the webpage: www.isu.edu/fs-handbook/part6/6_9/6_9.html Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities The Sports Science, Physical Education and Dance program is committed to providing a classroom environment in which all students may achieve their potential. If you have a disability or think you have a disability (physical, learning, hearing, vision, psychiatric) which may need reasonable accommodation, please contact the ADA Disabilities & Resource Center as early as possible. The Center is located in Room 123 of Graveley Hall on the lower Idaho State University Campus. Its phone number is 282-3599. |
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