• Course: Soil Ecology
• Term/ Year: Spring 2025
• Credit Hours: 4
• Duration: March 31, 2025 to June 13, 2025
• Meeting Time(s) & Location(s): Online
• Description: This course will focus on developing an understanding of how soils can be managed and used for our benefit. Soils will be addressed from the standpoint of traditional, sustainable, and organic agriculture. The role of soils in the management of forests, rangelands, wetlands, and other wildlands will be considered. Weekly hands-on laboratory activities highlighting topics in the course serve to ground the principles of soil science in active learning.
• Recommended: Completion: CHE 104
• Prerequisite(s): None
• Corequisite(s): None

• Instructor: Isadora Gomes Peres de Souza
• Email: peresdesouza@klamathcc.edu (emails and Canvas messages may take up to 48 hours for reply)
• Phone Number: 541.880.2315 (text or call)
• Office Hours & Location: Tuesday from 10 am – 3 pm. Office: Building 3 – Room 312. Students may make an appointment for meeting via phone, or video link (Zoom, or other). I check e-mail and class information often when I am in the office. I infrequently check e-mail on weekends. If you want to reach me at a specific time, it is best to set up an appointment via e-mail prior to the time you would like to have the virtual meeting. Please feel free to e-mail questions to me at any time.

• Course Materials: 

  • No textbook required. Weekly Modules will be uploaded on Canvas.

• Lab Kit
  
  • Students will purchase a lab kit through the KCC Bookstore or direct with the company. Directions for lab kit purchase will be available on Canvas. Students who receive Financial AID may redeem a Financial AID voucher for the Lab Kit.
• Computer Requirements:
  
  • If students do not have access to a computer off-campus, there are many computers on campus (Buildings 3, 5, 6, 8, and LRC) students are welcome to use to participate fully in their courses. Most public libraries also have computers with internet access available.
  • Students will need to have an up-to-date browser and operating system. Students may need some additional software on their computers to take this class. Check the KCC Distance Education webpage for hardware & software requirements.
  • Some of the documents in this course may be available to you in PDF form. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer, you can download it by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader .

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Investigate the principles of soil science as they relate to your everyday experience.

• Gain an understanding of the morphological, physical, and biological properties and processes in soils.

• Appreciate the importance of soils as precious natural resource and their role in ecosystems and the development of society.

• Understand and appreciate the importance of conserving soil and water resources.

• Understand the importance of appropriate soil use for agroecosystems in the development of society.

• Understand basic soil management techniques for crops and livestock production.

Course Grading Scale:

I understand that life is not always predictable, and we need to adapt to it. That said, students may submit late work three times. Use wisely.

Students are expected to actively participate in the discussion board each week. Students are required to post an initial response to the discussion board prompt(s) no later than Sunday of the current week’s discussion board. Postings must be substantial. Vague and/or trivial postings are discouraged and will be graded accordingly. Answer questions in complete sentences (thoughts). Your prose should be logically progressive, grammatically correct, and collegial. Cite dependable sources not provided to you by pasting a link to the source at the end of your narrative. Then each student must respond to the initial postings of at least two classmates. If a student fails to participate appropriately, the following actions may be taken:

1. The student will be dropped from the course,
OR
2. If the date for dropping a course without penalty has passed, the student will receive a
failing grade, unless prior arrangements have been made between the instructor and
student.

A student who seeks an exception to this policy must do so in advance of the absence and/or provide documentation of the emergency that caused it, as determined by the instructor.

May take the form of standard slideshow presentations (PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, etc.). The presentation should be between 7-15 minutes. They are due on June 4th, 2025, and must relate to any environmental topics discussed in lectures and laboratories. Use the guidelines available on Canvas to make your presentation. Your grade will be based on these guidelines. Students will either schedule a live WebEx presentation or submit a recording no later than June 4th, 2025. If you record your presentation, the recording must allow the viewer to see you (embedded webcam) and your slides (shared screen).

Students are expected to answer Welcome Quiz, Syllabus Quiz, and Contact Instructor and Tutoring Center Quiz for attendance (respectively, worth 10, 5, and 5 points). If a student fails to answer these quizzes by April 2rd, 2024, the student may be dropped from the course.

There will be some content online quizzes. Students are expected to answer all the quizzes. These may vary in style but all content quizzes sum up will be worth 200 points.

There will be assignments throughout the term. You will need to complete the reading in the textbook, the presentations in the weekly modules, and other material presented before completing the assignment. Every assignment will have instructions and an answer sheet, students are required to follow all the guidelines and submit on time to receive full credit.

· Classes begin 03/31/2025

· The last day to drop for a full refund is 04/04/2025

· The last day to withdraw with a “W” is 05/23/2025

· Finals week 06/09/25 to 06/13/25

· Holidays: Memorial Day May 26 Monday