Course Syllabus: Map & Compass

Class Syllabus
Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation

Fall: HPSS 2282 / Summer: HPSS 4491

Summary
HPSS 2282 Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation

(Or Summer: HPSS 4491 Backcountry Map & Compass)

Ron Watters (wattron@isu.edu)

1 Credit
Fall Semester
Workshop Format - For exact dates & times, see: Schedule

Course
HPSS 2282 Map, Compass and Backcountry Navigation 1 credit. (Fall Semester)

HPSS 4491 Backcountry Map & Compass 1 credit (Summer)

Course Website
In additon to Moodle, class information is found on the course website at the following URL address: https://www.ronwatters.com/Maps.html.

Supplementary Course Materials

You'll find a series of lecture materials, images, and accompanying descriptions at this link: Use of a Compass, Map Bearings, Field Bearings and More

Specific topics include:

Course Instructor, Office and Contact Information
Ron Watters is a professor emeritus with Department of Human Performance and Sports Studies. He is the former director of the Idaho State University Outdoor Program and is the author of seven books on outdoor activities. Active nationally in the field of outdoor education, he is one of the founders of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and serves as 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). Or you may reach him at at home 232-6857. His website is found at: https://www.ronwatters.com

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.

Targeted Standards
The Sports Science and Physical Education Department’s Outdoor Education curriculum at Idaho State is based on a foundation of five nationally recognized standards. Standards are important to you and your instructors because they define clear and realistic goals and they help assure that you receive a well-rounded, high quality education.

The following standards apply to this course: Standard 1 (Content Knowledge), Standard 3 (Safety and Minimal Impact), and Standard 5 (Experiential Skills and Field Experience).

Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes

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Objective 1: To gain an understanding of maps, their development, interpretation, and the wealth of information and data they provide.

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Objective 1 Learning Outcomes - By the end of the course, students will . . .

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1a. Have an understanding of the history of maps, the concept of map projections, the development of the maps, the types of map, and the placement of maps in the global environment.
1b. Understand the basic parts of a topographic map including map symbols, contour lines, latitude and longitude, map scales, declination, coordinate systems.
1c. Identify points on the map by the use of Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates and understand their relation to the Global Positioning System.
1d. Be able to delineate areas of land on the map using the Township-Range system

Objective 2: To develop practical skills in the use of map and compass and wilderness navigation

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Objective 2 Learning Outcomes - By the end of the course, students will. . .

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2a. Know the parts of a compass, how to use a compass to take map bearings, and how to apply map bearings to the field.
2b. Identify land forms, landmarks and other land features by reading map contour lines.
2c. Navigate to control points by the combined use of a topographic map with man-made features and natural land forms.
2d. Navigate to control points using compass bearings and pacing.

Text 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.
Ferguson, M. (1997). GPS land navigation. Boise: Glassford Publishing.
Kals, W. (1983). Land navigation handbook. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

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.

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.

Course Schedule vis a vis Course Objectives and Outcomes
The following provides an overview of the topics and skills covered in the course and how they relate to course objectives.

Course Segment	Topic and/or Skills	Objectives/Outcomes
Friday Evening 7 – 10 pm	Map history, map symbols, contour line identification, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System, township and range surveying system, latitude and longitude	Objective 1 and Learning Outcomes 1a, 1b, 1c
Saturday Morning 8 am - Noon	Supplemental map history, review of Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System, and township and range surveying system, map scales, declination, resection and map and field bearings	Objective 1 and Learning Outcomes 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d
Saturday Afternoon 1– 2 pm	Parts of a compass. Techniques using the compass. Applying map bearings to the field. Contour line identification.	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2a
Saturday Afternoon 2 – 3:30 pm	Move to field location. Orienting maps. Taking field bearings. Applying field bearings to map. Landmark and landform identification	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2b
Saturday Afternoon 3:30 -4:30 pm	Field: Map & Compass Course #1 Using map symbols in combination with human and natural landforms to locate a series of control points	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2c
Saturday Afternoon 4:30 – 5:30 pm	Determining one’s individual pacing stride, use of pacing with a compass. Practice pacing and compass bearings	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2c
Sunday Morning 8 – 9:30 am	Review of Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System, township and range surveying system, latitude and longitude, and map bearings	Objective 1 and Learning Outcomes 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d
Sunday Morning 9:30 - Noon	Move to field location. Map and Compass Course #2. The skills practiced in this course include navigating to control points by the use man-made and natural features with the addition of two bearing points. In this course, bearing points involve the use of pacing.	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2b, 2c, 2d
Sunday Afternoon 1-2:30 pm	Review map bearings vs. field bearings. Introduce the concept of re-section. Determining the elevation of un-marked points using map conventions. Review of Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System, township and range surveying system, latitude and longitude.	Objective 1 and Learning Outcomes 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d
Sunday Afternoon & Early Eve 2:30 – 8:00 pm	Move to field location. Map and Compass Course #3. The skills practiced in this course include all forms of navigation taught in the class including navigating to control points by the use man-made and natural features. Three to four control points require map bearings. The class final exam is administered at the conclusion of Course # 3.	Objective 2 and Learning Outcomes 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d

Alignment of Standards, Objectives and Assessment Methods
As mentioned above, the outdoor education program at Idaho State is built upon a foundation of five nationally recognized standards. Standards define clear and realistic goals - and along with classroom and field assessment - assure that you receive a well-rounded, high quality education. The following chart matches standards with course objectives and how each of the objectives are assessed.

Alignment of Standards, Objectives, and Assessment Methods
Program Standard or Goal	Course Objectives	Assessment Method
Standard 1: Content Knowledge	Objective 1A: Have an understanding of the history of maps, the concept of map projections, the development of the maps, the types of map, and the placement of maps in the global environment.	Written Test
Standard 1: Content Knowledge	Objective 1B: Understand the basic parts of a topographic map including map symbols, contour lines, latitude and longitude, map scales, declination, coordinate systems.	Written Test
Standard 1: Content Knowledge	Objective 1C:Identify points on the map by the use of Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates and understand their relation to the Global Positioning System.	Written Test
Standard 1: Content Knowledge	Objective 1D: Beable to delineate areas of land on the map using the Township-Range system	Written Test
Standard 3 (Safety and Minimal Impact) Standard 5 (Experiential Skills and Field Experience)	Objective 2A: Know the parts of a compass, how to use a compass to take map bearings, and how to apply map bearings to the field.	Three (3) Field Assessments
Standard 3 (Safety and Minimal Impact) Standard 5 (Experiential Skills and Field Experience)	Objective 2B:Identify land forms, landmarks and other land features by reading map contour lines.	Three (3) Field Assessment

Pub History: This page was originally located at the following URL:
https://www.isu.edu/~wattron/OutMap.htm

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