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Earth Course Assistance Centre (ECAC)

WELCOME to ECAC -- your Help Centre (EMAIL ECAC).

The ECAC is where you can go for help on any topics related to the introductory EOSC courses (EOSC 110, 111, 112, 114, 116, 210, 310, 311, 315) and their labs. Here is the ECAC schedule for this week (updated Nov 17, 2008) in PDF Acrobat format.

ECAC FullRoom

The ECAC is staffed many hours each weekday by Teaching Assistants (TAs), who are available to answer your questions. Your questions can be about the textbook readings, assignments, labs, lectures, exams, or any other aspects of the courses.


You can drop in at any time during their operating hours. No appointment is needed. There is NO need to wait until your own TA (from your lab or course) is on duty, because any of the TAs will do their best to answer your question. Regardless of when you come, if the TA doesn't know the answer, she/he will get back to you later with the answer.

ECAC TAs are also "on-call" (that is, on email) many evenings throughout the term. You may email your questions using this form, or directly to to ecac (at) eos.ubc.ca, even when the centre is not physically open. Check the schedule for evenings with an on-call TA scheduled.


ECAC Location: EOS-Main Room 135A

ECAC sign Room 135A of the Earth & Ocean Sciences Main building (EOS-Main), at 6339 Stores Rd on campus. This room is just off of the Pacific Museum of the Earth located in the lobby area. Room 135A is the little room just outside of the larger classroom 135. Look for the sign on the wall. Don't go into rm 135 by mistake. Also see department contact page for campus maps.


ECAC location

Phone: 604-822-9005

The TAs are happy to receive and answer calls, but will not call out or return calls. The preferred way to leave a message is via email.

Here's the email form or you can email ecac (at) eos.ubc.ca directly from your mail program.

(where you should replace "(at)" with symbol "@" in the above email address.)

When you email us a question, please be as specific as possible as to where the question arose. For example, for questions about the textbook, give the book title, the exact page number and location on the page. For lecture-related questions, give the course number, lecture date, instructor, and topic. For lab-related questions give the course number, lab title or number, and the question number or location within that lab.

Different TAs are experts in different areas of the course (geophysics for earthquakes, geology for volcanoes, geological engineering for landslides, atmospheric science for storms, oceanography for waves, and paleontology for meteor impacts). So you will likely receive the best and quickest answer if you can visit or call the ECAC during a time when the TA with the right expertise is on duty. These expertise areas will be listed in the ECAC schedule. This schedule evolves as the term progresses, so check the web page for the latest schedule info. (If you email your questions, they will often be forwarded to the appropriate TA).

Click here for the schedule of operation of the Earth Course Assistance Centre (ECAC) (updated 11 Feb 2008).

This schedule will change during the term. During the first week or two of term, ECAC is closed. When it first opens, it is staffed only for about an hour every day. As the term progresses, more hours are added as the need for TA office hours grows.

It is not staffed on weekends. Special hours during final exam period will be added to the ECAC schedule.


More Helpful Tips

Steps You Can Take to Get Answers to Your Questions:

  1. First, use the index of your textbook to find more info. Also check your lecture notes and the web pages for this course. You might be able to answer your own question this way.
  2. Next, check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on your course website to see if your question has already been answered.
  3. Ask a fellow classmate from the course. Form study groups. Hire tutors.
  4. Visit, email, or call the Earth Course Assistance Centre (ECAC). See ECAC info below.
  5. If all else fails, then contact the instructor who taught the section in question, but only for lecture-related questions. For lab-related and other questions, talk to a TA (see item 4 above).

UBC Registration and Advising Info

For tips on how to select courses, make timetables, and register, see this link.

The official UBC Calendar (which describes degree requirements and courses) is at
this link.


Related Links

Undergrads in EOS
EOS Undergrad Program
Undergrad Brochure


Click here for the (pdf) schedule of operation of the Earth Course Assistance Centre (updated 11 Feb 2008).
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