SC 311 - Resource Industries

3 Credits
Outline Effective Date: Academic Year 2025/2026
Revised Date: Aug 26, 2025
Date Approved: Aug 26, 2025

Lecture Hours: 28 Lab Hours: 28

Course Description:
Students who planning for a career in the oil and gas field are introduced to and build knowledge of the petroleum and related industries. This course focusses on an understanding of facilities, equipment, and processes of the up-stream and mid-stream petroleum industry including: hydrocarbons, types of oil and gas, exploration, drilling, land and scouting, transportation and storage. While discussion of down-stream industries will connect these products and processes to consumers through refineries, markets, trends and economics.

Rationale:
This is a required course for students in the Environmental Conservation and Reclamation and the Renewable Resource Reclamation majors of the Environmental Sciences diploma. A demonstrated understanding and familiarity with the oil and gas field, i.e., the oil patch, petroleum and other related industries are fundamental skills expected by employers in these sectors. This course will provide a foundation for students to build upon in future classes, work integrated learning opportunities, and careers.

Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
A student who successfully completes the course will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

Recognize and identify various buildings, and installations found within up-stream and mid-stream production facilities and environment.
Demonstrate understanding of common extraction processes including drilling and SAGD.
Describe various types of petroleum products and associate them with their extraction, storage and transport facilities.
Demonstrate safe and professional conduct, and communication in approach to jobsites and facilities.
Discuss and describe common hydrocarbons extracted and the products they may be used to create.
Examine the connection of Markets and Industry trends to the exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources.

Required Resource Materials:
There is no required textbook for this course.

Optional Resource Materials:
Additional digital and print resources will be provided and assigned throughout the course.

Each field trip requires its own PPE: Students and Instructor will ensure proper PPE is available.

Conduct of Course:
This course includes lectures, and labs and may include extended field trips that occur outside of scheduled class time. Lectures focus on practical theory, preparation for lab activities, and exams/quizzes. Students must come prepared for all labs/field trips with appropriate equipment and clothing for inclement weather, including cold temperatures and snow. Students inadequately prepared for field conditions may not be allowed to participate.

All assignments and exams must be completed or an incomplete grade (IN) for the course may be assigned. Late assignments are subject to a -25% per day penalty. Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports, therefore absenteeism is recorded, and labs are considered mandatory.

Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours can be required to withdraw and would then automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade).
An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor following an in-person meeting. Be sure to contact your instructor and ask what they will require from you as verification for each absence. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

NOTE: Any exceptions to the above attendance policy (e.g., timetable conflicts, work-related issues) must be approved in writing by the Department Chair prior to the beginning of the course.

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams, or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:
Lectures:

Hydrocarbons
Up-stream Oil and Gas
Mid-stream Oil and Gas
Downstream Oil and Gas

Laboratories and Field Trips:

Oil and Gas Infrastructure tours
- Well site / Drilling rig tour
- Oil battery tour
- Refinery tour
- Natural Gas storage and transport tour
Industry Guest Lecture / presentations

Course Assessments:
Students are assessed through exams, written technical summaries of data collected in the field, quizzes, and assignments. The weighting of each of these categories is as follows:

Midterm Lecture Exam	30%
Final Lecture Exam	35%
Quizzes/Assignments	35%
Total	100%

Official final grades will be available on My Lakeland. Grades posted in D2L should be considered interim grades.
“Lakeland College is committed to the highest academic standards. Students are expected to be familiar with Lakeland College policies and to abide by these policies. Violations of these policies are considered to be serious and may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.”

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Letter	F	D	D+	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A	A+
Percent Range	0-49	50-52	53-56	57-59	60-64	65-69	70-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90-94	95-100
Points	0.00	1.00	1.30	1.70	2.00	2.30	2.70	3.00	3.30	3.70	4.00	4.00

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) to qualify to graduate.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information in this course outline is accurate at the time of publication. Lakeland College reserves the right to change courses if it becomes necessary so that course content remains relevant.

In such cases, the instructor will give students clear and timely notice of changes.

No part of this course outline may be reproduced in any form or resold without written permission from Lakeland College.

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Here at Lakeland College, we acknowledge that the land we gather on is the traditional homeland, hunting, and ceremonial gathering places of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux people have practiced their culture and languages on Treaty 6 and Métis Region 2 territories for generations and were the original caretakers of this land. Many First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples call this land home today and have done so for millennia. We would like to acknowledge the history we have created together on this land, and to be thankful for the opportunity to walk together side-by-side in friendship, learning from our past, and promoting positive relationships for the past, present and future.