Astronomy 1: Introduction to the Cosmos, Winter 2013, UCSC

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3. ABCD Voting Card—This will be handed out on the first day. You will be using it to vote during think-pair-share questions. BRING IT TO EACH CLASS! If you lose yours, you must download the PDF file from our eCommons website (look under “Resources”) and print another card. 4. On test days, you need to provide your own Scantron form #F-1712 and a #2 pencil. Course Websites: The main class website is hosted on eCommons at http://ecommons.ucsc.edu. The course name is “Astronomy 1 Winter 2013,” which should be visible once you have enrolled in the class. Annnouncements, lecture notes, grades, and a discussion forum/chat room will be found here. You will be using the MasteringAstronomy (MA) website (http://masteringastronomy.com) to complete homework assignments. The site also provides excellent tutorials and assessments to help you study the material. Our MA course ID is AY1FANG2013. IMPORTANT: When you enroll on MA, be sure to select the correct textbook edition: The Essential Cosmic Perspective, SIXTH Edition, even if you bought an older edition. Course Assessment: 1. In-class writing assignments will be completed during each lecture. These assignments will be graded on effort (not if you answer correctly) using a 3-point scale (2 points = complete and clear response; 1 point = incomplete/unclear response; 0 points = no response). No late writing assignments will be accepted. Instead, the lowest three scores will be dropped when computing your final grade. 2. Homework is assigned regularly and forms a significant portion of your final grade. Each assignment consists of multiple choice and short answer questions, as well as interactive tutorials. Homework is completed and submitted online through MA. Due dates are listed in the schedule below. Scores for late assignments will be reduced by 20% for each day late. 3. Exams consist of two in-class midterms and one final. The midterms will emphasize the most recent material, but will also include a few questions on older material. The final exam is cumulative. All exams are multiple choice and are closed-book and closed-notes. No calculator is needed for exams. BRING YOUR STUDENT ID–it will be checked! Exam dates are listed in the schedule below. There are NO make-up exams, except in exceptional circumstances (you must make arrangements with me in advance). You must take each exam in order to pass the class. Think-Pair-Share Questions: Lectures will be interspersed with think-pair-share (TPS) questions that assess your comprehension of the material discussed that day. TPS questions are multiple-choice questions that work as follows: 1) All students initially vote on the answer they think is correct, 2) students share their reasoning with a partner and try to convince the other they are correct, and 3) the whole class votes again. This technique has been shown to increase student engagement and comprehension, and is a great way to practice expressing your ideas in a low-pressure environment. While your responses are not graded, several exam questions will be based on the TPS questions. 2
Grading: In-class Writing (drop lowest 3 scores) = 15% Homework = 25% Two Midterm Exams = 30% (15% each) Final Exam = 30% There is NO extra credit in this course. Final grades will be “curved” such that the class average is roughly a B–. If you are taking the class Pass/No Pass, you must earn a C or higher in order to receive a Pass. Getting Help: Unfortunately, this course has no teaching assistants or discussion sections. However, there are still many ways for you to get help with the material. 1. Office hours: Please stop by during my OH (or set up an appointment) whenever you want to discuss course content, get help on assignments, or just to chat. OH are a great way for me to get to know students better and provide help one-on-one. 2. eCommons Discussion Forum & Chat Room: Our class website on eCommons has a discussion forum where you can post questions related to the course. Students are encouraged to help each other out by posting replies. I will also post replies when needed. Also, there is a real-time chat room where you can talk with other students who are signed in. 3. Tutoring: UCSC Learning Support Services (http://www2.ucsc.edu/lss/) offers tutoring for Astronomy 1. Students can sign up for weekly, one-hour sessions with a tutor. This service is free and open to all students. See the LSS website for more information. Academic Dishonesty: All work done in this course must be your own. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. If you are caught cheating on an assignment or exam, you (and anyone else involved) will receive a zero for that assignment or exam. In addition, you will be reported to the university for disciplinary action. Please familiarize yourself with the following guide to academic integrity: http://undergraduate.ucsc.edu/acd_integrity/student.html. Disability Accomodations: If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please submit your Accommodation Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me during my office hours in a timely manner, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. Questions? Contact the DRC at 831-459-2089 or by email at drc@ucsc.edu. Course Schedule: The next page lists the course schedule. The table includes the topic covered during each lecture, the relevant reading, and important dates. Please note that the schedule may change during the quarter depending on our rate of progress. Any updates will be announced and the schedule revised. 3
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Astronomy 1: Introduction to the Cosmos, Winter 2013, UCSC

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