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AstroPortal website: http://courses.bfwpub.com/dtu8e
Free Textbook Resource site: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/dtu8e
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/faculty/shildreth/astronomy/a10syll.html
Astronomy 10: An Introduction to the Solar System
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AstroPortal website: http://courses.bfwpub.com/dtu8e
Free Textbook Resource site: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/dtu8e
Overview of the Astro 10 Course Syllabus
Instructor: Scott Hildreth (shildreth@chabotcollege.edu) Contact information is noted below, including on-campus office hours.
Course Topics: An introduction to the history and physical principles of astronomy, focusing on the Solar System, including our view of the heavens, historical development of scientific models of the sky, light, telescopes, the formation of the solar system, the inner planets, outer planets, comets, meteors, asteroids, the Sun, and the possibilities for life in space.
Prerequisites: None. No Mathematics on exams or homework.
Graduation/Transfer Credit: 3 semester units of physical science that meets GE requirements for Associates Degrees, and transfers to UC, CSU, and most other four-year universities. A 1-unit companion lab, Astro 30, may be taken concurrently or subsequently, which satisfies science laboratory transfer requirements to UC and CSU.
Required on-campus meetings: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 - 11:45 AM. Attendance is expected; active participation is part of your grade. If you must arrive late, please knock, and wait for the door to be opened so that you don't interrupt lecture or swamp the dark planetarium with outside light.
Exams: Two midterms and one final exam. Midterm exams will last 60 minutes, and will consist of a selection of multiple choice quiz questions and short essay questions. Essay topics are available for review.
Quizzes: One multiple choice quiz of about 20 questions for each chapter we read (11 in all), and a syllabus quiz, available online. Quizzes aren't timed. Each quiz will be available to take anytime (24x7) within a window to match the reading assignments from our textbook. You should plan on taking approximately one quiz each week. Missed quizzes cannot be made up; quizzes taken late with permission will receive reduced credit.
Homework: Short weekly assignments throughout the term. Homework needs to be typed and spell-checked.
Grading: Homework: 25%; Online Quizzes delivered through the AstroPortal system 15%; Online Tutorials & Media Exploration at AstroPortal: 15%; Midterms: 10% each; Final Exam: 20%; Attendance & Participation 5% You cannot pass this class with a grade of C or higher without doing the homework and participating in class. To earn an "A" or "B" grade, you'll also need to access and use the online AstroPortal quiz and tutorial resources, no matter how well you do on the exams.
Textbook/Resources Required:
Temporary UserIDs: If you are trying to add, or forget your ID, you can use the following to access our class and the AstroPortal site. Note that no credit will be given for any quizzes or tutorials attempted using this ID.
For Access to the AstroPortal at http://courses.bfwpub.com/dtu8e userid: chabotastro10@gmail.com, password: astro10student
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On-Campus Office Hours for Spring 2010: Mon-Thu 9:30 - 10:20 AM (before our class) Mon, Wed, and Thu 1:30 - 2:30 PM except when I have meetings; Mon 5:30 - 6:30 PM before Astro 30 Lab |
I will check email multiple times every day, and I recommend this as the
best way to reach me! However, you MUST include a clear SUBJECT message
in your email, and your name, to ensure that your email will not be treated
as "SPAM" and automatically deleted. I will check my voicemail messages
periodically, but not daily. If you have an urgent need, and cannot get to email, leave
me a voicemail message but do not expect an answer back the same day.
If you have any questions about this class, if you need help during the term with the material, or if you have any learning disabilities or need special accommodations for our course, please contact me immediately so that we can discuss possible arrangements.
Astronomy 10 is a course about our solar system, and about science, offered on-campus, with lectures twice a week (T-Th 10:30- 11:45 AM) where you can ask questions, view additional resources, and learn about the planets, stars, and nature of astronomy. Our course starts with information about our sky, shared by everyone on the planet, and discusses natural astronomical phenomena that affect us or are visible from Earth. We'll talk about the phases of the Moon, the reason for seasons, eclipses, tides; we'll also discuss light and telescopes. From there, we will move to objects within our solar system, concentrating on the planets, their moons, comets, meteors, asteroids, and our current efforts to explore the surrounding neighborhood of space.
In parallel with observing and describing objects, we will be learning how science works, and who does science. I hope to help you gain an appreciation for just how many things in our lives today are related to the science of astronomy.
This Astronomy 10 class satisfies the General Education requirements for physical sciences, and in its distance education format, is just as challenging as the on-campus class. An optional lab class, Astronomy 30, may be taken concurrently or at any time after successfully completing this class. top
1. Textbook
You
have numerous options for this semester's textbook and online resource system.
One is required, but it will be up to you to choose which one suits your needs
most effectively - and what you choose will affect the assignments you can do
and the grading system you'll be working under. The new textbook for this
class is on a one-semester trial
Option 1. (Recommended) Discovering the Universe, 8th ed. by Comins &
Kaufmann.
Estimated
Price: $120.
This is for a New Textbook plus AstroPortal access.
This package is available in the Chabot Bookstore,
and with the AstroPortal site, includes everything you need to participate in
our class with all online resources.
IF YOU PURCHASE THE BOOK NEW in the bookstore or online, you will receive the required AstroPortal Astronomy online access code (PIN) FREE.
Option 2. (Optional) Astroportal Access with e-book of Comins & Kaufmann. ($75)
Available online at
http://courses.bfwpub.com/dtu8e.php
This is for online access only, with an "ebook" you can read online.
You'll have full access to all the features of Astroportal
Option 3. (Least Cost) Discovering the Universe, 8th ed. Comins & Kaufmann. Textbook only from $70 used - $112 new (from the publisher) ; use the open-access companion website at www.whfreeman.com/dtu8e . You cannot post questions, participate in discussions with other students, or do media resources for credit. You will have to do the homework assignments and exams. If you choose this option, you can certainly pass the class, but not earn better than a "C" grade. I recommend this if you are looking for a CR/NC option of grading, and have limited time this term.
Option 4. (Least Cost) Downloadable ebook version (without Astroportal) http://www.coursesmart.com/9781429205191 ($68 for 1 year subscription). Note that purchasing the AstroPortal only access gives you ebook access too - just not downloadable. Like option 3, this option is really for folks who are seeking at best a passing or CREDIT grade. An open-access Companion Web site is available at www.whfreeman.com/dtu8e.
2) A Star Locator
You will need ONE "Star & Planet Locator", also known as a "Planisphere". You have numerous options for this; you only need to find one to bring to campus each day. Choose whatever one is most convenient and affordable for you.
Edmund
Scientific (preferred); paper, approximately $2.95, available from the
Chabot College Bookstore and Edmund Scientific (800-728-6999) and online at
www.scientificsonline.com;
stock# CR30092-27, in Astronomy - Celestial Models and Guides.
3. Scantron Forms You will need (3) mini essay-form scantrons available in the bookstore, one for each major exam.
Grading Options and Important Course Policies
You have a variety of assessments in this class, including:
10 - 11 Written Homework Assignments @ 25 points each; one may
be missed or the lowest will be dropped = 250 points
Homework is the largest contributor to your overall class grade.
You cannot achieve an "A" in this class without homework
participation no matter how well you do on the exams.
- 12 Short Quizzes (typically ~15-20 points each); one may be missed or
the lowest will be dropped = 150 points
There will be 1 syllabus and 11 reading quizzes covering the chapters of
our textbook. The reading quizzes are offered online through AstroPortal. You will be able to access the quizzes 24/7, and use your book
and notes; they are not timed. Quizzes will be available online for at
least a week, and missed quizzes cannot be retaken. Quizzes taken after the deadline
(with permission) will lose credit Quizzes taken more
than 7 days late will receive no credit. Questions from the quizzes will appear on
the midterm and final exam.
If you opt not to use the AstroPortal system, note that you can still
practice many of the same quiz questions online for free at the Publisher's
open-access website:
http://bcs.whfreeman.com/dtu8e
. You cannot get credit for these quizzes, but trying them will
help you prepare for the midterm and final exams.
- Online Tutorials and Media Explorations @ 10 points each; one may be skipped, or the lowest will be dropped = 150 points. The online tutorials are also accessed via AstroPortal Tutorials will be available online for at least 2+ weeks to give you plenty of time to try them - but they cannot all be done at once or at the last minute. You'll have to stay up with them, and I recommend trying at least one or two every week.
- Midterm Exams = 100 points each = 200 total
- Final Exam = 200 points
- Class Participation = 50 points
Measured by your attendance in class, by the questions and comments you
offer (either on-campus or online), and by your timely, consistent
submission of short weekly homework activities and surveys. This score,
along with the final exam, will be used in cases where grades are at or near
a borderline.
- Extra Credit Options = up to 50 points (towards homework grade only)
Grading will be on a modified curve, not strict percentages. Historically overall percentages of 90% and higher earn an A, 75% - 90% earn a B, and about 60% - 75% earn a C. If you put in the effort, and participate actively in class, you should do well. Missing class, and continually missing online quiz or tutorial due dates will certainly hurt your grade.
There will be numerous opportunities for extra credit to help your homework
and quiz grades. One of the most important sources of extra credit are the
AstroPortal online tutorials. There will be numerous options on the homework assignments
(online papers, research projects, answering textbook questions, trying quizzes)
to fit your style of learning best. And check out
the hints for your success!
In all your interactions in our class, whether on-campus or on-line, you are
expected to participate respectfully and collegially. Please refer to the Chabot
College Catalog for general expectations of student conduct in our course. I expect all online participation and discussion postings to be constructive
and respectful, just as though you were in an on-campus class. Flaming others
in our class, posting inappropriate materials or links, or other non-collegial
behavior will not be tolerated, and you will be removed from the class. Please
review your rights and responsibilities as students in the current version of the
Chabot
College Catalog and Student Handbook.
Exams will include multiple choice questions from the reading, and short essay questions, addressing material from the text and homework. Essay Exam questions are available online for your review. Please bring an ESSAY-Form SCANTRON form, available in the bookstore, to each exam.
Please Note:
Attendance Requirements
Our class meets Tuesday & Thursdays from 10:30 -11:45 AM, during the term. Chabot College attendance policies will apply. If you fail
to attend two consecutive of the class sessions without prior notification
to me by phone, note, or email, you may be dropped; similarly you may be dropped
if you miss 4 or more classes total.
Repeatedly coming late will be considered equivalent to missing class entirely,
and you will be dropped.
If you will be unable to attend any
of the meetings for a particular session, please check the Astroportal system and
post a question about what we did. It will be
your responsibility to withdraw from the class if you do not want to
receive a failing grade. Do not expect me to necessarily drop you!
Please note that missing classes will possibly mean missing an exam review or reading quiz taken in class.
You are encouraged to use our online course AstroPortal system at http://courses.bfwpub.com/dtu8e to ask questions about the book and homework, to share ideas with others on group homework activities, and to discuss news items of interest about Astronomy and Science.
Weekly homework assignments are meant to get you thinking about the reading and the concepts in our class. They include Participation, Opinion, Survey, and Research Questions, and will provide opportunities for you to discuss what we are learning with friends and family members, co-workers, and fellow students. In most cases, there are no right or wrong answers, but you will receive credit for good, thorough, scholarly work and will lose credit for incomplete or late work.
Homework responses should be at least 250 words (about one-half page) typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked please. If you must miss class, you may submit your homework on the due date -- by the end of the class period -- using the AstroPortal system. If you do send the assignment, cut and paste it into the email window; do not send or post an attached file.
Late Work:
I encourage you to do the work on time, and if you cannot make it to class, use our AstroPortal system to send your work by the due date for full credit No credit will be earned for late homework unless we have a prior agreement by email.
Late Work:
I encourage you to do the work on time, and if you cannot make it to class, use our Blackboard system to post your work by the due date for full credit No credit will be earned for late homework unless we have a prior agreement by email.
Note that Extra Credit can be done any time, and is never "late"!
Academic Integrity:
I expect all work turned in to be original, and any material copied, paraphrased, or cited to received proper credit. Be sure to use quotation marks, and note references. Copying material from the text or other sources without giving a reference is not acceptable, and missing citations will result in reduced or no credit. Plagiarism will result in a reduced overall class grade. I want to know what you think, not what someone else thought! If you use the internet to assist with assignments and extra credit, you must include the URL, the universal resource locator, that identifies the sources. Citation styles for all work should follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) style; a handout about this style for web resources is available online.
At a minimum, you must include the name of the site or title page of the webpage you access, the author if known, the date the site was created, the institution or organization hosting the site, the date you accessed the site, and the URL:
Victorian Women Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. Apr. 1997. Indiana U. Accessed: 26 Apr. 1997
<http:// www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/>.
For more information, check out the Chabot College Library handouts for work cited pages online.
There will be numerous opportunities for extra credit to help your homework and midterm grades. Many homework assignments will list extra credit questions and topics. Get in the habit of scanning the newspaper, magazines, and even television for items related to astronomy. If you come across something of interest, do some research in the library, and turn in a short review of the item, including its significance to you, and its value as a handout for the rest of the class. There is no restriction on the topic, as long as there is some sort of connection to astronomy. Topics could be about politics (NASA and/or government spending on space exploration and research), global climatic changes (the ozone hole and/or the greenhouse effect), science fiction, aliens, etc. There is no restriction on the topic, as long as there is some sort of connection to astronomy. I will scale the extra credit to the amount of effort you put into your review or paper.
Extra Credit may be turned in anytime; even though each homework assignment lists extra credit ideas, you are not required to turn in your submissions the following week. All extra credit is due at the last class meeting.
Please note: Extra credit earned will help towards your homework/quiz grades and class participation. It will not make up for missing or failing an exam.
SH - 1/13/10