Mastering Astronomy Website: http://www.masteringastronomy.com Mastering Astronomy Course ID: CHABOTASTRO20ONLINEFALL2011
Overview of the Astro 20 Online Course Syllabus (with more details below!)
Course Topics: An introduction to the history and physical principles of astronomy, focusing on Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe, including our view of the heavens, historical development of scientific models of the sky, light, telescopes, our Sun, properties of stars, formation and evolution of stars, galaxies, the Big Bang, and the possibilities for life in space.
Prerequisites: None. No Mathematics.
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, offered for 3 hours one night per week, may be taken concurrently or subsequently, which satisfies science laboratory transfer requirements to UC and CSU.
Instructor: Scott Hildreth (shildreth@chabotcollege.edu) Contact information is noted below, including on-campus office hours.
Required on-campus meetings: None. The course will be available online 24x7 from the start of the semester (8/17/11) through the end (12/18/11). You are never required to be online on a certain day or at a certain time.
Required Participation: You are expected to login in and post at least twice each week to one of the discussion forums, but you can choose when you do that, and obviously from where you want to work. If you do not post to the discussion boards for two consecutive weeks, you may be dropped. If you don't reply to emails from me within the Blackboard system, or ZONEMAIL, or email ID that you have entered into Chabot's ZONEMAIL system,
Required Computer/Network Connections: You are required to have regular access to a working, reliable computer with the capability to connect to the internet. You are welcome to use computers in Chabot's Library, at other public libraries, or any other convenient location if you don't have a computer of your own. Computer or network problems that prevent you from participating may affect your grade.
Adding/Dropping the class: How to add the class is explained in the onramp pages for our course. No one will be able to add the class after the second week of instruction. It is the student's responsibility to drop the class before the "No Grade of Record" and "Withdrawal" deadlines in the class schedule to ensure that you do not receive a W or a letter grade.
Exams: One midterm and one final exam, offered online. Each may be taken once anytime within a one-week "window", depending upon your own schedule and preferences. Once started, exams will last 90 minutes, can be taken only once, and will consist of a selection of short essay questions and a selection of multiple choice questions. Essay topics are available for review.
Quizzes: One multiple choice quiz of about 15-20 questions for each chapter we read (14 in all), and a syllabus quiz. Each chapter quiz may be taken twice; the second score will be used for grading purposes. 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. Once a deadline is passed, the quizzes for that unit will not be available again. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. All quiz due dates are shared in the online class calendar.
Homework: Short weekly assignments throughout the term. Homework always requires that you post to an online discussion as well as read and comment upon the postings of other students. All homework assignments and due dates are shared in the online class calendar.
Grading: Weekly Blackboard Discussion Assignments & Participation: ~30%; Online Quizzes: ~20%; Online Homework & Tutorials: 25%; Midterm: 10%; Final Exam: 15%. You cannot pass this class with a grade of C or higher without regular, substantial participation online through weekly posting.
Textbook: The Essential Cosmic Perspective (6th edition is most current; but the 5th edition is also acceptable) by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit. (Pearson)
Also Required: Mastering Astronomy Access PIN code for The Cosmic
Perspective, available for free IF you purchase a new book in the Chabot
Bookstore, or, available for about $40 online from the publisher if you purchase
a used book or have a different book from a friend, previous class, or other
source. The code is also available online bundled with the textbook from
the publisher, or bundled with a e-text book for about $82.
Our Mastering Astronomy Course ID is "CHABOTASTRO20ONLINEFALL2011".
You'll need to enter this course ID (just once) when you register at Mastering Astronomy to
select our class and get credit for your work.
Also Suggested: A Star & Planet Locator (or "Planisphere"); numerous options for these are available, including online tools that are less convenient but free.
Temporary UserIDs: If you are trying to add, or forget your ID, you can use the following to access our class and the Mastering Astronomy site. Note that no credit will be given for any quizzes or tutorials attempted using this ID.
For Access to Blackboard, userid: onlineastro, password: astrostudent
For Access to Mastering Astronomy, userid: chabotstudent, password: fall2011
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Contact: |
My schedule and Office Hours for Autumn 2011: MWF 11 AM - Noon T/Th 10 - 10:30 AM before class M 5:30 - 6:30 PM in the Astronomy Lab |
Email: Please use the internal mail system of our Blackboard course tool to send me mail AND read mail from me to you personally. Click on the "Check Messages!" button in the navigation bar. Alternatively, if the course system is ever unavailable or you have problems, please feel free to email me directly at my campus address: shildreth@chabotcollege.edu.
Crucial, Important Note: ALL email sent to my campus address (shildreth@chabotcollege.edu) MUST include a clear subject line that includes "Astro 20 Online". Without this subject line, your email will most likely be treated by our campus system as SPAM, and may be automatically deleted without being received nor ever seen by me. It is your responsibility to ensure that email sent to my outside ID is clearly labeled.
Office Hours: Since our course is online, you will most easily find me by email. If you are on campus, I'll be available for questions every afternoon (M-F) and some Tuesdays and Thursdays between Noon and 1 PM. Check with me before, though, as I often have meetings on certain Tuesdays and Thursdays at Noon. I'll also be available from 5:30 - 6:30 on Monday evenings before my Astronomy 30 Laboratory, and other times by appointment.
I will check email multiple times every day, and I recommend this as the best way to reach me! I will check my voicemail messages occasionally, but not daily, and suggest email as the best method.
If you ever have problems logging into or using Blackboard, please fill out the online help request form available at the Chabot College Distance Education site: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/online/ Remember that you can always use our default userid of "onlineastro" and password of "astrostudent" to access the system. If you post or send messages with this ID, be sure to include your name.
If you have any learning disabilities or need special accommodations for our course, please contact me immediately so that we can discuss possible arrangements.
This entire class is delivered and facilitated through Blackboard, an online course system. You must have an access code for this course that is individual and tied to your name. You may decide to interact completely through the online system, and maintain anonymity through the login ID, but for grading you must provide me with your full name (first and last) and student number/Social Security Number.If you need help getting started with Blackboard, please see the wonderful pages at http://www.chabotcollege.edu/online/ . There are classes available to help you, and free short on-campus orientations as well if you live in the area.
Most work will be done with Blackboard; you will use it for posting questions and answers via the discussion boards, accessing online lecture material, exchanging messages with me, and sending your exam answers for the midterm and final. Some of the material we'll use, including some outstanding online tutorials, will be delivered via the publisher's great Mastering Astronomy website.
Blackboard provides a private message system that will allow you and I to communicate, as well as you and others in the class. If you ever need to email me outside of Blackboard, 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. Send your homework with a subject line ("Astro 20 Online - Homework 2 - Your Name" would work well! :) and be sure your name appears within the assignment. Failure to do this may result in your work being deleted. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email is clearly and appropriately labeled.
If you find that Blackboard and the online system does not meet your needs, or if technical problems prevent you from interacting regularly, you may inquire about moving to a traditional on-campus section, if space is available and the times meet your schedule. All the online and all on-campus Astro 20 sections address the same material, and use the same textbooks. Astro 10 sections use the same book, but will have a different set of chapters. Email me if this sounds like it might work for you. In Autumn 2011, I have an Astro 20 on-campus class meeting T-Th from 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM.
You should use Blackboard's extensive help facilities online, as well as the Blackboard Student manual, to assist you with the course system.
1. Textbook
The
preferred textbook for our course is Bennett's The Essential Cosmic
Perspective
6th.edition
(2012) with Mastering Astronomy, from Addison Wesley-Benjamin Cummings
(ISBN-13: 978-0-321-71536-4.) The latest is available
directly from the publisher (~$126 including shipping as of
8/14/11) or from
the Chabot College Bookstore.
Note that at the publisher's website, you
also have the option to purchase a loose-leaf binder version (0-321-77546-5) with Mastering Astronomy as well for
about $98 (which can't be resold to the bookstore). You can purchase an ebook
instead of the paper version at reduced cost at
www.masteringastronomy.com,
so that you can get the bundled price of about $74 (as of
August, 2011) for both the e-text and Mastering Astro access code.
IF YOU PURCHASE THE BOOK NEW in the bookstore or online, you will receive the required Mastering Astronomy online access code (PIN) included.
If you purchase a used book online, or borrow a book, you will still need the
online Blackboard/Mastering Astronomy PIN code, which you can purchase
separately from the publisher online for $40.20 at
http://www.masteringastronomy.com
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The
5th edition text (ISBN: 9780321566942) is still available
directly from the publisher (~$126 including shipping as of 6/1/11),
or even the 4th edition text is also acceptable (ISBN: 0-805-39392-7) but you'll
need to get a Mastering Astronomy access code for the 6th edition book. I will
have at least two copies of the older edition textbooks available on reserve
in the Chabot College library for overnight access. Note you'll still need
your own Mastering Astronomy access code!
You may sell the book back to the bookstore if you decide not to stay in the class for full price (if in original condition with receipt) during the first two weeks of class, or for a reduced rate at the end of the semester.
2) A Star Locator
I strongly suggest that you also purchase ONE "Star & Planet Locator", also known as a "Planisphere". Although we don't have access to the planetarium in our online class to help you learn stars and constellations, I still recommend that you go outside to look at the sky as much as possible. We'll also be discussing what is in the sky during the term, and the star locator will help! You have numerous options for purchasing a star locator, or you can opt to use free ones online. But either way, you WILL need to find something to use for the first homework! Choose whatever one is most convenient and affordable for you. (You can use free online versions, but they are not at all as convenient!)
Edmund
Scientific (preferred); paper, approximately $2.50, 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.
Astronomy 20 is a course about our universe, and about science. In this innovative online education format, you will be learning about astronomy on the web, taking advantage of some outstanding tutorials produced by the publisher to complement our book.
If you can make the trip and time, you are also welcome to attend lectures on-campus to give you opportunities to ask questions, and to view additional resources. Contact me if you are already an on-campus student, or want to visit, and I'll do what I can to get you a seat in one of the on-campus classes that are held Monday through Thursday mornings and afternoons. I am teaching Astronomy 20 on T/Th mornings from 10:30 - 11:45 AM. You would be welcome ANYTIME once the initial rush of students subsides after the first few weeks.
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, and then stars and galaxies and the universe. We'll spend the second half of the course exploring what we have learned, and what there still is left to discover, about stars like our Sun, smaller and larger stars, our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies. Finally we'll tackle what we know about how the universe began, studying the Big Bang.
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 20 class satisfies the General Education requirements for physical sciences, and in its distance education format, is just as challenging as the on-campus class. The course transfers 3 physical science lecture semester units to all CSU and UC campuses. No mathematics is required, and there are no prerequisites. An optional lab class, Astronomy 30, may be taken concurrently or at any time after successfully completing this class. That science lab unit, along with the 3 lecture units, apply to the science transfer requirements for most 4-year institutions. (Usually all that is needed in addition to these courses is another 3-unit lecture class in the biological science.)
Grading and Important Course Policies
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16 Short Weekly Homework Assignments &
Discussion Post Participation |
~30% |
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1 syllabus quiz and 13 short multiple choice, untimed, open-book Reading Quizzes;
each multiple choice question allows you to submit 2 attempts.
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~20% |
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17 Online Homework & Tutorial Assignments at MASTERING ASTRONOMY
(A total of 16 will be counted towards your
grade, so you can miss 1)
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Midterm Exam
Chapters 1-5 & 10
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Final Exam
Chapters 11 - 18
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Overall Participation Bonus |
Up to 5% |
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Extra Credit Options
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There will be numerous opportunities for extra credit to help
your homework grades. 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.
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 participation and late work will certainly hurt your grade.
Please Note! Because online classes might be very new to some
of you, you may find that it takes you more than a week or two to "get
comfortable" with the course and how to learn most effectively for you.
BE PATIENT with yourself. If this is your first online course, set a
goal of first learning to use the course system to post discussion thoughts,
and to access the course material in the Content Area.
Key Course Policies - Expectations and Online Participation, Late work policy & Makeup Exams, Academic Integrity, and Dropping the Class
1) Online Participation Expectations
First, this is THE most important part of the course, and the one piece you cannot skip and still pass. My expectations for your participation are available linked here, as well as in our START HERE! area, and you should review these and ask if you have any questions. Please review your rights and responsibilities as students in the current version of the Chabot College Catalog and Student Handbook.
Our online class meets for 18 weeks times during the term. If you are pre-registered and do not post to the class discussion board or email me by the end of the third day (Friday, 8/19), you may be dropped to make room for people wanting to add the class. (This is consistent with the policy for on-campus classes where students who miss either of the first two days of a class may be dropped by the instructor.)
During the term, you must post something to the online discussion boards at least twice every week. Even if you aren't able to complete a homework assignment, you can still read and respond to the posts of others, or post questions about the quizzes, or share information from the media, or ask about what is in the sky. If you fail to post something to the homework or other class discussion boards for two consecutive weeks without prior notification to me, you may be dropped. If you will be unable to post or participate for a particular session, please notify me.
Second, 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.
2) Late Work, Make-up Quizzes, & the Exams
Late homework and quizzes at Mastering Astronomy will automatically receive reduced credit (2% per hour, up to a maximum reduction of 66%). Late discussion posts will not receive credit unless you and I have discussed options ahead of the deadline and agreed on an extension. I encourage you to do the work, though, so even if you must miss an assignment, please consider turning it in for some extra credit. Note that Extra Credit can be done any time, and is never "late"!
There is no way to makeup the midterm or final exam if you fail to take them during the open windows of time when they are offered, unless you have discussed other options with me in advance and received my OK to reschedule. Waiting until the last day or so during the open exam windows and then discovering or deciding that you can't take the test will not be accepted as a valid reason to delay. Nor will waiting until the last day and finding your computer or internet connection doesn't work.
If you know that you need to miss a discussion post, or online quiz/homework deadline, please contact me in advance and possibly we can work out an extension.
3) Academic Integrity:
Note that for ALL discussion assignments, the midterm and final exams, and any extra credit, you are expected to cite any outside resources (including articles, books, and websites, and including any that I provide to you other than the textbook) appropriately. Work that does not include a citation will earn zero points. I expect everything 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. Outright plagiarism is cause for reducing your overall class grade. A first instance of plagiarism will result in receiving no credit for the assignment, and a warning. A second instance of plagiarism, or a significantly egregious attempt, will result in dismissal from the class, and possibly a failing 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 in your work cited lists, but also at a minimum, you must include the author of the page, the date if known, the title of the page, the institution or organization hosting the site (the publisher), and the date you accessed the site, as well as the URL. Citation styles for all work often follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style; For more information about scholarly citation expectations, check out the Chabot College Library handouts for work cited pages online. Here are two examples you can follow:
Palmer, J. (2011). Darkest exoplanet spotted by astronomers. BBC news. Retrieved August 14, 2001 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14476411
Big Bang. (2011, August 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:09, August 14, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Bang&oldid=444357812
Note that Wikipedia offers an automatic citation generator from the "Toolbox" link available in the left-hand navigation bar! You can easily choose the citation for any wikipedia reference that matches the style required. And while Wikipedia is certainly convenient, try not to let it be the ONLY site you use for outside help. Good scholarship is demonstrated by finding multiple articles about a subject, from knowledgeable and reputable sources. Wiki is a great place to start, but get into the habit of looking deeper. You'll learn even more!
4) Dropping the Class & Taking an Incomplete
If you decide that the online course is not for you, you must email me as well as submit a "DROP" card to Chabot College (which can be done online). Failure to notify me of your decision means you risk receiving a failing grade, as I will not retroactively give a "W" to any student after the deadline published in the class schedule. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the class - do not assume that just not logging in will mean I'll do it for you. But before you do, if you are thinking of dropping, please contact me! I want to know whether there is anything I can do to help you overcome the difficulties you might be facing, or how we might look at the course system or material together.
If you find that you will not be able to complete all of the course material by our last week, don't worry. As long as you and I discuss the situation by phone or email BEFORE THE LAST WEEK OF CLASS, and we agree formally via email (in writing), you may opt for a "formal" incomplete, and finish the class in Spring 2012, either via online, or on-campus.
In other words, I want you to be successful, and if we work together, we should be able to find a way to help you complete all of the work at the required standards of excellence to achieve full credit. Please note, however, that:
- If you do not talk with me ahead of time, and we do not agree in writing (by email), you will NOT be able to opt for the incomplete, and you WILL receive whatever grade you have earned at the time.
- If you are not doing well in the class, opting for an incomplete will NOT change your earlier grades, nor allow you to go back to work already submitted. This is not meant to be a self-paced class where you work through material repeatedly until you get everything right.
Exams will include short essay questions, addressing material from the textbook, online resources, and homework. You will be provided a list of the Astro 20 essay topics (not exactly the questions to be asked, but the same general topic) along with this syllabus, and we will review for the exams online. You will not have to answer all essay questions, but you must answer the questions you choose completely for full credit. Online exams are open book and untimed.
Online students will be expected to start and finish an exam in the open window of days - usually a week. Answers are to be sent to me through Blackboard as a message, without attachments. Online exams can be taken only once. Problems with online course systems that might occur during an exam will not release you from your responsibility to take the test. For example, your Internet Provider might lose access, or your computer might crash, or the power might go out, or a family emergency might occur. Things happen, and we'll deal with problems with the intent to reach a fair and reasonable solution. However IF problems occur during an online exam you must:
If you prefer to take exams in more traditional formats, and you live close to Chabot, you may be able to take them on-campus. This option is NOT guaranteed! You must take the exam during the same window of availability as our online class, and you must notify me that you want this option so that we can determine a time on-campus when you are able to visit. A GREEN BOOK and picture ID is required, and will be checked. Chabot Green books are available in the campus bookstore. If you take the exams on-campus:
- On-campus exams are completely closed book, with no notes allowed. Any use of additional study aids or borrowing answers from others during a test is not acceptable, and will result in, at minimum, a failing grade for the exam and possibly for the course.
PLEASE NOTE: If you notify me before an exam that you will be unable to complete the test during the assigned times, we may be able to work out a make-up date. But if you miss an exam without some advance warning to me, you will not be able to take a make-up test, and your grade on the test will be a zero. There are no exceptions to this policy.
The Online Chapter Reading Quizzes include objective questions from the textbook, and are available 24x7 through Mastering Astronomy. You will receive credit for each of the 13 online quizzes you complete at Mastering Astronomy automatically. We'll also have a short syllabus quiz (which you can take once) at the start of the term in Blackboard. Target dates for quiz completion are noted in the online calendar.
The Chapter Reading Quizzes are available in the ASSIGNMENTS area in Mastering Astronomy. They are obviously open-book, and un-timed. You can open and look at the questions, and close the question or move on to another question, and submit your answers later. I encourage you to ask questions in the online discussion forum about what you don't understand! For each quiz, you must take and complete it by the assigned due dates (usually Sunday nights at 11:55 PM Pacific Time.) Quizzes will be available after the deadline, but credit for them will be reduced substantially, and cannot be made-up for full credit. If you know you must miss a quiz deadline in advance, contact me and possibly we can work out an extension.The best technique to help you with the quizzes, shared by students in prior classes, seems to be to:
a) READ the book, at least once.
b) Look at the online quiz corresponding to that chapter in the Mastering Astronomy area of our online class. Answer those questions you can; look up or ask questions about those you cannot. Submit your answers when you are ready for each question. You'll receive immediate feedback.
c) Review what you missed immediately. If you think you understand the correct answers, submit a different answer! You have two tries, losing some credit for the first wrong answer.d) If you don't understand what you missed, after re-reading the book, then ASK QUESTIONS in the discussion area.
e) SUBMIT the quiz before the required completion date.
In addition to the required weekly discussion assignments I'll often provide additional questions and activities for you to consider. And there are extra credit tutorials and questions in the Mastering Astronomy online homework assignments.
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 by Friday, 12/16, please.
Please note: Extra credit earned will help towards your homework/quiz grades exam grades. It will not make up for missing or failing an exam, nor will it substitute for your participation.
Mastering Astronomy Website: http://www.masteringastronomy.com
SH 8/12/11