Class Syllabus

Syllabus for Roster(s):

Syllabus

Whittle's Fall 2015 ASTR 1220 Syllabus

Introduction to the Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe

ASTR 1220	Section 04	Class No. 19252
M, W, F	11:00-11:50am	Clark 107

Instructor:	D. Mark Whittle
Office:	216 Astronomy Building, 530 McCormick Rd.
Phone:	434-924-4900
email:	`dmw8f@virginia.edu`
Office Hours:	T, R 14:00-15:00 please email beforehand

You will need:: 1) Text: The Cosmic Perspective by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit, 6th or 7th Edition. Our course is based on this excellent text, which you will find to be a very useful complement to the lectures.; 2) Website: Mastering Astronomy is associated with our text, and has many course related features including our weekly homework assignments (see below).; 3) Learning Catalytics . This web-based app allows you to answer in-class questions (see below).; The University bookstore sells new texts which come bundled with Mastering Astronomy (MA) and Learning Catalytics (LC), so you don't pay extra for MA or LC. The registration for MA and LC lasts for a year, so last semester's text (e.g. for ASTR 1210) will work for this semester, or a new purchase will work for next semester. You may buy a used text (6th edition is OK) but it is unlikely that it will include access to MA. It is possible to buy MA and LC separately ($60 and $12) which you can get from http://www.masteringastronomy.com and learningcatalytics.com. The cheapest way to get all three ($91) is the electronic text bundled with MA and LC and you can get this from http://www.masteringastronomy.com (though access to the e-text expires after two years).

Course Topics and Lecture Notes:: An outline of the course topics, and their associated chapters in the text, can be found in the resources location: here. It is difficult to match these topics to specific dates within the semester, but we will progress steadily through them. PDF versions of my Power Point slides, along with movies and animations shown in class, can also be found on this page.

Grades:

Your grade will be based on 2 midterm exams, a final exam, 1 lab exercise, in class exercises, and weekly homework, totaling 550 points. The exams will be mainly multiple choice and true-false questions. You will be given all necessary formulae for the (relatively small number of) quantitative questions.

Midterm Exam 1	100 points	Wednesday, Sept 23
Midterm Exam 2	100 points	Wednesday, Nov 4
Final Exam	200 points	Friday, Dec 11, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Classroom Exercises	50 points	Learning Catalytics
Regular Homework Exercises	75 points	Mastering Astronomy
Constellation Lab	25 points	Maximum possible grade declines during semester

The final exam is fully comprehensive with additional emphasis on the material covered after the second midterm exam. It will be approximately twice as long as a midterm exam and in the same general style.

Grades will be posted on our Collab site. Your final grade is based on your percentage scored out of the total, 550 points. The A/B grade boundary will be approximately 87% with B/C, C/D, and D/F boundaries lower by steps of 10% (These boundaries would correspond to 478, 423, 368, 313 points). The A/B boundary may be modified slightly to ensure that at least 60% of the class will get As and Bs. Intermediate grades (B+, B, B-, etc) will be assigned. The Pass/Fail boundary is D-/F.

Attendance Policy:

It is in your best interest to attend class regularly. During most classes you will be asked to answer a number of questions using the Learning Catalytics system (see below). Credit will only be given for answers completed during class. You must attend the scheduled midterm exams and the final exam. See me at least two lectures before an exam if you have a conflict. Makeup exams are given only at the discretion of the instructor.

There are a couple of things that are distracting to those around you and also to myself: chatting with your neighbors, and having non-class material on your computers. Please avoid both these.

Homework:

Approximately each week, you will be assigned a few homework problems to complete using the online Mastering Astronomy system. To register, follow the directions in the Mastering Astronomy card that was bundled with your text and use the course ID "WHITTLE1220FALL2015" to enroll yourself in the course. For your Student ID please use your UVa email ID (e.g. dmw8f), and for your first name please use your legal first name (not necessarily the name you like to be called). Homework assignments will typically be due on Sunday evenings at midnight. Late homework will be penalized 1% per hour, down to a maximum of 50%. The Homework schedule and some general guidelines are given here. You may use your class notes and the textbook while working on your homework. Although you may discuss the material with other students, your answers must be your own and you must have made the effort to understand the material (see Honor Code below).

Constellation Lab:

This lab consists of learning the names and locations of the brightest stars and constellations, completing a worksheet, and passing a short quiz. The lab requires no prior preparation and can be completed in a single night. The lab is graded pass/fail, with a threshold for passing of 15/20. You may retake the lab if you fail. For our class, the number of points that you receive depends on the date that you pass the lab:

Dates	Points
Aug 31 - Sept 30	25
Oct 1 - Oct 31	20
Nov 1 - Dec 8	15

You should complete the Constellation Lab as early as possible in the semester since the number of points that you receive declines as the semester progresses, the lab gets very crowded as deadlines approach and you run the risk of being clouded out. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this schedule. See the Lab Information page for more details. Use the "sign up" entry on the Collab site to book an observing session in advance. Bring a pencil and (if possible) a clipboard.

Classroom Exercises:

During most classes, I will ask you to respond to a number of questions using the Learning Catalytics App. This requires you to bring a web-enabled device to class (e.g. smart phone, iPad, laptop, etc). At the start of each class I will provide a "Class ID number" that you enter into your App, and this will direct your answers to the MA grade book. I will use your responses to gauge the overall comprehension of the subject and to clear up any misunderstandings. You will receive 1/2 point for responding and an additional 1/2 point if you are correct. Once you have earned 50 points, you will not earn any additional credit. I do not allow students to make up missed questions. Answering questions for another student, whether they are present or absent, is a violation of the honor code.

Honor Code:

I would like to remind you that ALL work for this class is subject to the Honor Code, even if you did not explicitly sign the pledge. This means the work you submit for exams, homework, in-class exercises, and lab work should be exclusively your own. If you are unsure of exactly what this means, ask me for clarification.

Additional Help:

I encourage you to take advantage of my office hours, Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. However, please email me ahead of time to let me know you would like to meet. If these times don't work for you, we can find another time.