| Grading: | Percent of Grade | |
| Two Hour-Long Tests | 22% each | |
| Final Exam | 36% | |
| In-Class Exercises | 10% | |
| Constellation Lab | 5% | |
| Telescope Lab | 5% |
In-Class Exercises
During most classes, I will ask you to respond to a number of questions using the RF Response Card (``clicker''). I will use your responses to gauge the overall comprehension of the subject, to clear up any misunderstandings, and to steer the discussion in the direction that most interests students. You will receive 2 points for each correct answer and 1 point for each incorrect answer. Once you have earned 80 points, you will not earn any additional credit. I do not allow students to make up missed questions.
You must register your clicker. The easiest way to do this is to go to the ITC Instructional Toolkit for this class, and click on Student Response System (Clickers). The ID is in large numbers/letters on the back below the bar code. Enter this number and hit Submit. If you make an error, you can go back and resubmit.
Required Lab Exercises
You are required to do two labs for credit for this course. Both of the labs occur at night, and both require that you sign up for an observing session in advance. You should do the labs as early as possible in the semester. Both labs require clear weather to do, and if you wait until the end of the semester, you may be clouded out and lose credit for the lab. On the other hand, if you do either of the labs before the midterm break (before March 1), I will give you 6% credit for lab rather than 5%. If you do both labs early, you will get extra credit for both. One of the required labs is the Constellation Lab. The first date for doing this lab is Tuesday, January 22. The last date for the Constellation Lab is Tuesday, April 29. The other required lab is the Telescope Lab. The first date for doing this lab is Monday, January 28. The last date for doing the Telescope Lab is Monday, April 28.
Constellation Lab
| Nights | Times | Begins | Ends | |
| Constellation Lab | Mon - Thurs | 9 & 10 pm | 22 January | 29 April |
The Constellation Lab is a required exercise for the course. The lab requires one evening to do. This lab consists of learning the names and locations of the brightest stars and constellations, completing a worksheet, and passing a short quiz. You should complete the Constellation Lab as early as possible in the semester. If you wait until the end of the semester, you run the risk of being clouded out. Also, if you do the lab before the midterm break (before March 1), you will receive 6% credit for lab rather than 5%. You must sign up for an observing session in advance. See the Lab Information page for more details. Follow these links to get copies of the star maps for February, March, and April. You can also get very good star maps at SkyMaps.com and Heavens-Above.
The Constellation Lab is done at the Student Observatory, which is an enclosed outdoor area just west of the Astronomy Building. (See the attached maps.)
Telescope Lab
| Nights | Times | Begins | Ends | |
| Telescope Observing | Mon. & Thurs. | 9 - 11 pm | 28 January | 28 April |
The Telescope Lab is a required exercise for the course. The lab requires one evening to do. You should complete the Telescope Lab as early as possible in the semester. If you wait until the end of the semester, you run the risk of being clouded out. Also, if you do the lab before the midterm break (before March 1), you will receive 6% credit for lab rather than 5%. You must sign up for an observing session in advance. See the Lab Information page for more details.
Students wanting to do the lab will meet a graduate T.A. at the sign in front of the Astronomy Building on McCormick Road on a Monday or Thursday night at 9 pm (EST or EDT). (See the attached maps.) Participants should bring cars if they have them to help with car-pooling to the Observatory. The T.A. at the lot will lead students to the Observatory. Students should leave in the car they rode up in, or wait for a ride with the T.A. when the lab is over at or before 11 pm.
During this lab, you will observe and sketch four objects through the 6-inch and 10-inch telescopes in the Observatory Doghouse and through the 26-inch telescope in the Observatory dome. The T.A.s operating the telescopes will point you to various objects over the course of the evening. In addition to giving you the magnification being used, they will identify the objects and their nature. Worksheets are available at McCormick Observatory during lab hours. Bring pens or pencils, a firm writing surface (e.g., clipboard), and a flashlight. Dress warmly. Once the sketches are taken, obtain the telescope operator's or T.A.'s signature and then turn completed lab sheets in to the any of the T.A.s at the Observatory. Please note that flammable gas is stored at McCormick Observatory; therefore smoking is not allowed even outside while on Observatory grounds.
Weather and the Night Labs
For obvious reasons, the two night labs (Telescope and Constellation labs) will only be held on clear nights. If you are unsure as to whether the night lab will be open on a particular night, you can call the Night Lab Status Line after 6 pm at 924-7238. I very strongly recommend that you do these labs early in the semester. It is often cloudy for several weeks at a time in the spring. If you put off either night lab until the last minute and it is cloudy, you will not be able to do the lab and you will lose the grade credit. It is your responsibility to do the labs at the first available opportunity; bad weather before the deadline will not relieve you of this responsibility, and you will receive no credit if you do not do the labs.
Grading
All grades are on a curve with the average grade being slightly below B. There will be two hour-long tests (which count for 22% of the credit), a final exam (which counts for 36% of the credit), in-class exercises (which count for 10% of the credit), the Constellation Lab (which counts for 5% of the credit), and the Telescope lab (which counts for 5% of the credit).
Attendance Policy
It is in your best interest to attend class regularly. The lecture treatment of topics will often differ from that in the text, and the tests will tend to follow the lectures more than the text. Class attendance will not be taken directly, and will not count as a factor in the grading. However, during most classes you will be asked to answer a number of questions using the RF Response Card. Credit will only be given for answers completed during class. You must attend the scheduled tests and the final exam.
Missed Tests
All tests must be taken at the scheduled time unless a written excuse from a doctor or your parent explaining the necessity of the absence is presented not more than 10 days after the test. Tests taken late without excuse count for 1/2 of the normal credit based on the score.
Honor System
All of the tests, exams, and labs done for credit in this course must be your own work, even if you do not explicitly sign the pledge. In class you will, at times, be asked to work in groups. In these cases, I expect everyone in the group to contribute to the answer.
Tests
The following is a tentative schedule for the tests:
The final exam will be inclusive (it will cover the entire semester), although extra emphasis will be given to the material not covered on the first two hour tests. Each of the tests will be closed book (no books or notes or any other materials allowed). The questions will all be of the short answer, true-false, or multiple choice type. That is, there will not be any complicated mathematical problems or any essay questions.
Text and Class Notes
The only required text for the class is Michael A. Seeds, Foundations of Astronomy, 9th Edition. New copies are available at the University Bookstore. This version of the text comes bundled with an RF Response Card, Starry Night 4.5 and access to AceAstronomy and the Virtual Astronomy Laboratories ISBN 0-495-28272-3. If you purchase a copy of the text without the RF Response Card, you can purchase the Card separately at the bookstore. You might need to ask the bookstore manager to get one for you (they are not out on a shelf). The class lectures will often differ significantly from the text in order and in emphasis.
The top map shows the location of Clark 107 (the lecture hall), the Astronomy Building (my office) and the adjacent Student Observatory. The bottom map shows a detailed view of the area just west of the Astronomy Building, including the Constellation Lab area, and the meeting point for the Telescope Lab.
