Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
ASTRO 150: Fall 2020


Course Format: This course is currently slated for online delivery. It will, however, more-or-less follow the same structure as in the past as an in-person course. We will have material delivered via "lectures" (with associated text readings). These will be available asynchronously, but will "drop" at the time of the originally scheduled lectures (i.e. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:10). Recitations will meet in smaller groups, initially "live" at the appointed time on Wednesdays. Recitations involve interaction with the instructor and group work.

Course homework assignments, notices and other news items will be posted on Canvas. We will also provide topic lists to aid your review for exams. Grades for the course will be available through the ISU Canvas system.

Lectures:

The lectures are the core of this course, and define its content. Readings in the text will be required prior to your accessing the lecture material. Each lecture will be followed by a brief "challenge quiz" that will involve lecture material and the associated reading assignments. The challenges will be available for 36 hours after each lecture and must be completed within that time. Completion of these will be recorded for each student.

Reading assignments provided in the course outlineLinks to an external site. (and announced at the start of each lecture) will assist your mastery of the material. Most images, videos, and presentation slides will also be available in Canvas and, in most cases, an external website.

Recitation/Discussion Sections:

These meet once per week via WebEx, and provide an opportunity to work individually and in small groups on course material and assignments. There will be specific activities - chances to work with real astronomical data to explore further what we only touch upon in lecture. These activities will be (small) group efforts that you can work on together online during the recitation period (and afterwards). The completed activities will be graded online.

Some course material will be covered only in the sections, and you will be responsible for that material on the exams.

A typical week in Astro 150:


Course Materials:


Learning Activities and Assessments

Learning Activities

To successfully complete this course, students will do the following:

Assessments

  • Lecture Quizzes (~28):
    There will be low-stakes online quizzes covering material from the lectures. Each is worth 3 points and consists of a few multiple-choice, matching, and/or short answer questions. Students will have 20 minutes to complete each quiz, and they must be completed by 11pm on the day following the original class time (T, Th 2:10PM. Lecture Quizzes due by 11pm on W, F).

  • Recitation Activities/Readings/Reflections (7):
    Students are required to complete and submit 7 assignments as part of your recitation participation. These will be worth between 10 and 20 points each.

  • Exams (3):
    In this course, you are required to complete three 60-minute online examinations. Each is administered on a fixed date at the end of each of the three parts of the course. Each examination includes a combination of multiple-choice, multiple-answer, matching and short essay questions. The exams will be available for a short time at the completion of each module.

    Grading Policies Grading Breakdown:

    As a guide (AND THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE), in past semesters the breakdown has been approximately: where the number grade is a combination of all assessments. Grades on individual exams will not necessarily be representative of the final distribution, so following each exam we will provide estimates of the letter-grade equivalents.

    Grade Appeal Process
    If you become concerned about our class management, please communicate your concerns with one of your instructors. Concerns sometimes relate to grading methods, turnaround time, and course policies, for example If you feel uncomfortable speaking with either of your instructors, consider contacting the Chair of Physics and Astronomy, Dr. Frank Krennrich (email: krennich@iastate.edu, phone 515 294 5440).

    Course Policies

    Feedback

    We expect that all graded assessments will be returned with feedback within 7 days of the due date (often much faster). In addition, responses to common questions and unclear content will be posted at the conclusion of each module. Comments will be posted at the conclusion of each discussion.

    Missed and late coursework

    We recognize that during the current pandemic, circumstances may demand more flexible scheduling for some students. Should this be the case, students need to discuss scheduling issues in writing (i.e. by private email) with one of the instructors. That said, it is important to keep up with the pace of this course, therefore no missed course work will be accepted without written approval by one of the instructors. If not excused based on prior written correspondence, if you miss the deadline on an assignment you will receive zero points.

    Make sure to keep careful track of submission deadlines for all of your work in this class.

    Attendance

    As discussed elsewhere, the lecture portion of the course is asynchronous. However, recitations (which meet at designated times on Wednesdays) will be in real-time. Attendance in recitation is expected.

    Expectations

    Though this course is primarily online, we expect students to make good progress through the term by keeping up with the readings, video lectures, Lecture Quizzes, and regularly attending the online recitation sections. We also recognize that this is a challenging time in our history, and will do all we can to help you succeed.
    Accommodations: Iowa State University is committed to assuring that all educational activities are free from discrimination and harassment based on disability status. Students requesting accommodations for a documented disability need to meet with staff in Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to establish eligibility and learn about related processes. Eligible students will be provided with a Notification Letter by SAS. Students should share their notification letter with Prof. Kawaler to arrange reasonable and effective accommodations. SAS, a unit in the Dean of Students Office, is located in room 1076 Student Services Building or online at sas.dso.iastate.edu . Contact SAS by email at accessibility@iastate.edu or by phone at 515-294-7220 for additional information.

    Academic Integrity: The University has strict rules regarding academic integrity (a.k.a. cheating). See your online course catalog about this here. While we encourage collaborative learning in Astro 150, we also expect each student to accurately present his or her own work on assignments and exams. Copying, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.

    Course Outline