Syllabus for AST-101
INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY
Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies | Integrity
Introductory Astronomy is a one semester course designed to give you a good understanding of how how people have learned and continue to learn about the physical universe. The course covers four major areas: Exploring the Sky, Stars, The Universe of Galaxies, and Planets in Perspective.
The most important concept in Introductory Astronomy is the process of science—the process by which scientists ask questions of nature and gradually puzzle out the secrets of the physical world. You will discover how the universe is dynamic and continually evolving by applying the scientific method. Science is based on the interplay of evidence and hypothesis, and that interplay is the principal organizing theme for Introductory Astronomy.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 11th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2010).
Introductory Astronomy is a three-credit online course, consisting of six (6) modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and assignments.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and submit a final project in the form of a paper that details some kind of current research that is going on in astronomy today. See below for more details.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Discussion ForumsIntroductory Astronomy has three (3) graded online discussions, each focusing on a different subject. There is also an ungraded but required discussion in Module 1 titled "Introductions." All class discussions take place on the class Discussion Board.
For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site. |
Written AssignmentsYou are required to complete six (6) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the courses modules.
Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, and read through the written assignment questions before you begin each module. Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials), citing text materials where appropriate and in an appropriate manner.
Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
|
Midterm ExaminationThis course requires you to take a proctored midterm examination during Week 7. The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 1, 2, and 3. It consists of multiple choice questions and essay questions. If you have concerns about the format and/or content of the examination, please contact your mentor at least a week in advance of the scheduled test.See the Calendar for the official dates for your midterm exam week.
For the midterm examination you are required to use the College’s Online Proctor Service. Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see the General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to make your scheduling arrangements for your midterm exam within the first week of the semester.
Your online exam is administered in the Midterm Examination area of the course Web site.
Statement about Cheating
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
|
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All assignments will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
| A | = | 93–100 |
| A– | = | 90–92 |
| B+ | = | 88–89 |
| B | = | 83–87 |
| B– | = | 80–82 |
| C+ | = | 78–79 |
| C | = | 73–77 |
| C– | = | 70–72 |
| D | = | 60–69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
Academic Dishonesty
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:
Cheating
Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
Fabricating information or citations
Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
Tampering with the academic work of other students
Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.
A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.
If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.
Plagiarism
Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.