Astronomy 210 Summer 2022 Welcome Letter

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Cuesta College ASTR 210, CRN 51217 DE

Online Astronomy Summer 2022 Welcome Letter

 

*Summer session begins on 6/13 and course materials/resources will be posted on the course canvas site by that day for you to begin (introductory module).  An announcement will be sent out to your registered email a few days before to help get you started with the course.  There will be a highly recommended virtual meeting via Zoom Tuesday 6/14 at 11 am to help you navigate the course for the semester & ask questions (it will be recorded for those students with conflicts that can’t make this meet)! Feel free to email me with any questions/concerns about this course -Ad Astra!

Greetings Students!

     Welcome to the summer online version of college astronomy here at Cuesta College. I look forward to sharing my lifelong interest, passion, and ever-expanding teaching experience in astronomy with you as I provide instruction for this course, ASTR 210.  This will be a fully online course this summer with an optional meet to use the campus telescope and/or participate in a star party!  There is a wealth of “astronomical information” online that we will adopt and make use of the that will supplement our lectures and text for this class.  This course will be very interactive online, and I will to work with each of you through our course platform while providing an engaging and interesting online course which not only fulfills your GE requirements, but also provides you with a solid foundation in introductory principles of astronomy I hope you continue to explore beyond this course!  Please read the important information below concerning this class and be sure to read through the syllabus, which will be on our canvas site, our online learning platform for this Cuesta class, beginning summer session!

Instructor:  Michelle Kaul

Contact Information:  The way to contact me is through email.  On weekdays, I typically respond back within 24 hours.  On occasion or on weekends, it may take longer depending on the volume I need to respond to.  If I do not respond immediately and it is urgent, please send another email to be sure I know it is pressing or that your information did not get lost in the black hole of emails.  Email is set up in canvas so you can easily contact me through our course site.  Please use your cuesta email since this is your online identity for this course.   In an emergency, you can also contact our division assistant by phone, 805 546 3100 x 3230.  Please do not contact me through the campus phone system since I do use the office phone.  Since this is an online course, there will be no face to face meets/office hours.  Weekly office hours will be held for help virtually through Zoom (TechConnectZoom on Canvas menu).

            Email:   mkaul@cuesta.edu

            Virtual Office Hours:  Zoom Tuesdays:  11:45 am, Thursdays 11 am & by appointment -

            Online Course Access/ Personal Website:  Cuesta Course Canvas Site

            Zoom Class Meet Times (Optional):  Tuesdays 11:00-11:45 (first meet 6/14)

 

Prerequisite: Math 123 or Math 123SI or equivalent with a grade C or better

 

Required Materials/Course Requirements

  • Textbook: Bennet, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit, The Essential Cosmic Perspective.

ISBN for looseleaf: 9780134532455

ISBN for Paperback: 9780134446431 (either choice or ebook/first day access)

  • Starwheel: Edmund Scientific Star and Planet Locator (starwheel) for our location, 40 degrees N/mid latitude, or printable star wheel for Northern Hemisphere mid latitude such as:  Printable Starwheel 
  • Calculator: A scientific calculator is recommended.
  • Computer and Web Access: Please visit the Cuesta distance education website (link below) to review all computer requirements for online classes.
  • Canvas: Access required and provided by Cuesta when registered with this class.
  • Scanning App: Students will be required to scan some documents, convert them to pdf format, and upload them into their Canvas assignments to be graded.  There are many free scanning apps such as AdobeScan, Genius Scan, Cam Scanner, Pages, and more!  I will list these and others on our course Canvas site.

Computer Access/Resources/Info

  • This online learning for this course will be facilitated using the “Web-based Learning Management System”, Canvas, which will be used to access class resources such as lectures, videos, files, worksheets/homework/projects, web resources, simulations, class discussions, take quizzes/exams, submit assignments, check your grades, and chat with the instructor and other students. Additional information will be provided for you on the Canvas site for this course.
  • You must use your official Cuesta College email address, yourID@my.cuesta.edu, for online interactions which is given to you by the college when you register for this course.
  • Instructions for accessing Canvas courses and general online distance learning information can be found at: Cuesta Distance Education
  • Recommended browsers for this online course are Firefox or Chrome. Please review the browser requirements and minimum computer specifications in the link provided above.
  • For any technical issues related to accessing Cuesta's Canvas Site, please email: support@my.cuesta.edu

 

Online Instruction Delivery

            The instruction for this course will be a mix of zoom class presentation/interactions, videos, power points presentations (some with audio lecture), simulations, and general discussion board topics, all of which can be accessed under pages/modules in Canvas.  Additionally, worksheets that correlate to lectures will be given and posted for different chapters/subjects for you to work on and to help you follow along the sequence of topics covered in this course.   Worksheets for each chapter/topic will be assigned to align with course & text material, some problems which are also in the text homework sections.  These will help reinforce and practice lecture material and review concepts.  Quiz and exam material will be based on worksheets (homework) assigned, all stemming from lecture content!  Worksheets will earn homework points and typically are due the night of quiz to motivate you to complete and be prepared for the quizzes.  An observational homework assignment will be expected of you in this course that will allow you to work on some key principles in observational astronomy.  Also, we will make use of the discussion board on Canvas, a platform to interact as a class and address questions/answers and share any interesting “astronomical thoughts”.

 

Course Objectives

   This is a one-semester course designed to introduce students to College Level Astronomy.  In this course, we will explore the science behind celestial bodies such as moons, asteroids, meteors, comets, planets, and stars.  We will also explore the larger structures in the cosmos such as clusters, galaxies, dark matter, survey the modern cosmological models and observational techniques currently employed in astronomy.  We will cover most of the topics presented in the text and any relevant additional material in this expanding and growing science! Further, it is my goal to help you sift through the incredible amount of online astronomy resources online and help you fine tune credible sources to use & refer to beyond this class.

 

     Astronomy is a vast and very fascinating subject that is constantly growing and expanding our understanding of the cosmos.  The primary goal of this class is to provide a solid foundation of this subject that will serve as a guide to future academic explorations of this field or application of it.  Learning astronomy takes patience and lots of time!

 

Course Student Learning Outcomes (SLOS)

  1. Understand cycles and motions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets.
  2. Describe and explain how light is collected and analyzed in astronomy.
  3. Describe and explain properties and lives of stars and galaxies.
  4. Compare and contrast features of planets and other solar system objects.
  5. Discuss and evaluate astronomy content and value of statements from literature, media, and popular culture.

*For more information about this course content, please visit the Cuesta Course Catalog!

Course Assignments/Grading

            Quizzes:  200 points (30-60 points each weekly, 5 total - tentative)

            Homework/Projects:  100 points

            Participation/Discussions:  20 points

            Final Exam:  80 points

= Course Total Points:  400 points

Note:  Extra Credit opportunities may be presented depending on class dynamics!

 

Grading Scheme:

Based on percentage, for example, 340 points out of 400 = 85% = B

            A [90, ¥), B [80,90), C [70, 80), D [60, 70), F (-¥, 60)

 

Assignment Descriptions

  • A weekly quiz will be administered through Canvas every Thursday intersecting class time (except the last week) based on material covered in online lectures, class PowerPoints, worksheets/homework. Quizzes will be a mix of multiple choice, short answer, essay, and some standard astronomy problems, all of which will be under the assignment/quizzes section in canvas.  These will be graded on canvas.  Your lowest quiz (including one missed quiz) will be replaced by your final exam percentage, if higher.
  • Participation points will be awarded for zoom meeting attendance (not mandatory except first meet), each worth 1 point and canvas discussion board topics based on course material, each worth up to 4 points depending on the topic.  Students should present questions that align with worksheet/homework material and correctly answer any questions posted by others on the discussion board
  • You will be given an observational astronomy homework assignment/activity during the first week which will require at least 6 nights during 4 weeks of class to do outdoor observational astronomy exploration, work, and journaling that will be due at the latest the beginning of the last week of class.
  • A project, from which you can choose to do either a video, presentation, or citizen science project of your choice from selected topics (details will be on course site) will be due at the end of the course.
  • A final exam, mostly cumulative worth 80 points based on previous quiz material and any remaining material covered the last week of class will be given on the last day of class, July 21st, during class time (with some extra time if seen necessary).  Part of this grade will be a short video, presentation, or citizen science project from select topics given 2 weeks prior that will be due the day of the final to solidify some concepts.

 

Important Online Course Expectations

Online classes require just as much work, if not more, than in person classes.  It is important that you keep up with assignments, spend at least the recommended minimum time outside of class time, which for 9 credit hours in a week for summer is 9 x 2 =18 hours.

As an online student you will be responsible for:

  • Checking your email regularly for any information regarding this class.
  • Checking and reading class announcements made through Canvas for important information/updates/changes.
  • Keeping up with online scheduled assignments and quizzes.
  • Keeping up with new lecture, course material, and class posts (new material will be posted on a regular basis). It is important you do not fall behind on the material in a quick paced summer course!
  • Making sure you upload and submit assignments that are accessible/legible to me (pdf format for most).
  • Turn in assignments in a timely manner and prepare to have enough time to upload/download material.
  • Communicate – contact me with any questions/concerns about the course with me!

 

Important Dates

  • Final (Online) Exam Thursday July 21st (Last day of summer session for this course).

 

Cuesta Waitlist Information

Please see Cuesta waitlist procedure and instructions: http://academic.cuesta.edu/admrreg/waitlist.htm

 

Drop and Withdraw Policy

Since participation is important in this course, students must continually participate in order to stay in the class.  Students who continually turn in assignments late, or who miss a significant number of assignments will be dropped if this occurs before the "W" date. If you decide to withdraw, use the link below to follow the college protocol:

https://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/dropcourse.html

 

General Cuesta Policies

You are required to interact in this online course in a professional manner.  We will adhere to college policy in all matters of conduct.  Academic honesty is upheld and cheating/copying work from other students will not be tolerated and can result in a F.  Please refer to the guidelines and policies listed in the college student handbook, http://academic.cuesta.edu/handbook/ .

 

Students with Disabilities

If you have or believe you have a disability that could affect your learning or participation in this course, please contact me and contact DSPS at 805 546–3148 as soon as possible. They will provide any necessary accommodations and notify me of how best to work with your needs.  This course is designed to be ADA compliant and any adjustments to better accommodate you can be made.  DSPS information can be found at the DSPS website

 

Special Notes

It is my goal to see that you succeed in this course.  Please reach out to me regarding any questions/concerns you have about this course – communication is key in successfully completing online courses.   Also, please take note of the final exam date and make sure that it does not conflict with any other classes you are taking.  If there is an exam conflict or if for some extreme reason you cannot make this date, contact me within the first two weeks of class to make arrangements.  Otherwise, the final exam date will not be changed and cannot be made-up.

 

 

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