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Astronomy 104: Stellar Astronomy
Spring Semester 2008

Course Components

Lecture Questions and Tutorials:

Lecture meets twice a week and will be used to focus on the most challenging material. Attendance at lecture is essential because we will frequently ask questions in lecture and use your answers to focus on the topics that you find most challenging. The lecture question component of your grade will be determined by how often you participate in answering in-lecture questions using your handheld unit. You will not be graded on whether your answers are correct. Participation points will be awarded on the following scale:

Participate this often...	<16%	16-30%	31-45%	46-60%	61-70%	>70%
Get this Score	0/5	1/5	2/5	3/5	4/5	5/5

Homework:

There will be weekly homework/tutorials assigned through the Mastering Astronomy website.

• Your course ID on Mastering Astronomy is: “AST104MSUM”.
• There will be about 10 to 12 assignments.  The lowest two homework scores will be dropped.
• There will be no make-up homework assignments available, but late homework may be done through the last day of classes, Apr 29, for partial credit.

Observing Project:

Since astronomy is a science based in large part on observing the sky, we want to give you an opportunity to "observe the sky". You MUST sign up for one of the observing projects (sign up is first come, first served) by Friday, January 18.  Sign up is through the course website. We expect your observing project will require a cumulative 4 to 6 hours outside of class and descriptions of all these projects are in the Course Activity Manual which you can download freely from the class website.

Lab Activity Sessions:

You must be enrolled in a lab activity session. In these sessions you will engage in hands-on and computer-based activities to cover topics related to lecture topics. The lowest lab activity score will be dropped. There will be no make-up activities.

• THIS IS A LAB COURSE!  You must complete least nine of the twelve lab activities (including the field trip as an activity). Completing a lab means:
  • Attending the lab session and turning in the short worksheet at the end of each lab.
  • Taking each online post-lab quiz.
• If you fail to complete three or more lab activities, you will fail the course, regardless of how well you have done on the other work in the course.

Exams:

There will be two in-class mid-term exams and one 2-hour final exam in the course. The final will be comprehensive. If your score on the final is higher than your average score on the mid-terms you have taken, your score on the final will be used in place of your mid-term scores for computing your final grade. Not matter how well you do on the quizzes, you must take the final, and your score on the final will be used for the final exam portion of your grade.  Make-up quizzes/exams are not generally offered, but will be considered in cases of verifiable illness, family emergency, or incarceration.

Exam dates:

Lecturer	Mid-Term 1	Mid-Term 2	Final
Cabanela	Tues,  Feb. 5	Tues., Mar. 25	Wed., May 7, 12 noon – 2 pm
Craig	Mon, Feb. 4	Wed., Mar. 26	Thurs. May 1, 3 pm – 5 pm

Course Grading Policy:

Final grades will be assigned on the scale below; plusses and minuses will be used.

A	B	C	D	F
≥90%	80%-90%	65%-80%	50%-65%	<50%

Your final score will be determined using the following weighting scheme:

Lecture Questions	Homework	Observing Project	Activity Sessions	Mid-Terms (2)	Final
5%	20%	10%	25% (*)	10% each	20%

(*) FAILING THE LABS: Because Astronomy 104 is a lab course, you can not have more than three unexcused absences from the Activity Sessions during the semester or you fail the course, regardless of your other course work.

Academic Honesty

From the Student handbook
(http://www.mnstate.edu/sthandbook/academic_info/academicpolicies.htm#academichonesty):

The University expects all students to represent themselves in an honest fashion. In academic work, students are expected to present original ideas and give credit for the ideas of others. The value of a college degree depends on the integrity of the work completed by the student. When an instructor has convincing evidence of cheating or plagiarism, the following actions may be taken: assign a failing grade for the course in which the student cheated or instructors may choose to report the offense, the evidence, and their action to the Dean of their college or the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the instructor (or any other person) feels the seriousness of the offense warrants additional action, the incident may be reported to the Student Conduct Committee through the Student Support Services Office. The Student Conduct Committee will follow procedures set out in the Student Conduct Code. After its review of the case and a fair, unbiased hearing, the Student Conduct Committee may take disciplinary action if the student is found responsible  (see   Student Conduct Code for details).

A student who has a course grade reduced by an instructor because of cheating or plagiarism, and who disputes the instructor’s finding, may appeal the grade, but only by using the Grade Appeal Policy, which states that the student must prove the grade was arbitrary, prejudicial, or in error.

In this course, all instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of the College of Social and Natural Sciences for informational purposes.   Any academic dishonesty believed to be intentional will result in a failing grade for the entire course.

Special Accommodations

Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.