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SOLAR SYSTEM ASTRONOMY WITH LABORATORY

ASTRONOMY 110 - SECTION 001, 002, 003 FALL 2016

Instructor : Dr. Nathan De Lee

Office : SC 151 Phone : 859-572-5492

E- mail : deleenm@nku.edu Blackboard : http://learnonline.nku.edu/?bbatt=Y

Office Hours : MWF: 10:00 am – 11:00 am, Tu: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm or by appointment

Catalog Course Description: Integrated lecture and laboratory; survey of the solar system with emphasis on

application of scientific method; current thought on structure, dynamics, origin, and

evolution of sun and planets; laboratory activities on observational techniques and

astrophysical problems. Knowledge of elementary algebra is helpful. A general

education course (science inquiry).

Credit Hours: 3,2,4 - The first of these numbers indicates the number of lecture hours in the course; the

second, the number of laboratory hours; and the third, the number of semester hours of

credit.

Pre-requisites: None.

Lecture Schedule: MWF: 9:00am – 9:50am

Lab Schedule: Section 001 M: 1:00pm – 2:40pm

Section 002 W: 1:00pm – 2:40pm

Section 003 F: 1:00pm – 2:40pm

Lecture Text: There are 3 texts used for this class: A textbook, a lecture tutorial, and a lab workbook.

The textbook is “21st Century Astronomy: The Solar System” by Kay, Palen, Smith, and

Blumenthal – 5th Edition. The lecture tutorial is Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory

Astronomy, 3rd Edition 3rd Edition by Edward E. Prather, Slater Timothy F, Jeff P. Adams and, Gina Brissenden ISBN: 978-0321820464. The lab workbook is “Starry

Night Workbook to accompany 21st Century Astronomy” by Desch and Terndrup – 5th

Edition. Both published by W. W. Norton & Company. There are three options for the

book: Paperback, Looseleaf, or ebook and the ISBN# is given as follows: Solar System

Textbook + Starry Night Workbook w/Access Code for online homework

“Smartwork”: ISBN: 978-0-393-61330-8; Looseleaf: ISBN: 978-0-393-61332-2;

Ebook: ISBN: 978-0-393-61860-0. The textbook or ebook, lecture tutorial, and

workbook are required.

Book Web Site: https://www.wwnorton.com/college/astronomy/21st-Century-Astronomy5/

This web site (StudySpace) has several resources for students offers an impressive

range of exercises, interactive learning tools, assessment and review materials

including chapter outlines, Norton AstroTours – which includes audio, Nebraska Simulations matched to specific chapters, diagnostic quizzes, flashcards, and more.

Study Plan that guides through all the available resources for each chapter, Interactive Diagnostic Quiz with immediate feed back to study, review and prepare for exams,

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AstroTour animations and separate Interactive Simulations that help enhance your

understanding of core concepts, Flashcards that allow you to test your knowledge of

chapter vocabulary, The “Astronomy in the News” feed helps you stay up-to-date with

discoveries and developments in the rapidly evolving world of astronomy.

Blackboard: Lecture slides (are uploaded before the lecture), lab write-ups, assignments and other

announcements will be posted on the Blackboard. In order to access the materials,

you need to log on to Blackboard. To log in, you must know your username and

password. Your Blackboard username is your NKU email account name (without the

@nku.edu).Your password is the first four letters of your last name and the last four

digits of your social security number (no spaces and all lowercase). E.g. if your name

is "Mickey Mouse" and your SSN ends in 1234, your password would be: mous1234

Lab Exercises: Some of the lab exercises will be selected from the Starry Night Workbook, other exercises

will be from various astronomy web sites. Write-up for exercises selected from resources

other than the Starry Night Workbook will be uploaded on the Blackboard. Students

are responsible for bringing their workbook or printing the pages of the other exercises

from Blackboard. The most important thing is to read the write-up pages before

coming to the lab.

Homework: Online homework will be assigned for each chapter using “Smartwork”

(http://smartwork.wwnorton.com). You need to register to use “Smartwork” using

your access code that comes with your book and the following course key:

ASTRO5E10634. Homework will be due before Midnight on Tuesday evening

unless otherwise specified in class. Handouts: Handouts, as necessary supplementing the lecture text and/or lab write-up, may also be

uploaded on the blackboard during the semester and students are responsible for the

print outs of the handouts.

Equipment: A clear plastic metric ruler, allowing measurements to the nearest millimeter, is required.

A basic scientific calculator (one with logarithms, powers, trigonometric functions, and

scientific notation is strongly recommended.

Course Objective: This course is designed to survey our current knowledge of the solar system and the

individual objects that belong to it. This includes a survey of the historical development

of astronomy and a discussion of the appearance of the sky as seen from Earth. Emphasis

will be placed not only on the information currently available, but also on the manner in

which this information has been obtained. When appropriate, an understanding of

underlying principles, processes, and/or logic will be required as well as knowledge of

the facts or conclusions that they support.

General As a general education course in natural science, AST 110 is designed to promote

Education student achievement of specific outcomes, which are outlined below.

Objectives: Students will obtain fundamental knowledge of the subject through readings from the

lecture text, laboratory write-ups, and other supplemental course materials, including the

lecture slides. Students will develop critical thinking and problem solving skills through

interactions with the instructor and other students, and through completion of laboratory activities and writing assignments. Students will develop writing skills and will

experience independent, creative, and interactive learning through completion of writing

assignments and laboratory activities. Students will discuss course topics and material

in classroom discussions, laboratory team discussions, and one-to-one discussions with

the instructor in person, by telephone, or by email. Students will work collaboratively

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with others in laboratory teams of two or three persons. Students will employ computers

in the completion of selected laboratory activities and the accessing of on-line resources.

The purpose of the laboratory component of the course is to illustrate the way in which

astronomical data is obtained and analyzed in order to gain information about the nature

of the solar system and the various objects found within it. The material covered will in

many cases expand upon or supplement topics discussed in the lecture portion of the

course. Since astronomy is a very mathematical science, it will be necessary for you to

use basic mathematics to complete many of the laboratory activities. Thus, knowledge

of elementary algebra, geometry, and trigonometry will be helpful to you. You will not

be required to perform algebraic manipulations of formulas, but a basic knowledge of

algebra will be helpful in understanding and using the formulas presented. Your

instructor will be available during lab to give help on an individual basis, and you are

encouraged to ask questions outside of class if further assistance is necessary.

General Education: As a course in the in the category of science and technology in the general education

Outcomes and program, AST 110 is designed to support general education program goals and to

Assessment promote achievement of specific general education student learning outcomes.

The first program goal supported by AST 110 is Critical Thinking (A): Students will

demonstrate the ability to gather, process, interpret, and evaluate information; to

develop a plan to apply that information appropriate to a variety of situations, and to

assess the appropriateness and relevance of its application.

The second program goal supported by AST 110 is Science and Technology (D):

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method in observing,

evaluating, analyzing, and predicting phenomena in the natural and physical world. In

addition, they will give example applications of science and technology to real world

situations.

Achievement of the following specific general education student learning outcomes

will be assessed:

Students develop evidence-based arguments (A.3). Students apply scientific and quantitative reasoning through problem solving or

experimentation, and effectively communicate results through scientific,

analytical and/or quantitative methods (D.1).

Students identify major concepts of science behind technological innovations or

applications in our daily lives (D.2).

Students distinguish between scientific and non-science explanations by

employing scientific methods (D.3).

Readings, lectures, discussions, writing assignments, and laboratory activities are the

means by which these general education student learning outcomes will be achieved.

Specific elements of writing assignments, laboratory activities, and/or tests are the

methods by which achievement of these general education student learning outcomes

will be assessed.

Please note that these assessments are of the general education program and not of you

as an individual student. All general education assessments will make use of rubrics

approved by the university and will be carried out in the aggregate. That is, assessment

information will be compiled and the contributions of individual students will not be

identifiable.

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Course Assessment: Exams, quizzes, and laboratory activities and reports are the methods by which

achievement of these student outcomes will be assessed.

There will be three exams, worth 60% of the final grade (I exam: 20.0%; II exam: 20.0%;

Final exam: 20.0%) will be in the format of short review questions and multiple-choice

questions. The exams will test students’ knowledge of vocabulary, facts, concepts,

principles, processes, relationships and conclusions covered in lecture AND lab.

There will be in-class quizzes throughout the 15-week session, worth 5% of the final

grade. The quizzes will mainly consist of multiple-choice questions to test the knowledge

gained from the concepts discussed in the class.

Lab report will be required in laboratory portions of the course as an aide to

understanding and learning course material. Each lab report will be graded on a scale

of 0 to 100 points to test the abilities of students to measure and analyze, and present

scientific results of their laboratory activities, including logical conclusions. At the end

of the semester, the total number of points accumulated, in lab will be given the 20%

weight for lab activities.

There will be online (SmartWork) homework, assigned for each chapter, which will

enhance students’ understanding of concepts discussed in lecture. It is worth 15% of the

final grade.

COURSE REQUIREMENT:

Attendance: Your attendance at lectures and interaction during lectures are defined as class

(Lecture) participation and it will play a big role in deciding the letter grade if your numerical

grade is at the boundary closer to the cut-off point for a higher grade. Since NKU

is using a +/- grading system, the chances for a student’s numerical grade to fall at

the boundary between two grades are very high. I will pass around the sign-in sheet

during every lecture to keep track of your attendance. It has also been statistically proven that more than 10% absence will lead to reduction of your grade by a letter.

Attending lectures will help you understand difficult concepts much better.

Moreover, there will also be surprise in-class quizzes. You are expected to attend

lectures regularly and are responsible for all material, assignments, and deadlines

presented in class. You should attend all classes and be attentive during lectures.

You are responsible for all material, homework, and deadline presented in the class.

Come on time for the lectures and lab activities.

Attendance: Attendance at each scheduled laboratory session is required and will be used as a

(Lab) factor in grading. Students may work in teams, whenever necessary, of two to three

individuals, with each team submitting one copy of each completed lab activity for

evaluation. It is particularly important that all members of a team be present each

period so that switching of students from group to group will be minimized.

All team members are expected to be present for the entire lab period. Early departure

will be penalized unless your team has finished the scheduled lab activity.

If you miss a laboratory session, you will not be allowed to complete and turn in that week’s activity. You will receive a grade of “0” for that week’s work. Extra credit

opportunities will be available to the class as a whole.

Quizzes: Announced and unannounced quizzes, on chapters and topics discussed in the class and

in the lab will be given throughout the semester.

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Reading My lecture slides are available on the blackboard before the start of class

Assignment: Students are required to go through the slides and the relevant sections in the text book to

be familiar with the topics to be discussed in the class.

Lab Activity: Students are required to go through the write-up for the scheduled lab activity before coming

to the lab to get themselves familiar with the activity.

Lab Report: Lab report will be required in laboratory portions of the course as an aide to understanding

and learning course material. All written work should be clear, concise, and

grammatically correct. Text should be presented in complete sentences, sketches or

drawings should be labeled, and mathematical work should be shown in a logical

sequence of steps. The guide lines to how write a lab report are given at the end of

this syllabus.

Note: Print-outs are no longer free. If any in-class team activity requires a print-out, the

team members should take turn in printing. It is encouraged to have a print schedule of

“who should print when” within the team.

Each lab report will be graded on a scale of 0 to 10 points. Generally the lab report is

due at the beginning of the lab period one week after the exercise is completed. For each

day that the report is late, it will be docked one point. No report will be accepted after

that lab report has been graded and returned to either of the two lab sections.

Opportunities for extra lab credit may be presented, but not guaranteed, during

the semester.

Examinations: You are required to take three exams on the dates and times listed in the syllabus,

unless otherwise announced in class.

The exams will be in the format of review questions and multiple choice. The exams

will test your knowledge of vocabulary, facts, concepts, principles, processes,

relationships, and conclusions covered in lecture AND lab. There will be NO exams

in the lab part of the course.

Examinations: The first two exams will be held in class during regular lecture hour and the final exam

Dates will be held during pre-assigned date and time by the university. The final exam is not

comprehensive. The exam dates are given below. Make-up exams are strongly

discouraged. In rare instances students may be permitted to take an exam the day before

it is scheduled.

Note: The scheduled date and syllabus for Exam #1 and #2 below may be

changed if deemed necessary by the instructor. Such a change will be announced in

lecture and blackboard as soon as possible prior to the originally scheduled date.

TEST DATE CHAPTERS COVERED

Exam #1 September 30, Friday To be announced in the class

Exam #2 November 11, Friday To be announced in the class

Final Exam December 12, Monday, 8:00 am – 10:00 am To be announced in the class

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Lecture Topics: We will attempt to cover 11 chapters from the lecture text in 15 weeks. The tentative

schedule, chapters and their order of presentation are:

Chapter 1 Why Learn Astronomy?

Chapter 2 Patterns in the Sky – Motion of Earth

Chapter 3 & 4 Motion of Astronomical Bodies, & Gravity and Orbits

– A Celestial Ballet

Chapter 7 The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

Chapter 14 A Run-of-the Mill G-Type Star – Our Sun

Chapter 8 The Terrestrial Planets and Earth’s Moon

Chapter 9 Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets

Chapter 10 Worlds of Gas and Liquids – The Giant Planets

Chapter 11 Planetary Adornments – Moons and Rings

Chapter 12 Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Comments: The above mentioned lecture topics is a guideline for the AST-110 Course. I reserve

the right to change the topics depending on the interest of students and the class

progress. Any modification in the topics during the semester will be announced in

class in advance of the effective date(s).

Lab Topics: It is expected that the following exercises will be covered during the semester. However, the

order of presentation may be changed or substitutions may be made if deemed

appropriate by the instructor.

You are required to go through the scheduled lab activity before you come to the lab

DATE TITLE

Week of 08/22 No Lab Scheduled or may be a telescope observation (First good evening)

Week of 08/29 Constellations of the Fall Sky) on Planetarium Dome

Week of 09/05 No Lab Scheduled (Labor Day)

Week of 09/12 Celestial Sphere (Starry Night Workbook)

Week of 09/19 Earth Rotation Period &Motion of the Sun along the Ecliptic (Starry Night Workbook)

Week of 09/26 Measuring Lab / Telescope Observation (First good evening)

Week of 10/03 Motion of the Moon (Starry Night Workbook)

Week of 10/10 Retrograde Motion of Mars (Write up on Blackboard)

Week of 10/17 No Lab Scheduled (Fall Break)

Week of 10/24 Kepler’s Laws (Starry Night Workbook)

Week of 10/31 TBD

Week of 11/07 TBD

Week of 11/14 Sun’s Rotation (Write up on Blackboard)

Week of 11/21 TBD

Week of 11/28 No Lab Scheduled (Thanksgiving)

Week of 12/05 Review

Comments: The above mentioned lab activities are tentative and are subject to change. I will

introduce new lab activities which are deemed necessary. The order of the lab

activities mentioned above is also subject to change when deemed necessary.

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Grading: Your final grade will be based on the following weighted categories.

COMPONENT WEIGHTAGE

Laboratory 20%

Homework 15%

Attendance/Quiz 5%

Three exams 60%

Total 100%

Comment: Your Class Participation (includes, but not limited to, attendance, lecture tutorials,

quizzes, and engagement in the discussion during lecture and meeting the deadlines for

the assignments) will play a big role in deciding the letter grade if your numerical grade is

at the boundary closer to the cut-off point for a higher letter grade.

Grade Scale: Plus/Minus Grading: Fall 2015 semester grades will be assigned using the grading

scale shown below.

LETTER GRADE SCORE RANGE GRADE POINTS

A 93.34 and above 4.000

A- 90.00 to 93.33 3.667

B+ 86.67 to 89.99 3.333

B 83.34 to 86.66 3.000

B- 80.00 to 83.33 2.667

C+ 76.67 to 79.99 2.333

C 73.34 to 76.66 2.000

C- 70.00 to 73.33 1.667

D+ 66.67 to 69.99 1.333

D 60.00 to 66.66 1.000

F 59.99 and below 0.000

Comment : Grades may be “curved” at the instructor’s discretion.

This syllabus may be modified by the instructor at any time during the semester. Request further

explanation if any part of this syllabus or any course procedure or requirement in unclear.

*** Mid-Term Grades for all Students ***

Note: All students will receive mid-term assessments of their performance starting Fall 2013.

Mid-term grades will be issued to all students in order to pursue our institutional goal to

educate and graduate more students.

Students will be able to access mid-term grades through Norse Express as soon as faculty

submits the grades - between October 3rd and October 26th. Faculty deadline for

submitting mid-term grades: October 15th, 11.59 pm.

Mid-term grades are not a part of students’ permanent record; they will be replaced by final

class grade; they reflect a current level of performance that can be altered by quality of subsequent work.

Policy on According to University policy, a grade of “I” (Incomplete) cannot be given unless

Incompletes: requested by the student and there is a reasonable expectation that the work will

successfully be completed in a timely manner. Documentation, usually of a medical

nature, may be required of the student to show that this time extension is not unfairly

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being offered to one student when other students may have wished to have one as

well. In other words, it is unfair to offer a break to one student that could not be

offered to all. If you have a documentable justification for requesting an

“Incomplete” and I agree to it, you should know that it must be made up before the

mid-term of the next semester (see the academic calendar for next semester for the

exact date). It will be the responsibility of the student to complete the necessary

work by the deadline. Students should be forewarned that failure to complete all

course requirements will result in the “I” grade changing to an F. This may be your

only notification. Students on financial aid should also know that requesting an

incomplete may affect financial aid applications because “I”s do not count as credit

hours completed. Some continued financial aid is contingent upon completing a

certain number of credit hours with a certain time to remain eligible.

This syllabus may be modified by the instructor at any time during the semester. Request further

explanation if any part of this syllabus or any course procedure or requirement in unclear. Credit Hour: In accordance with federal policy, NKU defines credit hour as the amount of work

Policy represented in the achievement of student learning outcomes (verified by evidence of

Statement student achievement) that reasonably approximates one credit hour (50 minutes) class-

room instructions and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class should expect to spend

at least three hours per week of concentrated attention on course-related working

including, but not limited to, class meeting time, reading, reviewing, organizing notes,

studying and completing assignments. At least an equivalent amount of time is

expected for other academic activities such as online course, laboratory work,

internships, practical, studio work and other academic work leading to the award of

credit hours. student work.

Estimates of the time required for a typical student to complete course expectations are

as follows:

3 hours of class meetings (lectures) per week

2 hours of class meetings (lab activities) per week

At least 10 hours of out-of-class work per week

Total time for the Fall semester: 9 hours/week for 16 weeks = 160 hours

Student Honor Northern Kentucky University has adopted both an Honor Code and a code of

Code: Honesty, Student Rights and Responsibilities. For more information please visit

http://www.nku.edu/~deanstudents/student_rights/honor_code.htm and

http://www.nku.edu/~deanstudents/student_rights/index.htm

The work you will do in this course is subject to the Student Honor Code. The Honor

Code is the commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct,

Commitment that, individually and collectively, the students of Northern Kentucky

University will not lie, cheat, or plagiarize to gain an academic advantage over fellow

students or avoid academic requirements. All work to be graded is expected to be

completely and solely the student’s own, unless specific instructions to the contrary are

announced. Any behavior not in keeping with this policy may result in a failing grade

for the course. You are bound by the Student Honor Code neither to give nor receive any

unauthorized aid on any assignment.

This does not mean that students should not work together to study and learn the

material; we encourage you to do so. However, this should not extend to the situation

in which individual work is required.

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Disability: Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments,

Services auxiliary aids or services) for this course must register with the Disability Programs and Services

Office. The university is committed to making reasonable efforts to assist individuals

with disabilities in their efforts to avail themselves of services and programs offered by

the University. Please contact the Disability Programs and Service Office immediately

in the University Center (SU 303, http://disability.nku.edu ) or call (859) 572-5401 for

more information. Verification of your disability is required in the Disability

Programs and Services Office for you to receive reasonable academic accommodations.

You must present a letter to me from this office, indicating the existence of a

disability and the suggested accommodations.

Student: Students experiencing roadblocks to academic success may seek assistance from

Retention & Retention Coordinators in SRA. Financial, personal, and social concerns sometimes

Assessment interfere with the dedicated focus needed to be successful in college. SRA helps

(SRA) students connect to academic and support services, create individual learning plans, and

advance successfully towards graduation. More information is available at

www.nku.edu/~retention. Call 859 572 6497 for an appointment or stop by University

Center 352.

Behavior: The department attempts to maintain a class room environment conducive to learning.

Therefore, as stated in the NKU code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, disruptive

student behavior will not be tolerated. If a student becomes disruptive, the professor may

take disciplinary measures appropriate to protect the learning environment, including

dismissal from the course. Disruptive behavior can include the use of cell phones, beepers, text messaging, excessive chatter and noise, eating or drinking, arriving late,

sleeping in class, bringing small children, and monopolizing the class time. Any

threatening behavior will be considered disruptive. Turn your cell phone, beeper, ipod,

ipad, and any other electronic gadget off before the start of the class. Food and

beverages are not allowed in lecture as well as in lab. Electronic Devices: All cell phones, I-pods, MP3 players, tablets, laptop computers (except for accessing

Policy my slides on Blackboard and taking notes during lecture), and other electronic devices

are to be turned off and put away (out of sight). If students are caught with their

devices and using laptops for other than accessing my slides on Blackboard or taking

notes, the first offense is to have them to place it at the front of the room and they can

pick it up at the end of the class. If there are multiple offenses, it can result in the

reduction of the student’s grade for the semester.

Instructor/Course: Northern Kentucky University takes Instructor and Course Evaluations very seriously

Evaluation as an important means of gathering information for the enhancement of learning

opportunities for its students. It is an important responsibility of NKU students as

citizens of the University to participate in the instructor and course evaluation process.

During the two weeks prior to the end of each semester classes, you will be asked to

reflect upon what you have learned in this course, the extent to which you have

invested the necessary effort to maximize your learning, and the role your instructor

has played in the learning process. It is very important that you complete the online

evaluations with thoughtfully written comments.

Student evaluations of courses and instructors are regarded as strictly confidential.

They are not available to the instructor until after final grades are submitted, and

extensive precautions are taken to prevent your comments from being identified as

coming from you.

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Starting Spring semester 2011, the students who complete an evaluation for a

particular course (or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) will be rewarded for their

participation by having access to their course grade as soon as that grade is submitted

by the instructor. On the other hand, any student who does not complete the course

evaluation (or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) should expect to incur a two

week delay in access to his or her course grade beyond the university's official date

for grade availability.

To complete online evaluations go to http://eval.nku.edu. Click on "student login"

and use the same USERNAME and PASSWORD as used on campus.

In addition, you should be aware of:

Evaluations can affect changes in courses. Evaluations without comments are less valuable and less credible than those filled out thoughtfully. Comments that are expressed well are more effective than those that are not.

Positive feedback is just as important as criticism. Moreover, negative evaluations without any explanation and specifics are not especially useful.

Once grades are submitted, all evaluations are read not only by the instructor, but also by the instructor’s department chairperson.

Policy on Beginning Fall 2014, NKU students are expected to attend the first scheduled class

attendance session of each course for which they are enrolled. If a student does not attend

during first the first day of class, the instructor may drop the student for non-attendance.

Week:

Students who know they will be absent must contact their instructor(s) prior to

the first class meeting to explain their absence and request to remain enrolled in

the course.

There are a couple of reasons for this policy. One is that it is tied to federal funding.

One of the strings tied to the federal financial aid is that the institution that is the

recipient of the funds must make sure that the student who is getting the aid is showing

up in class. Understandably, the government wants to recover the money it gives to

students who don’t use it. But equally important is that studies about the retention and

ultimate success of students show that attending all the classes is crucial. Non-

attendance is a recipe for failure. NKU wants students to succeed. Students may be

dropped from the course for non-attendance.

Learning Assistance: NKU offers free peer tutoring to all students. All students can benefit from

Center assistance at some point during college. Take advantage of this great resource! The Learning

Assistance Center is located in BEP 230. For more information, Call 572-

5475. (Hint: If you anticipate having some difficulty keeping up with the course

material - go early in the semester - don’t wait.)

Counseling Center: Topics covered in this class may be troubling to some of you, and it may be helpful to seek

support if you have concerns about yourself or others. Free and confidential counseling is provided to NKU students. Call 572-6373 for an appointment, or stop

by UC 366.

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The NKU Writing: Certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), provides assistance

and support for students with any college writing assignment -- essays, reports,

research papers, etc. The Writing Center is staffed by skilled and experienced student

consultants who guide and advise student writers through the writing process. The

Writing Center is located in BEP 230 and is open Monday through Thursday 8:30

a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We prefer that you visit the

Center to register for services, but you may also call (859) 572-5475 to register or for

more information.

How to make an appointment: Available appointment times can be found on the

Internet (https://tutortrac.nku.edu/tracweb40/default.html, link located on Norse

Express). You first must register with the Learning Assistance Program to access this

Internet appointment scheduling service. What to bring to your appointment: You

should come to the Writing Center with a copy of your writing assignment and with

all other relevant materials, including any writing done on the assignment. You

should also bring a proper attitude to the Writing Center. During consultations, you

are the “boss.” Writing Center consultants serve you! Explain to your consultant what

kind of help or assistance you need or want. But remember, Writing Center

consultants don’t do writing for students. Our goal is to help you become a better

writer!

Disclaimer: The contents of this syllabus should be viewed as a working plan for the semester. I

reserve the right to change any part of this syllabus due during the semester. Any such

changes will be announced in the class as well as on the blackboard and it is your

responsibility to take note of them. Request further explanation if any part of this

syllabus or any course procedure or requirement in unclear.

Good Luck and I hope you enjoy this course

APPENDIX

FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS FOR LABORATORY REPORTS

GENERAL GUIDELINES

There are two types of lab reports. One using the Starry Night Workbook and one for written labs.

All Starry Night Workbook labs should include the Heading, Exercise Pages, and the Results and

Conclusions sections (1, 2, and 7). All other labs will include all the sections listed as appropriate. EACH LAB REPORT SHOULD INCLUDE GUIDELINES THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THAT SPECIFIC

LAB ACTIVITY:

1. HEADING:

a. Title of the experiment

b. Your name

c. Lab partner(s)

d. Date performed and Section

2. EXERCISE PAGES:

All written work submitted on the lab manual pages should be clear, concise, and grammatically

correct. Text should be presented in complete sentences and sketches or drawings should be labeled.

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3. CALCULATIONS (on separate paper):

a. Give calculations in a logical order down the page. Indicate the equation being used or the

mathematical operation being done for each step.

b. Give units in EACH step of a calculation. Keeping close track of units may often help

you avoid errors.

c. If one method of calculation is repeated several times for different values, give a sample

calculation and tabulate the results of the repeated calculations.

4. ERROR:

Percent Error: If a standard value is available for the quantity you have calculated, compare your

experimental value to the standard value and compute your percent error using ...

(standard value - experimental value) x 100 = PERCENT ERROR

standard value

Percent Difference: If two results are to be compared from different experimental methods,

compute your percent difference using ...

(experimental value #1 - experimental value #2) x 100 = PERCENT DIFFERENCE

average of experimental values

5. GRAPH:

Where appropriate, draw a smooth curve or line through the data points.

DO NOT CONNECT THE POINTS IN A DOT-TO-DOT MANNER.

6. QUESTION(S):

Answer ALL questions asked in the lab write-up as concisely and completely as possible. Explain

your answers ("Yes" or "No" is not at all good enough).

7. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:

State the main result(s) of the experiment and compare your result(s). This section should include

references to theory, procedure, data and calculations, and error analysis to support your

statement. Make a generalization of what the exercise demonstrated. It should be at least one to

two full paragraphs in length.

Some questions to ask yourself to help in writing the conclusions:

- What do the data or results demonstrate?

- What is the theory?

- Do your results support the theory? If not, why not?

- How does this experiment relate to astronomy?

- How can an astronomer use this idea or method to study the universe?

- Is there a specific trend in the data? Can you explain this trend?

- Was there something special, unusual or unexpected that you observed during the

experiment?

Lab reports may be hand-written or printed. Type written reports are preferred. If it is hand-written, please use

loose-leaf paper (NOT FROM SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS) and write clearly.

The lab report should reflect YOUR OWN work -- it should be written in your own words.

If your lab report shows ANY evidence of being copied from the handout or any other source (including friends

or lab partners) it will be returned to you with a grade of ZERO.

13

Student Information Sheet Astronomy 110 – The Solar System with Laboratory

Sections 001, 002, and 003 Fall 2016

Electronic Devices Policy

All cell phones, I-pods, MP3 players, tablets, laptop computers (except for accessing

my slides on Blackboard and taking notes during lecture), and other electronic

devices are to be turned off and put away (out of sight). If students are caught with

their devices and using laptops for other than accessing my slides on Blackboard or

taking notes, the first offense is to have them to place it at the front of the room and

they can pick it up at the end of the class. If there are multiple offenses, it can result

in the reduction of the student’s grade for the semester.

Declaration

I have read and understood the policies of this course, including policies regarding

quizzes, exams, assignments, lab reports, and attendance as well academic

integrity, student behavior and electronic devices policy. I will strictly follow these

policies.

Name:

(Print)

Signature:

Major:

E-mail:

Date: