Astronomy 110G: Class Policies

ASTRONOMY 110: CLASS POLICIES (FALL 2010) Please do your own work. Modern science is collaborative, and people learn from talking to each other. Feel free to talk to me, to the TAs, and to other students about assignments. However, the work you turn in must be your own -- do not copy assignments, or take credit for work done by someone else. Copying is considered cheating, and will be be handled according to university policy.

Attendance and participation. I strongly encourage you to attend every day to keep up with the material. You will be held responsible for all material presented in class. If you miss three lectures without explanation, I will apply an administrative drop to free up a space for another student. If three assignments are not turned in and you have not contacted me, or if you do not take the midterm examination, I will assume that you are no longer attending class and will again apply an administrative drop.

Courtesy. Class time is critically important; it is the only time available to us for lectures and demonstrations of new material, and full group interactions. Because of this, we have set a few ground rules to make sure that our time is not wasted.

Arrive promptly for class, and do not leave before the session is completed. A late entrance is extremely distracting. Students who are repeatedly late or leave early, without prior arrangement, with be asked to drop the course.
Turn off mobile phones and beepers when you enter the classroom, unless your partner is expecting a baby, you are an on-call fire fighter, or you anticipate a call from the Nobel Prize committee.
Do not wear head phones in the classroom.
If you bring a laptop to class, use it only to view astronomical and class-related materials.
When you are speaking, project your voice and speak clearly so that everyone in the room can hear you.
When you are listening, give the speaker your full attention, be he or she the professor or another student.

Quiz and Homework assignments. The deadlines for quiz and homework assignments are absolute, because we want to be fair to those who complete their work on time. Remember that each weekly quiz can be completed at any time within a three-week window, starting the week before we cover the material in class and extending through the week after we do so. The final deadlines are on Saturday evenings.

Lab assignments. This course satisfies a general education requirement, so writing is an essential component. Consequently, each of your lab reports must include a description of the problem that the lab addresses and the techniques used to solve it, and a final discussion summarizing what was learned. It is important that these reports be written clearly and in good English. Each must be turned in by the beginning of your next lab section; exceptions will only be granted if you have a valid excuse. You may collaborate with a partner of your choice in the lab, but every person must hand in their own individually-prepared report. There will be no make-up lab sessions. Instead, your two lowest lab grades can be discarded at the end of the semester.

Exams. Attendance is important every day, but especially on exam days. The exams are already scheduled and posted on the syllabus page. If you know that you will miss a certain exam (for valid reasons), arrangements can be made in advance for an exam at a time and date prior to the official exam. Plane ticket reservations will not be accepted as a valid excuse. Final exams will not be returned, but may be discussed by appointment.

Grading. The final course grades will be on a curve, but if you have more than 90% of the total number of points available you will receive an A-, 80 to 90% at least a B-, and 70 to 80% at least a C-. You must earn a C or better to receive a Satisfactory rating if you have opted for the S/U option. An incomplete will be given only when a student has a C grade or better at the time the incomplete is requested and cannot complete the class due to circumstances beyond her/his control. These circumstances must have developed after the last day to withdraw from the class. Appropriate circumstances include a documented illness, death or crisis in the student's immediate family. Job-related problems are not appropriate grounds. You have one week from the time an assignment or exam is returned to bring up any perceived errors. There are (rarely!) occasions when grading errors occur, so you should review your returned work.

Logistics. This is a large class, so in order to keep track of all of the work that you submit you need to clearly label every assignment (exam, lab, or extra credit) with your name and your lab section (01, 02, or 03). When papers are collected in class, please alphabetize them by last name within each lab section as they are passed to the front of the room.

SSD. If you have a disability that interferes with your academic progress, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities for an appointment to discuss accommodation.