Course Introduction

Overview

This course is an introduction to General Astronomy, with emphasis in theory rather than observations. Students will learn about science, scientific measurements, the solar system, planets, stars, galaxies and the origins, evolution and structure of the Universe as a whole (i.e. Cosmology). We will also cover the basics of telescopes and astronomical observations.

ADVISORY: This is a conceptual course for the most part, but some basic math is still necessary. Previous math knowledge at the level Mathematics 430 or higher is necessary.

Online Format

The class will be conducted completely online and asynchronous. There are no on-campus or zoom meetings for classes and labs, only zoom meetings for office hours. All of the course materials are provided on Canvas, and you will be submitting all of your work through Canvas as well.

What You Can Expect From Me

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I will be an active participant in this course, and will be with you on the journey through the semester. You can expect that I will:

  • Communicate with you continuously every week, via email and announcements 
  • Respond to all student questions (usually within 24 hours)
  • Hold office hours via zoom meetings @ https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/4119451947 Links to an external site. 
  • Participate in discussion forums
  • Keep grades up to date (within a week or two after submissions)
  • Provide tech support if possible. When not possible, I will refer you to the appropriate place.

Textbooks/Required Materials:

The course material will be based on the following 3 books:

Purchasing/renting the 9th or 10th edition of The Cosmic Perspective Links to an external site.  book is not necessary, but many of my lecture slides are based on it, and it would be a good investment as it is not just a useful resource but a beautiful book with illustrations that would really aid you understanding of most concepts in this class . 

That said all of the material needed to complete the course successfully will be provided in our iLearn/Canvas shell.

Policies

Due Dates:

  • Units in this class consist of online video recorded lessons, assignments, quizzes and virtual labs.
  • All assignments for each week will be due by 11:59pm on the next Sunday after the week they were assigned (not the Sunday of the week they were assigned but the following Sunday).

Attendance:

Important: You must be logging into our course and submitting work in order to remain in the class. If you show less than the required minimal activity during the term of the course (i.e. not submitting work for 2 weeks in a row), you may be dropped.

Late Work:

Late work is accepted and I will always do my best to grade it without penalty. That said I reserve the right of not grading late assignments. I reserve this right only because I may not be able to grade all of your late work if it is all piled up by the end of the semester. 

Student Responsibilities:

  • You are responsible for reading all of the discussion posts in the "Course Announcements" Forum, and for checking your iLearn messages and email and responding in a timely manner.

  • You are responsible for the operation of the computer you use off campus. A malfunctioning computer system is not a valid excuse for submitting late work. If you experience technical difficulties when submitting your assignment, send me an email explaining your problem. Allow time for this - please do not wait until the last minute to start your work.

  • You must follow all assignment instructions carefully. You will be marked down for not following instructions.

  • Students are responsible for keeping copies of all their submitted assignments.

  • Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity. Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action which may include recommendation for dismissal. Please do your own work!

Tips for Success

    • READ: The material in this course is dense, don't expect to understand it by only watching my explanations, you will need to read the material, most often more than once to fully make sense of it. 

    • Know and use your resources. If you haven't done so, visit the Cabrillo College Online Student Help, Distance Education and STEM center

    • When taking an online course, you must take the initiative to ask me questions if you do not understand the material. Ways to get help:

    • You should log in to Canvas regularly to see if any new materials, announcements, emails, or grades are waiting for you to review. I will primarily be using and Canvas messaging/email to communicate with you and the Course Announcements Forum.

    • This course is not self-paced. You will have weekly assignments with weekly due dates. In order to successfully complete this course, you must submit your assignments on time.

    • Look carefully at your work schedule, school schedule, and family obligations and allow plenty of time for each.

Contacting Me

Again, let's keep the lines of communication open. Talk to me if you have a need.

You can send me your questions at any time, and I will try to respond within 24 hours. If you have questions or need assistance, you can: