Ast 105 Laboratory		September 14th  through December 9th    Online
Fall 2009

Instructor:  Dr. N. L. Markworth, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Email: nmarkworth@sfasu.edu

Office Hours:  MW  01:30 - 03:30 PM Office

TR     02:00 – 03:30 PM TEC

Phone: 936-468-3001

Lecture Class Meetings: Online

Course Home Page:  http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/markworth/ast105.html

Laboratory Assistant: Katie Lynch

 

ASTRONOMY 105.502 LABORATORY

Fall 2009

Online Lab Schedule

 

Each entry in underlined blue in the table above is a hyperlink. Click on the title to jump to that feature. There are 11 labs plus one night lab at the SFA Observatory. The due dates of the labs are listed in column two. The lab report forms are in the column labeled Lab Exercise Report Form. Choose the form of the report that you like (either html or WORD) and copy it into your word processor. Fill in your answers, and send a copy to my TA on Blackboard email. Page is the page number in the lab manual (available only in the BPSC bookstore). Lab Prep Videos have been prepared in the Real Video® format. Please look at these before attempting a lab. The Power Point® slides used in the lab prep videos are linked separately in the next column. The last column contains notes on each of the labs and should be read after the lab prep video is viewed.

 

 OutDOOR Night Lab Calendar

 

            SUPPLIES FOR NIGHT LAB

                        Each student MUST bring the following supplies to the night lab session.

1.      Pencil and eraser

2.      Clipboard or other hard writing surface

3.      Clear ruler with centimeter scale

4.      Laboratory Manual

5.      Star Chart (print pages 1-3 at the Chart link here)

6.      Calculator

            LAB POLICIES

1.      You may submit your lab by turning it in to my office (Science 322F),

as an email attachment (preferred), or FAXing (936-468-4448).

Be aware that faxing can produce poor results.

2.      Due dates are more than merely suggestions. Labs are due by midnight

of the day listed. A point deduction of 5% per day will be assessed late work.

3.      The two lowest grades are dropped, but I advise that you not automatically

skip two labs. Emergencies do happen!

4.      You are responsible for missed lab material on the lab exam.

            ASTRONOMY 105 COURSE GRADING POLICY

•         Astronomy 105 (Lecture) and Astronomy 105L (Lab) are averaged into one grade

and THE SAME GRADE WILL BE RECORDED FOR BOTH LECTURE AND

LABORATORY. The FINAL COURSE GRADE is explained in your lecture syllabus.

 

•         There are 12 grades that will be used to determine a lab average (11 regular labs

and the night lab). The two lowest regular lab grades will be dropped.  The night lab

is a required lab and cannot be dropped. The lab exercises will count 75% and the

Lab Exam 25% of the FINAL LAB AVERAGE. The Lab Exam will be

given as part of lecture exam four. The FINAL LAB AVERAGE will be computed

as follows: 

            FINAL LAB AVERAGE = (Average of Lab Exercises X 0.75) + (Lab Exam X 0.25)

                  ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students.  Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism.

 

                 Definition of Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism.  Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism.  Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own.  Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit.  Read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/academic_integrity.asp

 

        WITHHELD GRADES POLICY:  Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the required course work because of unavoidable circumstances.  Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F.  If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average.

 

The circumstances precipitating the request must have occurred after the last day in which a student could withdraw from a course.  Students requesting a WH must be passing the course with a minimum projected grade of C.

 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester.  Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided.  Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations.  For additional information, go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/.