ANNOUNCEMENTS
- (1 Dec) Student Evaluations will be conducted ON-LINE between today and next Monday.
This is the first time this has been done, and it is not being done in every class. There
are many, many good reasons for moving to an on-line process. The only negative is that
some people feel that student response rates will be lower. I strongly encourage each of you
to take a few minutes
to log onto your Cougar Trail account this week and complete the evaluations.
Student feedback is enormously important for assessing faculty performance (i.e. raises
and promotions)
for improving the course for future students. I will pass out a copy of the
instructions in class today, but
it looks like it should be self-explanatory.
- (29 Nov) I posted the study guide for the third exam.
On Monday we will talk about the major satellites in the solar system (Chapter 13 and 14-8).
- (17 Nov) I've jumbled the next 3 lectures around a bit from the original plan. We'll be
comparing Earth (chapter 9) with the other terrestrial planets (chapter 11) as we go along.
I've also added a new recommended activity.
- (22 Oct) I posted a draft study guide for the second exam.
I might make some minor changes after I talk with Prof. Fragile about what was covered this
week and I plan what we will cover on Monday. Chaps 4 or 7 probably won't change, though, so
this should help you get started.
- (15 Oct) There is a Thurday night lab this week! (fall break took away the Tuesday lab,
but NOT the Thursay lab; things will balance out Thanksgiving week).
- (15 Oct) Professor Fragile will fill in for me next week while I'm at a meeting
in Annapolis, MD. I will be back Wednesday night, and I'll post the study guide for the
2nd exam on the web-site before next weekend. I've posted a couple of new
Recommended Activities. Keep an eye on the
web site for new activities. Besides re-reading the chapter soon after we've discussed
it in class, it is important that you practice the concepts. Lab can help a lot (make
the most of it), but you should do these activities as well. They will help you on
the next exam.
- (8 Oct) Next Monday is fall break! I'll see you all next Wednesday, when we will
start covering chapters 7 and 8.
- (29 Sep) We spent the last 10 minutes of class discussing the results from the
first exam. I want everyone to take the exam home
and re-do it, using your notes and textbook as necessary. This will be an excellent
learning experience, and it will help you for the final exam. If you turn those in,
I will provide a boost to your score from the first exam.
- (17 Sep) I posted another Recommended Activity.
Our first test is a week away. I strongly recommend that you get studying over the weekend.
This is not the sort of material that you can memorize! I will pass out a
Study Guide for Exam #1 in class today.
- (11 Sep) We'll be starting Chapter 3 next week, so look for a pre-quiz at the
end of class on Monday. I posted some Recommended
Activities to help you study this weekend. Before class on Monday, come up with
a list of everything you can think of that varies with the seasons. Nearly all of
them will have an astronomical origin.
- (3 Sep) We had our first pre-quiz in class today. Please use these to
help identify those areas that you don't quite grasp after a quick reading
of the text. We'll cover them in class, and upon reading the text again, I
hope they make sense. They are also good study guides for the mid-term exams.
We'll generally have a pre-quiz before we start discussing each chapter.
- (25 Aug) Welcome to Astro 1 (ASTR129, Sections 093 and 094)!
Our first class meeting will be held Wednesday, 27 August from 5:30 to
6:45 PM in room 125 of the Science Center (58 Coming Street).