Welcome to Astronomy 101

Astronomy (ASTM 101) is an introductory level astronomy course that meets the general education requirements for a science course at CCBC. Taken with ASTM 102, it meets the general education requirements for a laboratory science course. In this course, you will be introduced to basic astronomical principles and the scientific processes which have led to our current understanding of the universe.

NOTE: Although this course is designed for non-science majors, the student taking this course should have successfully completed high school or college algebra. However, commonly astronomical concepts are expressed mathematically. Therefore an ability to understand mathematical expressions is important.

Taking a course on-line will give you both increased control over your learning environment and access to information that is not available in a traditional section. The amount of time spent on this course follows the same formula as that for a traditional course. The general rule of thumb is 3 times the number of hours normally spent in the classroom. Since this class is a 3 credit class, the AVERAGE number of hours you should expect to spend is 3 x 3 hours of class time/week = 9 hours/week. This is an average. The amount of time you will spend will vary depending on your background, learning style and familiarity with online technology. Students new to the online environment will more than likely require more time at the beginning of the semester in order to become familiar with WebCT.

Use the links to the left to:

• Check the course description and academic prerequisites for the course.

Please Note: Although this is a course designed for non-science major, successful completion of either high school or college algebra is required.

• Check the technical prerequisites for taking an on-line course.
• Preview the on-line course materials, especially the Syllabus and Units of Study. In the Units of Study area, you can access Unit One and the unit one labs.

Assess your readiness for online learning.

Check your technical savvy.

Check the technical requirements for taking online courses at CCBC.

Contact me if you have any questions.

E-mail me the following information.

• Your full name
• The college which your are attending
• The on-line course for which you are registered (I teach several on-line courses)
• Your full address
• Your e-mail address
• Your home phone number (or a number at which I can reach your most easily)

Survey the course information by following the links on the menu to the left. Especially important are the Syllabus and the Units of Study links.

Before the semester begins, you will receive a letter from Joel Martin welcoming you to your online course. You will find your login information in the upper left hand corner of the letter. If you registered for the course prior to August 15, 2008 and have not received his letter by August 18, 2008, you can you can obtain your login information by:

• Logging in to the CCBC Online Information System (SIMON). NOTE: If you are new to SIMON, you will first have to create a user name. To create a user name, click the Log On button in the upper right corner of the SIMON home page and follow the steps on the left under Create A New User Name.
• After logging in, click on Student Email and Unix Account Information. It is located toward the bottom of the Main Menu.
• Click the View button to find your WebCT/Blackboard User ID and password

Before the semester begins, you will also receive a letter from me directing you to follow the instructions on this page. Here is a copy of that memo.

After you have your User ID, you should confirm that you can log in to WebCTBB. Click on the Login button to the left. Logging in takes you to your personal myWebCTBB page. The courses for which you are registered will be listed in the center of your My WebCT/BB page. If the course is not listed on your myWebCTBB page by August 18, 2008 please e-mail or call me at 443.570.5048.

NOTE: The official start date for the class is August 25, 2008. However, since some of you may want to get an early start with the orientation activities and course work, I will give everyone complete access to the course by August 18, 2008. Prior to August 18, 2008 the course may not appear on your myWebCT/BB page or you may be denied access to the course. Starting the course promptly is very important, since there are graded assignments due the first week of class.

Once the class begins, all communications will be carried out from within the course Communications Center. You should use my personal e-mail address, only in the case of an emergency.

Before starting with the course, you should complete the following activities:

1. Complete the following tutorials:
   • Navigating a Typical Unit
   • Logging in to Your myWebCT Page (Currently being updated)
   • Navigating Your WebCT Course (Currently being updated)
2. Review the unpassworded portions of course. They can be accessed by clicking on the links to the left. Especially important are the syllabus and unit one (available by clicking on the Units of Study link).
3. Write down any questions you have

Complete the orientation activities. The orientation activities are required and graded. Follow the instructions below to access the activities.

1. From your myWebCT page, select the course link and go to the WebCT course home page.
2. Click the START HERE... link.
3. Print out the page that is displayed and follow the instructions.
4. Post any problems or questions to the public discussion board, located in the Communication Center. The deadline for submitting the two exercises is posted in the WebCT course calendar.

Try to attend the optional orientation. The chat room is accessed by logging into your WebCT/Bb course and clicking on the Chat link, located on the Course Tools menu. The orientation will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 8:00 PM. A repeat of the orientation will take place on August 27, 2008 at 8 p.m. You can find details about the chat session by checking the course calendar. I suggest that you log in to the chat room in advance so that you become familiar with it.

NOTE: The orientation chat is optional. If you are unable to attend the chat session, I will post the chat log in the WebCT course communications center.

Get started with the course by clicking on the Units of Study link. You can access the units of study by using the Units of Study link to the left, or by logging in to the course and clicking on the Units of Study link on the WebCT course homepage. Be sure you complete the orientation activities BEFORE beginning unit one. Although the chat orientation is optional, the orientation activities described in the Start Here section of the course are required.

Welcome to the course...
Paula Noeller