Welcome to Astronomy 102

ASTM 102 - Observational Astronomy will familiarize you with the processes by which astronomers collect and synthesize data to develop better theories about the physical universe. This is the third course that I have developed for delivery over the Web. I hope that you will find the learning experience as rewarding as I have. I suggest that you take an introductory tour by exploring the menu to the left. Taken no conjunction with ASTM 101, it meets the general education requirements for a science course at CCBC.

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 an online 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 a traditional section of this class meets 2 hours/week, you can expect to spend an average of 3 x 2 = 6 hrs/week on this class. This is an average. The amount of time you will spend will depend 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 Labs 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 iin the upper left hand corner of the letter. If you registered for the course prior to August 15, 2008 and have not received Mr. Martin's letter by August 18, 2008, 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 WebCT/Bb. Click on the Login button to the left. Logging in takes you to your personal My WebCT/Bb page. The courses for which you are registered will be listed in the center of the page.

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. You should use my personal e-mail address, only in the case of an emergency.

Purchase the star finder which is required for the course. Only the star finder is required. Since many of you have taken or are taking ASTM 101, frequently I will list pages in the text used in ASTM 101 that may provide background information. If you do not have that text, any introductory astronomy text will do. You can get one from the library if you are not taking ASTM 101 concurrently with this lab.

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 9:00 PM. A repeat of the orientation will take place on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 8:00 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 course.

Complete the orientation activity. The point of this exercise is to introduce yourself to your classmates. This is a 20 point activity which you should complete this exercise even if you have done it in another course. To complete the activity:

• From your My WebCT/Bb page, select the course link.
• Click the GETTING STARTED... link.
• Print out the page that is displayed and follow the instructions.
• Post any problems or questions to the public discussion board. The deadline for submitting the two exercises is posted in the course calendar

Get started with the course clicking on the Labs link and beginning lab 1.

Welcome to the course...
Paula Noeller