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FAQs
Q.
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Will the semester grade curve (letter grade corresponding to a particular numerical score) be the same as
the curve for Exam 1, which is posted on the
Grading page?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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Yes.
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Q.
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How can I estimate what my final course grade will be, after I have taken the third exam?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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After the third exam, to be given in class on May 4, all the information will be in hand for calculating your
course grade. Each exam is worth 20% of the course grade, for a total of 3 exams x 20% = 60%. (So add your
actual exam scores, divide by the maximum possible score of 300, and multiply by 60). The best four quiz
scores added together contribute 20% (so add the scores, divide by 12 points, the maximum possible score,
and multiply by 20), and the participation credits yield the last 20%. Add together the exam total, quiz
total, and participation points, and look up that score on the letter grade table on the
Grading
page.
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Q.
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What about the optional final exam?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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The optional final exam is offered as a make-up option for anyone who missed one of the three in-class exams,
or for anyone who wants to try to improve their course grade. If you get a higher score on the final than on one
of the previous exams, the final exam score replaces that lower grade. If you get a lower score on the final, then
it doesn't count. In other words, taking the final cannot lower your grade, it can only raise it.
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Q.
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Where and when is the optional final exam? Can I take it early (or late)?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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It will be given from 9:00 A.M. - noon on Saturday, May 13, in Burdine 106. (No, I don't know where it is, I'll
have to look it up, too.) The time and place are set by the University, not by me. No, you cannot take the final
exam at a different time and place; you must take it with the rest of the class.
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Q.
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What is the format of the final exam?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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Since the final exam is essentially a make-up for earlier missed exam and counts for only 20% of the grade, it will
be the same length and format as the other exams: 50 multiple-choice questions. Most people will probably not
need 3 full hours to complete it.
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Q.
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What will be covered on the optional final exam?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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It will be comprehensive, which means that it will cover the entire semester. The chapters for which you are
responsible are listed on the
Readings & Resources page.
Basically, it will cover chapters 1 - 8 and 12 - 23.
We skipped chapters 9 - 11, 24, and all of the supplementary chapters (S1 - S4). We also skipped a few small
sections of certain chapters (see Readings).
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Q.
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Will you give out a Study Guide for the final exam?
(posted 4/27/06)
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A.
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I don't plan to give out a Study Guide, since I feel that it would be either redundant or misleading. There is a Summary at
the end of each chapter in the book, as well as many review questions. I see no reason for me to duplicate these. There
are also many other tools and resources on the textbook's website, including practice quizzes. If I were to prepare a
shorter Study Guide highlighting only certain points, it might lead students to think that they are not responsible for any
material not explicitly listed on the Study Guide, so I think that would be dangerous.
I do suggest that an excellent strategy for studying for the final exam would be for you to prepare your own one to
two-page Study Guide, perhaps based on the Instructor's slides rather than the textbook (but a lot of things will be similar).
Also, do not overlook the other posted files, such as the Answers to the quizzes, Frequently Missed Questions on the
Exams, and Participation Card files. However, the main benefit to you will be from the process of preparing this
Study Guide yourself. So, although you might want to compare Study Guides with classmates after preparing
them, just reading another student's Study Guide is unlikely to help you do well on the exam -- there's no shortcut for
studying!
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Q.
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Where and when are the Star Parties held? Also, can someone who is not a UT student attend a Star Party?
(posted 2/1/06.)
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A.
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Star parties are held on the roof of Painter Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings. They current begin at 7:00 PM,
but the starting time will be moved to later in the evening as we move into the spring months. Normally, the
Astronomy Department also holds Star Parties on Wednesday evenings (on the roof of Robert Lee Moore Hall,
using a different, larger telescope) but these have not been held in the past few months due to construction
on the roof. We hope that the Wednesday evening Star Parties will resume soon; note that these are intended
for UT students only. Also note that if the weather is poor (it's raining, or even just really cloudy) there will be
no Star Party that evening. Details and a contact number to check on weather are posted at:
http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/viewing.html.
If you want to receive participation credit in Ast 301 for attending Star Party, you must obtain an official slip
signed by the person in charge and bring it to class (or turn it in to the instructor or T.A. during office hours).
You can obtain a maximum of 2 points of credit for 2 star parties during the whole semester, for 4 points total.
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Q.
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What is the "course ID" for Ast 301/48100 on the
www.masteringastronomy.com website?
(posted 1/25/06.)
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A.
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The "course ID" option is provided for instructors who use the publisher's website to
assign and grade homework and quizzes/exams. We are not using it for that purpose.
Our primary website for distributing information and posting assignments is the one
you are looking at right now (maintained by the UT Astronomy Department, not UT's
Blackboard group). To look up your scores on homeworks, quizzes, exams, participation
credits, etc., you will use eGradebook on your UTDirect account.
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Q.
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How I do access and use the web resources that go with the textbook?
(posted 1/18/06.)
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A.
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If you purchased a new copy of the textbook, as recommended by the instructor, it
came with an Access Kit that provided a unique code. The address for the website is
www.masteringastronomy.com.
When you visit this url, the first thing you will see is a page showing three versions
of the textbook; for this class, click on the left-hand picture, which should look like
the cover of your book. This will take you to a page where you can register (using this
code) and create your own login name and password, if you are visiting for the first
time; on return visits, you will use this self-created account. Once you have logged in,
click on the tab that says "Study Area." This will take you to a page labelled "Self Study
Area," where you will find a variety of materials, including summaries, interactive figures,
tutorials that include a number of animations, and self-administered quizzes that let
you check on your understanding of the material.
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Q.
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I don't have my own copy of the textbook. Can I still get access to the web materials?
(posted 1/18/06)
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A.
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Yes. If - despite the instructor's advice - you did not buy your own, new copy of the
textbook (say, you are sharing a copy with a friend, or insist on saving a few dollars
by buying an older edition), it is possible to separately purchase an on-line account.
Go to the website listed above, and click on the left-hand picture. In the First-Time
User panel, you will find a button that says "Buy Now." Clicking on this takes you to
a page where you can purchase an account using a credit-card. The cost presumably
varies, depending on the edition of the textbook; at the moment it costs $36. Note,
however, that the total cost of the used or wrong-edition of the book plus the cost
of the on-line account is likely to be greater than it would have cost you to buy the
new package. Also, the numbering of problems assigned as homework may be different
in other editions, or the assigned problems may be missing altogether.
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