The design of this course for online distance learning allows each student to perform experiments at the location of her/his own choosing. There are still requirements for students to complete all course requirements in their assigned sequence during the academic term, and to collaborate on tasks within the same period of a day or two.
This course and all associated communication within or as part of must adhere to the WKU Technology Ethics Policy.

B. Communication

We will primarily communicate with each other both through Blackboard and via your WKU e-mail account. You are expected to carefully read all announcements and e-mails. Overlooking the provided information is not an excuse for not knowing that information. Every student is expected to check the Blackboard Announcements page and her/his WKU e-mail account at least once every two days. Not checking the Announcements page or your WKU e-mail is not an excuse for not knowing the provided information.

The best way to contact your instructor is to use the Blackboard Discussion Board. E-mails directly to your instructor should be sent only to communicate issues you do not wish others to read or that you think need personal attention. Be certain that your name is easily found in every e-mail you send -- either in the subject line, the salutation, or the closing. In addition, every e-mail must include in the subject line the course name [ASTR108] and a brief description of the topic. Messages with blank subject lines will be discarded as spam.

Except for weekends and holidays, you can expect me to respond to questions posted in the Blackboard Discussion Board area within 12 hours.

C. Netiquette

It is a requirement for this course that you use appropriate professional etiquette when you e-mail me or your fellow students. Unclear or unprofessional messages will simply be ignored. This concept of "netiquette" iexplained further at the follwing websites:
Top 10 Netiquette Guidelines
Core Rules of Netiquette

D. Time Magnagement, Assignments & Due Dates

Plan to start the course promptly and complete each assignment well before its deadline. Visit the Blackboard online classroom at least every other day to read announcements, check the assignment schedule, take quizzes, and read/post discussion board messages. Students are responsible for keeping up with and adhering to the due dates and other instructions posted there in the course calendar and announcements areas of the Blackboard online classroom.

All assignments required for our course are provided as weekly assignment checklists within your Blackboard account. Click "Assignments" in the lefthand Blackboard menu  to view them. Within every assignment folder is a list of all the topics and tasks for this portion of the learning module, including due date and possible points for each task. In case of a discrepancy, the information on Blackboard will be taken as the authoritative due date or point value.

Each quiz will be taken online via Blackboard after completing the assigned readings, reviewing the appropriate topics, and successfully submitting each of the assigned workbook entries.

This course requires completion of a collaborative experimental investigation. Each student is required to submit an individual project proposal that is meant to demonstrate the preliminary planning that has occurred and to offer your instructor an opportunity to assess the level of difficulty and to help you plan a project that can be completed in the appropriate time frame. Your group will decide what project to undertake and what you hope to learn. In addition to carrying out the necessary experimental measurements and data analysis, you will be expected to complete a concise written report of your investigation. Your project report is a group effort, with all group members expected to contribute in a substantial way. Download guidelines for the project proposal and report.

Beware of Murphy's Law. Working on your projects is your responsibility. Due to the independent nature of the work, there is a tendency for students to put off the project until the deadline for completion nears. Because there are usually unforeseen problems when attempting any scientific experiment, you are urged to begin your projects early. One of the skills we hope you learn is how to deal effectively with unforeseen (and sometimes difficult) problems.

Once you successfully enter our online PHYS 101 coursepage on Blackboard, you can click on the various icons there to read announcements, pick up assignments, take tests, view grades, use the discussion board, use email, and consult other materials placed there.

1. Announcements
   You are responsible for reading all announcements posted in the Blackboard announcements area. Check announcements each time you login being sure to read all announcements posted since the last time you logged in. Announcements are automatically shown to you on entry to the Blackboard online classroom. Some are permanent and always show. Others only show for a limited time after being posted. To see previously posted, nonpermanent announcements, select one of the tabs (last seven days, last month, etc) and use the scroll bar on the right of the screen.


2. Discussion Board
   Participation in online discussions is required and graded. The discussion board conferences are asynchronous and have definite start and finish dates indicated in the instructions for each conference. The purpose of the discussions is to stimulate study and discussion of the weekly reading assignments.
   Discussion board exchanges are time sensitive and, if missed, may not be made up. However, there are more conference points available than can be used if you earned them all. Missing a conference or two or a quiz or two will not prevent you from earning the necessary points so long as you perform well on the discussions in which you do participate.
   The following Discussion Board participation rules and guidelines apply to all posts:
   ---- Students must make at least two types of contributions to each posted discussion board topic.
   ---- Each new Thread Topics must respond to the discussion board assignment. No credit can be earned in a conference for reply postings unless a new thread is started.
   ---- Replies (or secondary postings) respond to the new threads other students.
   ---- Late postings to conferences will NOT be graded.
   ---- If you participate in more than the required number of conferences then the posts with the lowest grades will be ignored.


3. Weekly Assignments
   Weekly assignments are available from the Blackboard menu by clicking on the button titled Assignments, and clicking on the assignment with the current week's date. Each weekly assignment has a checklist that indicates the topics, reading assignments, essays, conferences, quizzes and any other activities that must be completed during the week.
   


4. Quizzes
   There are four quizzes during the semester that count toward your overall grade. Each of the quizzes must be taken online in Blackboard and must be completed during its window of availability. The tests are open-book, students may use any outside resource, including, but not limited to, textbook, notes, or the Internet.
   
   The instructor will clear any locked quizzes. But don't expect the instructor to be able to unlock it in time for you to retake a quiz if you get locked-out late on the last day of its availability. It is strongly suggested that you take the test early in the week to avoid this potential pitfall.
   
   No make-up quizzes are given for unless the student [1] notifies the instructor prior to missing the quiz or [2] provides acceptable documentation indicating an exceptional circumstance caused the quiz to be missed without prior notification. Since the quiz is available for several days, it is rare that a student will be allowed to take a missed test.
   

VII. Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who require accomodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Service, (270) 745-5004 V/TDD. Please do not request accomodations directly from the professor without a letter from the office of Student Disability Services.