PHYS 175, Freshman Seminar, is a two-credit course designed to introduce incoming freshman to Western Kentucky University and to provide them with the tools to have a successul university career. This section of Freshman Seminar is designed for Physics majors and thus will focus not only on general college issues but also on the the nature of the scientific process and the specific tools required for the successful study of physics.

Western Kentucky University has established the following objectives for all Freshman Seminar courses:

To develop essential academic skills, to assist the transition to the college environment and promote educational advancement, and to provide an orientation to campus resources.

Evaluation of students success will be based upon some or all of the following:

Writing assignments, including papers and journal entries
Regular class attendance and participation in class activities
Completion of a common reading and other reading assignments
Completion of assignments to assess basic computer skills
Completion of the Library Skills requirements
Course quizzes and exams
Participation on cultural/social student enrichment activities on campus

Gardner and Jeweler, Your College Experience - 6th Concise Media edition

It is important that you take responsibility for your education. Ask questions, both inside and outside the classroom. Discuss the material with friends and classmates how this course relates to the real world. Manage your time and do not cram for exams. The student and professor make a team, you both want to the material to be learned and a good grade earned. Click here to view a brief essay on how to achieve academic success..

I consider myself to be open and accessible to all my students. You are always welcome to drop by my office to seek advice, discuss your progress, or ask questions. Appointments are not necessary. If I am around, then I will do my best to make time to sit down with you. If my door is open but I am not in my office, please ask the departmental assistant in TCCW 246 to help you locate me. I also have scheduled regular weekly office hours or you can e-mail or call to make an appointment at our mutual convenience.

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, 445 Potter Hall, (270) 745-5004 V/TDD. Please do not request accomodations directly from the professor without a letter from the office of Student Disability Services.

I expect prompt and regular attendance. Lectures will largely follow the order of the book, though lecture content may differ somewhat from the text. Material presented in lecture takes precedence over the text. Students are advised to keep their notes up to date and to read the text as an accompaniment to their notes. Missed classes should be covered by obtaining notes from other students. In addition, there will occasionally be unscheduled activities distributed for completion during the same class period and counting toward your final grade.

You must be sure to attend all tests and the final exam at the scheduled times. If you are unable to take an exam with the rest of the class you must notify the instructor before the regularly scheduled exam time. The only makeup exams allowed after the class takes the test will be for students with a verified excuse of illness or extraordinary crisis. A missed exam will otherwise be scored as a zero.

The final grades will be determined from 500 possible points, based upon the following scale:
450 points and above = A; 400-449 points= B; 350-399 points = C; 300-349 points = D; Under 300 points = F

Your grade for the course will be determined by your ultimate point total in comparison with the rest of the class.

The points toward your final grade will be allocated with the following distribution:
125 pts - Weekly Journal entries
100 pts - Library Skills Component and Science Library Assignment (Click here for a breakdown of Library Points)
75 pts - Daily Brain Candy Competitions
60 pts - Computer Skills quiz
50 pts - Additional assigned work and participation in class discussions
50 pts - Performance of required community service
40 pts - Attendance at campus events

All work turned in for a grade must be your own. No credit will be given for work that is not demonstrably your own.

A major part of the course requirements for this Freshman Seminar section is to maintain a weekly journal which tracks you progress and thoughts during the semester. There are fourteen Journal Entries required. Each entry worth a maximum of 10 points toward the final grade. All points count toward your final grade, with any points earned above a cumulative total of 125 considered as extra credit toward the 500 points out of which final grades are calculated. For example, earning an average score of 9 out of 10 on the 14 required submissions will mean you receive 126 points counting toward your final grade.

Entries will be scored according to

content (4 pts),
organization of ideas (3 pts), and
correct use of the English language (3 pts).

To receive full credit, each week's journal entry must be e-mailed to the instructor at richard.gelderman@wku.edu, with mail-server time stamp reflecting that it was sent before noon on the Friday due date. Journal entries submitted after Friday at noon but before the 2:30 p.m. on the day of the next class meeting will earn half the credit that would otherwise be awarded.

Journal Prompts: The instructor has provided prompting questions to direct each week's journal submission. In addition to the weekly prompt, you may respond by addressing the standing question:

What behavior are you considering changing in response to one of the recent assigned readings and/or class discussions, and how will you go about changing that behavior?

At least twenty-five class periods will commmence with a Brain Candy Puzzler. Each entry worth a maximum of 3 points toward the final grade. All points count toward your final grade, with any points earned above a cumulative total of 75 considered as extra credit toward the 500 points out of which final grades are calculated.

Puzzler results will be scored as follows

initial answer correct (3 pts),
concise explanation for correct answer provided with a correct revised answer (2 pts),
unacceptable answer provided with a correct revised answer (1 pt),
incorrect revised answer or no submission (0 pt).

A computer skills quiz will be given after students have been exposed to a series of lecures, activities, and assignments designed to provide an introduction to computer programming. One goal for introducing this material and assessing computer skills is that it should prepare each student to pass the CS 240 entrance exam.

Return to Richard Gelderman's homepage.