Physics 303L-MI, Fall 2012 (MWF 1-2 pm, Pai 4.42)
UT registration Unique
numbers: 57445, 57450, 57455, 57460
Homepage: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~phy303l/instructors/fiete/
Quest-account:
o This course makes use an online system, the web-based
Quest content delivery and homework server system maintained by the
College of Natural Sciences. This homework service will require a $25
charge per student for its use, which goes toward the maintenance and operation
of the resource. Please go to http://quest.cns.utexas.edu/ to log in to the Quest system for this class.
At some point during the
second or third week, when you log into Quest, you will be asked to pay via
credit card on a secure payment site. You have the option to wait up to 15 days
to pay while still continuing to use Quest for your assignments. If you are taking more than one course
using Quest, you will not be charged more than $50/semester. Quest
provides mandatory instructional material for this course, just as is your
textbook, etc. For payment questions, email quest.fees@cns.utexas.edu.
1.
Instructor: Professor Greg Fiete, Office: RLM 13.316, phone: (512) 232-8084
Office hours: Wednesday 12
11am-12 noon. Other time by appointment.
Email: fiete (at) physics.utexas.edu. Include “PHY 303L-MI” on the subject line.
TA: Qi Chen, Email: chenqi0805@gmail.com
LAs: Eric Horsley, Email: ehorsley171619@gmail.com
Pedro Arias, Email: pedro.arias89@gmail.com
Eun Yoon, Email: ahenejsqu@hotmail.com
TA sessions: In the format of small group
discussions. Will be taught by 303L TA/LA team.
For
additional help, see coaching service on RLM 5th floor by elevators.
2.
Course materials:
3. Clicker sessions
o Interactive quiz: We plan to intersperse the lecture with
interactive quiz (iq) sessions on a regular basis. During an iq-session,
o each student is first to independently figure out the
answer to the question posed,
o then he/she is encouraged to discuss with neighbors and
interact with the LA.
o Eventually each student is to use his/her clicker to
answer the question.
The specific clicker to be used is called the Iclicker
(old model). It is available at UT-coop.
You need to enter the serial number of your Iclicker into your Quest
account.
4. Lesson Plan: The lesson plan for this course is
attached to the end of this syllabus, and is the second link on the course
homepage. The third item is a detailed description of the course plan (Present
M&I curriculum). For
each class, the corresponding sections in the textbook are indicated. Students
should be reading at least one lecture ahead of the lecture. After each lecture,
the students should review the corresponding clicker questions. Homeworks are
due about two times per week. No late homework will be accepted (due dates
are set on Quest).
5. Midterms/Final:
6. Grading policy:
o
Interactive quizzes (4 drops) 7%
o
TA session: 7%
o Homework (3 drops) 15%
o Midterms (1 drop) 46%
o Final 25%
During the semester to gauge the ongoing performance, a student
should look at %-scores of all non-exam items and look at both the % score(ps)
and the Scaled-score(ss) of each of the exams. The Scaled-score for an exam takes into account the
average and standard deviation of the students on the exam. The conversion from
the ps to ss is explained in Grading Details on the homepage. The lower end of
the letter grade cutoffs for the percent-scores and scaled-scores are as
follows:
|
|
A[*] |
A- |
B+ |
B[*] |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C-[*] |
D+ |
D |
D-[*] |
F |
|
%-score |
90 |
(87) |
(84) |
75 |
(71) |
(67) |
(60) |
55 |
(50) |
(45) |
40 |
<40 |
|
Scaled-score |
600 |
585 |
570 |
525 |
510 |
495 |
469 |
450 |
433 |
417 |
400 |
<400 |
·
For each exam, determine your ps-letter grade and the ss-letter
grade. If the two letter-grades
are not the same, the better of the two is the letter grade you have made for
the exam.
·
After the final exam a separate semester-grading-program
independent of the QUEST-system will be used to convert the scaled score to a
“converted-percent score” (cps) for each exam. This is done through a linear
interpolation process using following 6 anchor points. (see Grading Details for
conversion from Scaled-score to converted-percent score).
o
Four intermediate
anchors are indicated by [*]: (ss = 400 to cps = 40%), (450 to 55%), (525 to
75%), (600 to 90%).
o
The two end points
are ( ss = 200 corresponds to cps = 0) and (700 to 100%).
·
“adjusted % score”: It
is the better between the original percent-score and the converted-percent
score.
·
Using the grading policy stated, this
program determines the semester-grade. In this program % scores are used for all non-exam
items and the adjusted % score for
each exam.
Drop one midterm. A student is required to take all four midterms. At the
end of the semester, the midterm with the lowest adjusted percent exam score will be dropped.
·
If
a student misses a midterm without an excuse, the missed midterm will be the
one which will be dropped.
·
If
the missed a midterm is due to a legitimate
reason approved by the instructor, the student's midterm grade will be
calculated in one of two ways. 1) The midterm average is calculated using this
score plus the 3 other scores or 2) if the replaced score is the lowest midterm
score it will be dropped and the midterm average is calculated using only the 3
other midterm scores. The computer
will chose the option which gives the highest average.
7. TA session: TA session is a part of this course. TA session grades
will be determined by the TA. Deadline of complaints on TA session grades is
the last day of class. No dispute of TA session record beyond the
end-of-class day will be accepted.
First class reminders:
o Items needed for this course: the
textbook, and the Iclicker.
o Enter I-clicker serial number into
your Quest-account. Take a look at Appendix A: Review-vector (second bullet in
our homepage). In Quest, download first 3 homework sets and the accompanying
extra-sets which are example problems in the unit.
o Start reading today’s and next time’s sections in the
textbook (use the lesson plan and course summary as a
guide).
o Review the clicker questions
associated with each lecture.
·
One
week after class-begins, also check the pre/co-requisites audit-list
which will be posted outside of the lecture hall. If your name is on this list, please see undergraduate coordinator (471-8856) in
RLM 5.216
8. General Course Information
Disability Accomodations:
Students with
disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division
of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities,
512-471-6259, http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/
ADDING AND DROPPING COURSES
The academic calendar for each semester is provided at http://registrar.utexas.edu/calendars. The College of Natural Sciences adheres strictly to the
published deadlines of the University. Check the academic calendar for these
deadlines.
• Students who experience significant nonacademic
problems such as extended health-related problems or family emergencies should
contact the Dean’s office.
• New One-time Drop Policy: This
new policy was proposed and approved by the UT Faculty Council on May 9, 2011,
and more information is available at http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2010-2011/legislation/EPC_OTE.html.
Emergency evacuations:
Office of
Campus Safety and Security, 512-471-5767, http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ :
·
Occupants
of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to
evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement
requires exiting and assembling outside.
o Familiarize yourself with all exit
doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you
used when entering the building.
o Students requiring assistance in
evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of
class.
o In the event of an evacuation,
follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors.
o Do not re-enter a building unless
given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of
Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.
·
Behavior
Concerns Advice Line (BCAL):
512-232-5050
·
Information
regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at:
http://www.utexas.edu/emergency