Title: Astronomy 103: The Evolving Universe
Course: ASTRON103: The Evolving Universe: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (001) DHH SU18 > Section: Homepages

Welcome

Welcome to Astronomy 103: The Evolving Universe! In this 8-week online course, we'll focus on three overarching questions whose significance is quite literally out of this world:

- What are the natural lights in the sky — the Sun, the Moon, the Stars and the Planets?
- How do these lights inform us about the past, present and future of the Universe?
- How do these lights, and our quest to understand them, impact our everyday life here on Earth?

To get started with Astronomy 103, follow these four easy steps:

1. Watch the Welcome Video below, which introduces your instructors — Rich (townsend@astro.wisc.edu) and DK (krishnarao@astro.wisc.edu) — and reviews the overall structure of the course (textbook, game, videos, weekly tasks, grading, accommodations, and academic standards).
2. Read the Weekly Pages section; this is where you will find links to the pages of content and activities for each of the eight weeks of the course.
3. Review the Course Information section; this repeats the information given in the Welcome Video (and you may also wish to look at the Course Syllabus document, which likewise repeats this information).
4. As suggested in the Welcome Video, head over to the Introduce Yourself discussion forum and let us know who you are!

If you run into any difficulty accessing these materials, or have any other issues with the course — whether with technology or with content — then please feel free to post a question in the Course Questions? discussion forum, or email Rich and/or DK at the addresses given above. We're especially keen to hear about typos, broken links or other similar problems; this is the first time Astronomy 103 has been offered in an online format, so we expect a few glitches to crop up. Pardon our dust!

Weekly Pages

All the material for each week is collected together on a single weekly page. These pages constitute the heart of Astronomy 103, and you should begin each week by carefully reading the appropriate page.

- Week 1 (June 18^th–June 24^th): The Sky Above
- Week 2 (June 24^th–July 1^st): Astronomy and Physics
- Week 3 (July 2^nd–July 8^th): The Sun
- Week 4 (July 9^th–July 15^th): The Stars
- Week 5 (July 16^th–July 22^nd): The Birth, Life & Death of Stars
- Week 6 (July 23^rd–July 29^th): Black Holes, Small & Large
- Week 7 (July 30^th–August 5^th): Galaxies
- Week 8 (August 6^th–August 12^th): Life, The Universe & Everything

Note that the weekly pages become available only at the beginning (Monday, 12 AM) of their corresponding week. So, for instance, the Week 1 page is available from 12 AM on Monday, June 18^th.

Course Information

Textbook

Our chosen textbook for Astronomy 103 is a free online book developed by the OpenStax project (a non-profit organization based at Rice University, whose mission is to improve student learning and provide access to education). This book is titled Astronomy, and is available for reading in a number of formats:

- View online in your web browser
- Download as a set of web pages
- Download as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file
- Download for reading with Amazon Kindle

If you prefer a printed copy of the textbook, you can also purchase either hardcover or paperback versions from Amazon.

One of the great features of the Astronomy textbook is that most chapters end with a review section, which lists key terms and summarizes the topics covered. Be sure to take a look at this section once you've finished going through a chapter.

Note that we won't be using all of the textbook; chapters 7-14 focus on the planets and other bodies in our Solar System, and these topics are covered in Astronomy 104: Exploration of the Solar System.

At Play in the Cosmos Game

To provide a unique level of immersion in many of the topics covered in Astronomy 103, we will be using an educational computer game called At Play in the Cosmos. This game was developed here in Madison by the Gear Learning group (with some help from Rich), and published by WW Norton & Company; in 2017 it won the People's Choice Award at the Games for Change festival.

At Play in the Cosmos runs on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS computers, and also on Apple and Android portable devices (tablets, phones). It costs $35, and all students enrolled for credit in Astronomy 103 must purchase a copy from the publisher WW Norton (we like to think that the free textbook compensates for the fact that the game isn't free). Rich has created an instructional video that guides you through the process of purchasing, registering, downloading, installing and launching the game.

Each week, you will play through specific game missions detailed on the corresponding weekly page. You won't be doing this alone: Rich has created a set of flythrough videos, which provide guidance and scientific commentary on the game material. These will also be available on the corresponding weekly page.

Supporting Videos

To support the textbook and the game, we have created a series of short videos to watch. These videos, which are available on the corresponding weekly page, fall into three distinct categories:

- In the 2-Minute Universe mini-lectures, Rich and DK cover a single topic in a couple of minutes, by building up a page of notes and visuals summarizing the key facts and concepts you need to know. The summary page is available for download separately from the video.
- In the more in-depth Whiteboard lectures, DK explores a variety of topics with the aid of whiteboard sketches.
- In the Virtual Planetarium shows, Rich introduces basic terminology for describing the sky above us, and explores the properties and movement of the natural objects we see in the sky, across timescales ranging from hours through to centuries.

Weekly Tasks

Each week, there are six principal tasks for you to complete. These are described in detail on the corresponding weekly page. In brief,

1. Read through sections of the textbook and watch the supporting videos (2-minute universe, whiteboard, virtual planetarium);
2. Write a short paper on an assigned topic (due by 11:59 PM on the Wednesday);
3. Play through a number of At Play in the Cosmos missions (due by 11:59 PM on the Friday);
4. Participate in a discussion forum (due by 11:59 PM on the Saturday);
5. Complete a weekly quiz (due by 11:59 PM on the Sunday);
6. Work on a longer-term, multi-week project (due dates are variable).

Grading

Your overall grade for Astronomy 103 depends on your performance in the various course components. The breakdown is as follows:

- 5% from watching videos (2-minute universe, whiteboard, virtual planetarium, flythrough);
- 15% from the writing assignments;
- 10% from discussion forum participation;
- 20% from the At Play in the Cosmos missions;
- 20% from the longer-term projects;
- 15% from the weekly quizzes;
- 15% from the final exam at the end of the course.

Accommodations & Absences

We want to provide you every chance to succeed in Astronomy 103. As such, if you require any accommodations during the course, please let Rich and/or DK know as soon as possible. You should also contact the McBurney Center to discuss your needs.

Along similar lines, if you need to be absent from the course for a valid reason (religious, family, medical, etc.), and therefore require one or more of the task deadlines to be extended, please let Rich and/or DK know as soon as possible; we will be happy to work with you to adjust schedules as necessary.

Academic Conduct

We expect you to adhere to high standards of academic conduct throughout the course. In particular, plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. Obtaining material from online sources is permissible, but be sure to properly cite these sources.

When you interact with other students in the forums, and with Rich and DK, please maintain the discussion at a professional level appropriate for an academic context. Overall, keeping things polite is a great way to build the strong community of students and instructors that we want for Astronomy 103.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Diversity is a crucial aspect of learning and a important part of this class. You are expected to value opinions of every person and respect their background, culture, status, and identity. More can be found at https://diversity.wisc.edu/.