COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Title: ASTR-101,

Solar System Astronomy

Number/Section: 03A

CRN: 39017

CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor

GALIB VARESE
347-265-0942
gvarese@ivytech.edu

Name:
Phone Number:
Email (Ivy Tech Email):
Blackboard IM ID:
Office/Campus Location:

Gary/Northwest

Instructors Supervisor
Name:
Phone Number:
Email (Ivy Tech Email):
Blackboard IM ID:

LAURA ROSILLO
(219)981-1111 ext. 2335
lrosillo@ivytech.edu

Office/Campus Location:

Gary Campus, Rm C235-1440

East 35th Ave, Gary, IN 46409

Ivy Tech Technical Support: Help Desk

Phone:
Student Help Center:
Submit a Help Ticket:

1-888-IVY-LINE (1-888-489-5463), select option 4

http://ivytech.edusupportcenter.com
https://helpdesk.ivytech.edu/SelfService/Create.html

Ivy Tech Online Learning Support

Name:
HOLLY GOULD
Phone Number:
Email (Ivy Tech Email):
Office/Campus Location:

hgould@ivytech.edu
1440 East 35th Avenue, Gary, IN 46409

Disabilities Support Contact:

Regional DSS:

http://ivytech.edu/dss/

Table of Contents
COURSE SYLLABUS.......................................................................1
CONTACT INFORMATION................................................................1
Instructor............................................................................................................. 1
Instructors Supervisor......................................................................................... 1
Ivy Tech Technical Support: Help Desk.................................................................1
Ivy Tech Online Learning Support........................................................................1
Disabilities Support Contact:...............................................................................1

COURSE OUTLINE OF RECORD........................................................3

REQUIRED TEXT & MATERIALS.......................................................3
COLLEGE POLICIES........................................................................4
Academic Honesty Statement............................................................................. 4
Copyright Statement........................................................................................... 4
ADA Statement.................................................................................................... 4
Disabilities Services............................................................................................. 4
Blackboard Accessibility...................................................................................... 4

COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES.................................................5

Instructional Method............................................................................................ 5
Online Communication Etiquette.........................................................................5
Grades................................................................................................................. 5
Due Dates & Deadlines........................................................................................ 5
Make-Up Policy.................................................................................................... 5
Attendance Policy Dont Get Dropped from Class!............................................6
Am I Required to Come to Campus for this Course?............................................6
What is a Proctored Exam?...............................................................................6
Last Day to Withdraw.......................................................................................... 7
Right of Revision.................................................................................................. 7

COURSE COMMUNICATION.............................................................7
Instructor Commitment....................................................................................... 7
Course Messages................................................................................................. 8
Email................................................................................................................... 8
Additional Communication Options......................................................................9

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING............................................................9

How is my grade calculated?............................................................................... 9
Discussion Boards................................................................................................ 9
Quizzes................................................................................................................ 9

Academic and Student Support Services......................................10

How to be a Successful Online Student.............................................................11
First Time Users................................................................................................. 11
Click for Help..................................................................................................... 11
Technology Needs & Resources.........................................................................11
Optional Campus Support..................................................................................11
Library............................................................................................................... 11

COURSE OUTLINE OF RECORD

COURSE TITLE: Solar System Astronomy
COURSE NUMBER: ASTR 101
PREREQUISITES: MATH 023 Essentials of Algebra or MATH 080
Mathematics Principles with Algebra and demonstrated competency
through appropriate assessment or earning a grade of C or better
in ENGL 093 Introduction to College Writing and ENGL 083 Reading
Strategies for College or ENGL 095 Integrated Reading and Writing.
DIVISION: Liberal Arts and Sciences
PROGRAM: Liberal Arts
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS: Lecture: 2 Labs: 2
DATE OF REVISION: Fall, 2014
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS REVISION: Fall, 2015
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Survey of the history of astronomy,
astronomical cycles and
phenomena, astronomical instruments, formation and evolution of
the planets and their satellites, comparative planetology, asteroids,
comets, meteors, the sun, and the origin of the solar system.
Includes lab.
MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion
of this course the student will be expected to:
1. Understand the general scale and distance units of the cosmos.
2. Describe the annual cycle of the sun, seasons, and cycles of the
moon.
3. Provide examples of the historical development of modern
astronomy from antiquity to
the present.
4. Understand the functions and uses of astronomical instruments,
including optical and
radio telescopes and orbiting instruments.
5. Describe the origin of the solar system and the earth.
6. Compare and contrast the properties of the Terrestrial planets.
7. Compare and contrast the properties of the Jovian planets.
8. Understand the origin of meteorites, asteroids and comets.
9. Describe the properties and composition of the sun as a star.
10. Compare and Contrast Extrasolar Planets and other Star
Systems to the Solar System.
11. Locate reliable sources of scientific evidence to construct
arguments related to real-world issues.
COURSE CONTENT: Topical areas of study include -Astronomical units
Terrestrial planets
Astronomical cycles
Jovian planets
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Historical discoveries
comets
Solar and stellar properties
Solar system origin

Meteorites, asteroids and

Astronomical instrumentation
Extrasolar Planets

REQUIRED TEXT & MATERIALS

Students, you paid for the required resources for this course as part of your
tuition and fees. Click HERE for more information regarding your IncludED
course.
Special Message for ICN Students - ICN students will be billed directly from Ivy Tech
Community College for includED materials. Your home institution does not collect fees
for eTexts and digital resources so you will need to make payment to Ivy Tech when you
receive this bill.
The textbook is provided to you as a digital book. If you would like a physical copy
of the textbook in addition to your digital book, a low-cost print version is
available on the Follett bookstore website and would need to be made as an
additional purchase. Please visit http://www.ivytech.bkstr.com to order an optional
print version of the text.
Title: The Cosmic Perspective, with Mastering Astronomy
Author: Bennet, Donahue, Schneider & Voit
Edition: 7th
Publisher: Pearson

COLLEGE POLICIES
Academic Honesty Statement
The College is committed to academic integrity in all its practices. The faculty value
intellectual integrity and a high standard of academic conduct. Activities that violate
academic integrity undermine the quality and diminish the value of educational
achievement.
Cheating on papers, tests, or other academic works is a violation of College rules. No
student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may
be construed as cheating. This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other
forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition without permission of tests or
other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials and other academic
work. This includes students who aid and abet as well as those who attempt such
behavior.
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Copyright Statement
Students shall adhere to the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials. They
must insure that their activities comply with fair use and in no way infringe on the
copyright or other proprietary rights of others and that the materials used and developed
at Ivy Tech Community College contain nothing unlawful, unethical, or libelous and do
not constitute any violation of any right of privacy.

ADA Statement
Ivy Tech Community College seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified
individuals with documented disabilities. If students need an accommodation because
of a documented disability, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services.

Disabilities Services
Students with questions or needs for disabilities support services should contact their
local Disabilities Support Services director/coordinator. In the future, it is recommended
that students contact Disabilities Support Services at least 30 days before the start of
the semester. For information about disabilities support services, please visit:
http://ivytech.edu/dss/ or Campus Connect (http://cc.ivytech.edu).

Blackboard Accessibility
Blackboard is committed to accessibility for all students. The following link connects
students to Blackboard accessibility resources:
http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Learn/Resources/Accessibility.aspx

COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Instructional Method
This is an online distance learning course. Each weeks assignments and readings are
summarized on the Course Calendar, accessed from the Start Here button in
Blackboard. It takes a great deal of discipline, self-motivation, and effective time
management skills to successfully complete an online course. Many students find it
helpful to set aside specific times each week to work on course assignments.

Online Communication Etiquette

Students are expected to uphold their responsibilities in terms of appropriate and
professional communication with faculty and peers. Please review the Students Rights
and Responsibilities section of the student handbook (located within Campus Connect)
and review common netiquette (Internet etiquette) practices, like those found at:
http://www.ivytech.edu/online/resources.html

Grades
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All grades will be maintained in Blackboards online grade book. Students are
responsible for tracking their progress by referring to the online grade book. Students
can generally expect to receive grades and feedback within seven days of the
assignment due date. If exceptions occur, the instructor may notify students of changes
to this expectation.

Due Dates & Deadlines

The Syllabus and Course Calendar are two important tools to help students understand
the course, student and instructor expectations, and deadlines. Both documents can be
found under the Start Here button in the course within Blackboard.
Students are required to submit work on time for a chance to receive credit. Deadlines
for each week/assignment are summarized on the course calendar. Students should
check the calendar frequently for deadlines and to be aware of what to expect next.
Deadlines are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.
Students are responsible for timely assignment submission. Should a computer system
or network go down, students must still turn in work in a timely manner. Dont wait until
the last minute. Plan ahead by seeking alternative means for submitting work before it is
due. Local libraries and all Ivy Tech Community College campuses can serve as
alternative resources. Contact the closest/most convenient campus or other public lab
for schedules and Internet availability. Not having access to the required software on a
home or work computer is not a legitimate excuse for turning in homework late.

Make-Up Policy
Late assignments will be assigned a grade of 0 unless a student has received
prior approval from the professor. If a student has a problem or scheduling conflict
that prevents the student from submitting an assignment on time, the student should
contact the professor immediately. The professor will determine if the seriousness of the
problem warrants an extension on the assignment. Unless absolutely unavoidable,
students need to contact their instructor before missing the deadline not after.
Instructors have the right to decline accepting work for any credit after a deadline
passes with a few specific exceptions, including but not limited to:

If there is an outage of the Blackboard system that is verified by central system

administrators, instructors will provide an extension for students to submit work at
no penalty.

If the student has documentation of serious illness or death of a family member,

instructors will work with the student to determine an alternate deadline.

Attendance Policy Dont Get Dropped from Class!

Ivy Tech performs administrative drops for students who do not attend class early in
the semester. Students need to complete an assignment (which may include, but are
not limited to, such things as attending a live or synchronous session; posting in a
graded discussion board, blog or wiki; or submitting a written assignment or taking a
quiz) prior to NW deadline listed below in order to avoid being dropped for non6

attendance. Posting any items not related to the graded assignments will be reviewed
but may be disqualified for attendance purposes.
Attendance Drop Deadline: Friday, September 4, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Am I Required to Come to Campus for this Course?

Some online courses require students to go to a local Ivy Tech campus for an activity,
lab, or proctored assessment. For this course:
Yes, students are required to go to a convenient Ivy Tech campus or other acceptable
testing site to take supervised (proctored) exams. See the section on Assignments &
Grading for more information.

What is a Proctored Exam?

Proctored exams are supervised exams. Every Ivy Tech campus has a testing center
where students can take proctored exams.
It is the students responsibility to provide their testing center location information to the
instructor of the course, to schedule an appointment well in advance, and to follow the
procedures of their selected testing center. How to provide this information to the
instructor will be explained by the instructor.
If the proctoring center at that campus does not own and cannot provide the software or
special tools required by the assessment, the student is responsible for locating a
proctoring center with the required software/tools. As well, if a student does not live near
or cannot conveniently get to an Ivy Tech campus, they should contact the instructor
early in the semester to discuss options.
A link to approved Ivy Tech exam sites may be found on the front page of Blackboard, under
the Hot Links box.
Ivy Tech has also partnered with ProctorU to give our students an online proctoring
option. Using ProctorU does have a cost and the student is responsible for paying the
associated fee. Fee information can be found on the Click for Help tab in Blackboard.
To use the service, students need to first confirm with their Instructor that they would like
to take their exam online using the service. The Instructor will then provide the required
exam information to ProctorU. Students will need to create an account and register their
computer in advance with ProctorU by going to
https://go.proctoru.com/students/users/new. Students will then be able to sign up to
take the specific exam that was loaded by their Instructor, sign up for a time to take the
exam that is convenient for them, and register their computer. For more details please
review the ProctorU information on the Click for Help tab in Blackboard.

Last Day to Withdraw

If a student wishes to withdraw from this course, students are responsible for
completing an official withdrawal form with the registrar. Your local registrar contact
information can be looked up here: http://www.ivytech.edu/registrar/.
The last day to withdraw from this course is Saturday, November 14.

Right of Revision
The college reserves the right to change any statements, policies or scheduling as
necessary. Students will be informed promptly of any and all changes.

COURSE COMMUNICATION
Instructor Commitment
Ivy Tech Community College instructors are committed to responding to students
written inquiries, sent via the instructors preferred method shown below, within 36
hours, including weekends. If a student sends communication, but does not receive a
response, they should double-check that the correct communication method was used
and that the correct location is being checked for a reply. Students can contact their
local Online Technologies Support with questions
(http://ivytech.edu/online/contacts.html).
NOTE: Course messages are very different from email. Students should carefully
review the information below to ensure they are sending and receiving course
communication properly.

Email
All students must use the email function of the course for course-related
communications. Students can send email from within the course in Blackboard, but
will not receive responses inside the course. All emails are received in the Campus
Connect email system. Students can also use the Campus Connect email system to
send email.
To access email from within the course:
1. Log into Blackboard & enter the course.
2. Click on Communication & Tools, then send email.
3. Please DO NOT use the COURSE MESSAGES feature inside Communication &
Tools.
4. Select All Instructor Users to email the instructor.
5. To send an email to another member of the class, choose Select Users and
choose the name(s) from the list. Use the right-facing arrow to move the person
into the recipient box.
To access Campus Connect, go to: http://cc.ivytech.edu.

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

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How is my grade calculated?

Mastering Astronomy Labs (Pearsons MyLab & Mastering): The intention is to provide a
more visual and interactive learning experience. Mastering Astronomy labs allows students to
practice with challenging concepts throughout the course. Mastering Astronomy assignments are
graded and may contain brief Visual Quizzes.
General time commitment required to complete the homework is approximately 90
minutes each lab.
Mastering Astronomy labs are worth 20 points. Students have the option to rework
problems for more credit and/or exam practice.
The Mastering Astronomy lab component of the course will be worth 80 total points,
which is 8% of the course grade.
Your instructor will incorporate credit from Mastering Astronomy into Blackboard during
week 15 and 16 of the course.
Session Quizzes: This assessment strategy will be presented in a traditional multiple choice
format. The questions will be drawn from a test pool related to the particular sessions topic of
study. This pool of questions will be used to form the large pool of questions that the midterm
and final exam questions are drawn from. The mid-term will draw questions from chapters 1-7
and the final exam will draw questions from chapters 8-14.
Each session quiz is worth 20 points. 14 session quizzes will be used (sessions 1 7 and
8-14); this includes the syllabus quiz in session 1. There is no quiz during sessions 8 and
16 (midterm exam and final exam sessions).
Students may retake session quizzes up to 3 times for a higher score and for additional
study for the midterm and final (more test pool questions are seen if students take quizzes
multiple times).
The Session Quizzes component of the course will be worth 290 total points, which is
29% of the course grade.
Linking Labs (not in Mastering Astronomy): Learning strategies that challenge students to
work with a greater span of interwoven course objectives. Linking Lab content will draw
information from multiple sessions so that the pieces of course content being learned may be
more whole. Labs will require more analysis and synthesis of content; therefore students will
have 2-3 weeks to complete each lab.
General time commitment required to complete a single Linking Lab is approximately
180 - 220 minutes.
There will be four Linking Labs in the course worth 30 points each that are not in
Mastering Astronomy for a total of 120 points possible.
Linking Labs need to be submitted as .DOCX or .DOC files for grading.
These Linking Labs are 12% of the course grade.
Debate Sessions
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Two Student Debates will require students to be in a pre-determined role and debate a
topic. Instructors will form groups that are for or against the discussion topic. Students
must respond from the assigned perspective (even if it is not their personal view).
Each debate is worth 15 points for a total of 30 points possible.
The two debates combined count toward 3% of the overall grade in the course.

Discussion Boards: Astronomy Current Event Conversations

Students will complete a traditional course introduction discussion board (discussion
board 1) and discuss five current event topics introduced by a prompt determined by the
course instructor.
Minimum participation standard: Students will be requested to post one original response
and two reflection comments.
The introduction discussion is worth 10 points. The five Current Events Conversations
(Discussion boards) are worth 14 points each.
Total credit from Discussion Boards will be 80 points, which is 8% of the course grade.
Mid-Term: A proctored exam (approved IVT testing sites) covering content from chapters 1-7.
Students will have 90 minutes to complete the mid-term. No additional resources (note
pages) may be used during the mid-term and no retakes will be permitted.
The mid-term questions will draw questions from 7 chapters of pool questions and the
final exam will draw questions from a pool of 7 chapters of pool questions.
50 multiple choice questions will be used in this assessment, each question is worth 4
points: 200 total points possible, which is 20% of the course grade.
Practice Mid-Term: Non-proctored practice exam allowing students to fully understand
the format of the mid-term and help determine how well they are prepared to take the
mid-term.
Students will earn no points for taking the practice mid-term. Students may take the
practice mid-term one time.
The practice mid-term will be available to students one week prior to session 8 (the midterm session) and during session 8.
Final Exam: A proctored exam (approved IVT testing sites) covering content from chapters 814. Students will have 90 minutes to complete the final exam. No additional resources (note
pages) may be used during the final exam and no retakes will be permitted.
The mid-term questions will draw questions from 7 chapters of pool questions and the
final exam will draw questions from a pool of 7 chapters of pool questions.
50 multiple choice questions will be used in this assessment, each question is worth 4
points: 200 total points are possible, which is 20% of the course grade.
Practice Final Exam: Non-proctored practice exam allowing students to fully
understand the format of the final exam and help determine how well they are prepared to
take the final exam.
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Students will earn no points for taking the practice final exam. Students may take the
practice final exam one time.
The practice final exam will be available to students during session 15 and during session
16 (session containing the final).

The following point scale will be used to derive the final course grade:
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
14 Quizzes at 20 pts (including syllabus quiz at 10 pts)
4 Linking Labs
Personal Introduction (10 points)
& 5 Discussion Boards (14 points)
2 Student Debates
4 Mastering Astronomy Labs

200
200
290
120
80
30
80
1000 (total points possible)

Grading Scale
90% - 100%
80% - 89%
70% - 79%
60% - 69%
Below 60%

A
B
C
D
F

Academic and Student Support Services

How to be a Successful Online Student
For tips and resources on how to be a successful online student, please visit Ivy Tech
Onlines resource page: http://www.ivytech.edu/online/resources.html

First Time Users

For Ivy Techs Acceptable Use Policy, please click HERE. After reading through this
policy, click I Agree.

Click for Help

For links to accessibility, please visit the Click for Help area in Blackboard. Here, you will
find helpful information regarding the Blackboard Mobile App, Blackboard IM, Publisher
student guides, and other instructional documents. This tab provides students with
important computer information, including security software, viewer software for users
without Microsoft products, Adobe Reader, Flash player, Java, and more.

Technology Needs & Resources

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It is expected that all students who enroll in the course have Internet access and a basic
understanding of computer use (e.g., using e-mail, sending attachments via e-mail,
using web browsers, using word processing software such as Microsoft Word).
It is recommended that students log into their course and also check email at least
every 48 hours. Email is the PRIMARY method that the college will utilize to contact
students. Instructors may use other communication tools, so students should read the
Course Communication section of this syllabus for specific details.
Visit the Online Learning website at: http://www.ivytech.edu/online/resources.html for
more information related to technology requirements for online courses. Check with the
nearest campus bookstore for educational pricing if additional software is required for
this course.

Optional Campus Support

Students are welcome to use the services and equipment available at the most
convenient Ivy Tech Campus. Services include academic advising, equipment, libraries,
and tutoring. Please locate the most convenient Ivy Tech campus by reviewing the
information at http://ivytech.edu/campuses/.

Library
The Ivy Tech Library is available to students on- and off-campus, offering full text
journals, books, and other resources essential for course assignments. The Library can
be accessed from the Library tab in Blackboard or from the Library tab in Campus
Connect.

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