Student Guide
Or:
How to survive a science course, with special attention to the problems of studying physics
At the heart of all science is something called the scientific method. The simple version of the scientific method is based on the idea that the objective reality of the universe can be determined by carefully observing phenomena, recording appropriate measurements, then studying the data from these observations for patterns that can be used to describe the general behavior of classes of natural objects. When we can control the circumstances of the observations, we are performing experiments, but often we cannot control all the factors before we make observations. There are scientists who believe that the only valid scientific data is that which comes from controlled experiments; in their view, most of astronomy, meteorology, geology, and many parts of biology are not rigorously scientific. In chemistry, we will be working largely within the tradition of "repeatable experimental methodology", since for the most part, we can carry out studies in a lab situation.
Science classes are frightening for many students. They anticipate difficulties with the concepts, with the details, and especially with the math. But science is just one way of thinking about the natural world around us, and anyone can learn to think like a scientist. Don't waste energy worrying about your ability to learn the material; use your energy to learn it! Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to discover, understand, and appreciate the complexity of God's creation better. You will also be better prepared to take your place as a steward of that creation.
Review the prerequisites for the course. These are the concepts and math skills that you should have mastered in order to succeed in learning the material. The math prerequisites for this course are described in the course overview page and the FAQs page. If you have any questions about your readiness for the course, be sure to ask for help during our first session. I will arrange to work with you so that you can gain the required skills quickly.
Every science course has as its main components lectures, reading assignments, labs, and lots of homework to prepare you for taking quizzes and exams. In addition to these, our online course has this website, the Moodle, and e-mail to provide the functions that would normally exist in talking to your teacher face-to-face, or looking at a bulletin board or whiteboard. Keeping track of all the components can be a daunting task, especially at first, so plan to spend some time becoming familiar with the course website, your text, and the Moodle. Once you have mastered the mechanics of using these tools, you can concentrate on learning the material that they contain.
Why are there so many parts to the course? Well, part of the reason is that you learn in many ways. You memorize facts, you comprehend relationships, and eventually, you understand concepts. You learn by reading, by analyzing pictures and graphs, by watching demonstrations of processes, by participating in discussions, and by applying what you are learning to specific situations in the homework and labs. You "cement" what you've learned by teaching others. The organization and materials of the course require that you take all these approaches.
Make the commitment, now, to spend adequate time on coursework. This course will challenge you mathematically as well as conceptually, so you must realize right from the start that you cannot do all the work for a given unit on one day ... and you shouldn't do it just before chat session! The table below is a rough guide and a suggested pace for this course. The amount of time you spend on each part of the assigned work will vary greatly from student to student, and your schedule will of course depend on your other commitments. Work out a reasonable work load and stick to it!
Try to do your reading as early as possible. This allows you to think about the questions and material, review it in your mind, and absorb it more critically.
Checklist and schedule
Completed? | Task | Approximate Time | Scheduled for... | |
1 | _____ | Check Moodle for instructions for next chat session | 15 minutes | Immediately after each class session |
2 | _____ | Read Next Web Lecture | 1/2-1 hour | Monday/Wednesday after chat |
3 | _____ | Read Text Assignment (and work through example problems or questions!) | 1-2 hours | Monday/Wednesday after chat |
4 | _____ | Work through plantarium exercises [Astro], watch videos [Chem], perform Lessons (if any) or simulations [Phys] | 1-2 hour | Tuesday/Thursday |
5 | _____ | Complete Mastery Exercises | 1-2 hours | Tuesday/Thursday (Sat) |
6 | _____ | Complete individual problem and post solution to Moodle | 1/2 hour | Before chat when due |
7 | _____ | Complete AP example (AP option students only) | 1-2 hours | Thursday (due Friday) |
8 | _____ | Attend Chat and ASK QUESTIONS | 1.5 hours | Chat Schedule |
8 | _____ | Plan and perform for lab | 1-2 hours | Tues |
9 | _____ | Perform calculations/reduce data | 1 hour | Two days before lab due |
10 | _____ | Write lab report | 1 hour | Day before lab due |
11 | _____ | Take Moodle quiz | 20-30 minutes | (only at the end of the chapter) |
Rather than take our precious chat time by lecturing to you, all unit lectures are posted to the site. You need to read these as well as the text. The Homework and Weblecture pages between them have
The "checkpoint" exercises ask you to figure something out, then offer you the opportunity to check your answer. Try to figure things out before hitting the "answer" button! If you were correct, and your reasoning was correct, congratulations! You are ready to continue with the next concept. If you missed the answer, but understand the correction, make a note to review the concept later. If you don't understand the explanation, ask the teacher during class, or send e-mail requesting further help.
As you read the web lecture, make notes on anything that puzzles you, and be sure to raise your questions in class.
Examine your copy of Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity (Kotz, Treichel, et. al, ed. 9) as soon as it arrives. Read through the preface, which describes the features and layout of the text, and some of the typographical conventions followed.
If you have not taken a physical science course before, you may not have run into the use of extensive examples in the text. Sometimes you may figure they aren't worth the time it takes to read them, but don't be misled by this sensation! You should work through every example in the text carefully. Most examples are followed by one or two questions that require you to to use the method demonstrated in the example. Do at least one of these to make sure you understand the method (I will often assign these to you anyway!)
The periodic table inside the front cover is an important source of information for many homework problems; it will help you determine whether two elements are related and have similar characteristics, as well as providing you with important numerical information: number of protons and atomic weights, from which you can determine other information that may be needed to solve a problem. There are a number of important appendices in the rear of the book as well that also contain critical numerical information you may need in problem-solving. Earlier chapters may include tables of information that problems in later chapters use; you may find it useful to photocopy these or at least to mark them with sticky notes or tabs to help you find them quickly when you need their information for homework problems.
As you plan your reading, be sure that you give yourself enough time to
For any calculation examples in the text, make sure that you understand
Homework is not merely useful, it is essential for mastering the concepts of any science course. Just as we test theories by applying them to experimental situations, you test your understanding by applying it to specific situations. You will know whether you understand a concept if you can use it to solve a "real-world" problem, and when you can teach it to someone else.
You will be assigned word-essay questions, observational data analysis, and calculation problems for each unit as part of a forum, mastery exercise, or lesson found in the Moodle section for the week. Moodle lessons may present new information not covered in detail in your text, and test your comprehension of this material. Mastery exercises will test your understanding of terminology and your ability to distinguish closely related concepts and apply them correctly to examples. You may be asked to identify components of a system by matching terminology, labelling diagrams, or completing a crossword-puzzle challenge. Some examples will ask you to perform basic tasks several times in different ways to make sure that you understand how to apply them. You may be led step-by-step through a complex calculation, then asked to calculate a similar example on your own. Follow any directions to express your answer in a particular format so that it will be correctly scored! Study exercise feedback even if you got the right answer, so that you can use the method or information in other situations.
You will also be asked to post the answer for at least one question or essay topic to a Moodle forum shared by your fellow students for discussion. If the question involves calculation, you will need to show your calculations and explain them in your posted answer. This is your opportunity to explain to your fellow students what you know — to teach the idea to someone else.
Your reading assignment will be on both the Moodle and the Schedule page, along with links to my Web lecture and study notes for the assignment. You are expected to do any online exercises, watch any videos, and complete any tutorials assoicated with the reading that are assigned in the homework page or weblecture. Questions based on this material may be included in your mastery exercises, individually-assigned problems, or quizzes.
NB: mycroft, the original bot for my science classes, has long since been freed to do other things, like attend class, make obnoxious remarks, and aid stumped students. If you really get stuck figuring out the problem you've been asked to post, mycroft has been known to accept bribes in the form of virtual Oreo cookies to finish your problem for you.
Essay questions ask you to explain a concept in words. As you answer a science essay question, be prepared to cite calculation information as well as concepts, or give examples.
Here is an example: What is the difference between a physical change and a chemical change?
A good answer will be grammatically and syntactically correct, using proper English, as well as contain the correct information. It will cover more than one point in supporting its argument.
A physical change does not effect the arrangment of atoms within a molecule, but only the relationship of the molecules of a substance to each other. When water changes from ice to liquid to steam, it only undergoes a physical change of state; the individual water molecules are always H2O. A chemical change rearranges the atoms into new molecular structures. When an electric current is transmitted through water, H2O will break apart, forming O2 and H2 molecules, so hydrolysis is considered a chemical change.Most chemistry problems relating numbers of atoms to masses of a particular chemical. This is because it is easier to measure masses than to count molecules or atoms. But we need to know how many atoms or molecules we have, because chemical reactions occur by rearranging the contents of individual molecules. Other problems involve picturing the physical situation of a molecule and determining its size, or calculating the electrical attraction between molecules based on their distance.
Here is a general problem solving approach for chemistry problems:
Let's look at an example:
A drop of water has a volume of 0.05mL. How many molecules of water are in a drop of water, if water has a density of 1.00 g/cm3?
During our weekly meeting, we will base our discussion on the material in our textbook. We will also discuss demonstrations found on the web or in our Moodle, websites of related interest, homework problems, and any observations that you make during the week.
You may raise questions about the material from the text, my web lectures, your homework, your labs, and when we have time, from news media articles with a chemistry connection, such as the discovery of transuranium elements, debate over radiaoctivity rates, or the development of new materials for electronics. I realize that there are diverging scientific, philosophical, and theological opinions on much of the material that we cover, particularly on environmental stewardship.
You may challenge any statement made in class or in your text, as long as you do so politely. You do not have to agree with all of the tenets proposed by your textbook authors, your teacher, or your fellow classmates, but you should be able to clearly state their arguments in terms they would accept, and address your concerns to those positions. Act with respect to each proponent and assume that each is trying to make the best sense of the universe.
I do consider your contributions to our discussion in determining your final grade and making comments, so don't just sit back and watch others type. If you have questions, ask them! When you are assigned a report topic or a homework problem to post, be sure that you have spent adequate time to prepare not only the formal content that you post to the class forum in the Moodle, but also to anticipate the questions of your fellow students about your topic.
Chat sessions are 90 minutes. Plan accordingly, and take a break just before class starts. Do some stretching, go to the bathroom, eat or get your drinks before you enter the classroom. Be sure to try to connect to your ISP and check mail 10 minutes before class if possible, in case any late notices have been sent by the teacher. Give yourself the extra time. High traffic on your ISP or the school server can slow you down and force you to miss the first 5 to 10 minutes of class.
If you have not already done so, post any pre-chat preparation materials, including essays and individually-assigned problems, to the Moodle before chat.
Bring your textbook, notes, homework calculations, calculator, and paper and pencil to class. If you are comfortable using a desktop calculator and taking notes in a text utility like Notepad (available as different applications on both Windows and Macintosh), you can use those. You may also find a dictation program like Dragon helps reduce typing, either into chat or taking notes. Take notes during class. Since Scholars Online logs the chat sessions, you do not need to document things the teacher or other students say, but it is useful to note your own questions and observations as they occur, so that you can study them later.
Take part in the discussion. Ask questions as they occur to you (or note them and ask them at the end of class).
Chat sessions in science subjects frequently involve discussion of mathematical calculations. One convention we use is underscore (_) for subscript and up-arrow (^) for superscript. The term x_1 ^2 means "take the value x-sub-1 and square it". You may be more used to seeing this written as x12, and we can actually do that in Dr. Bruce's chat, but it requires a bit of typing. If you prefer to use HTML tags, then here's a quick guide:
}F_g = (GMm)/r^2
will appear as
Your teacher will provide more instructions during the first few chats.
After chat, log into the chat window again, hit the button for past chat logs, and print the log out. As soon as possible after class, review the log and make notes on it about any points that bother you, and be sure to ask about these in our next session. Mark important points for review later. Consult your notes or the Scholars Online copy of the log to review before the next session and before semester examinations
All the examinations (quizzes, midterms, or semester exams) which I use to evaluate your understanding and progress in the course will be based on the mastery exercises and individually-assigned problems draw from the text. It is therefore very important that you complete your homework assignments, study questions, and any reports assigned to prepare for the exams for this course.
There will be an online quiz for each chapter, which will be available on the Moodle when we have finished discussing the material in the chapter. You must complete the mastery exercise with a passing score before you will be allowed to take the quiz. These quizzes include 10-30 multiple choice, short calculation, and other format questions and are timed. When you take the quiz, you will receive immediate feedback for your attempt. You will have a chance to take make up any missed quiz during the grace period before midterm exams.
Start your review two weeks prior to the scheduled examination.
There will be several major exams (midterms), after major sections of the text are completed. These may be mailed electronically to you, or you may take them on the Moodle. Either way, you will need your parent or other responsible adult to act as as proctor. If you take the exam (or part of the exam, such as the multiple choice section) in the Moodle, you will need to complete it before it closes. If I email the exam to you, or if you take the problem section of the exam on paper, you will need to type or scan in your answers to a computer file, and upload the file to the Moodle assignment for that exams before the assignment closes.
Most exams will include a multiple-choice or other format objective section, an essay section, and a problem section, and an "lab" section which involves analysis of observational data. All sections are closed book — you may not refer to a textbook or other resources. For Physics, Chemistry, and Astronomy, you may bring to these exams one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper with whatever notes on it that you desire — so don't worry about memorizing formula. Learn concepts and applications!
.Yes, of course you may study together — remember that explaining or teaching what you just learned to someone else is one of the important techniques of learning! You may also work together to solve individually-assigned problems or essay topics, and mastery exercise quetions. Be sure that you can complete all homework assignments on your own afterwards, since you cannot work as a study group on quizzes or examinations. Let me know if you need special chat times for your study group.
One of the basic methods of science is to secure documented observations of periodic or common events in order to make some general summary about the behavior of natural objects. We can do this in several ways.
All observations of stars and planets, most observations of plants and animals in their native habitats, and many observations of geological specimens and meteorological events, are "field" observations. The situations must be allowed to occur without human direction, either because such direction is impossible (we can't control when a star will go nova), or because human intervention would interfer with the observation (we don't want to feed animals if we are researching their eating habits in the wild). The best we can do is make many observations of phenomena that are as similar as possible.
Laboratory-based observations are much more tightly controlled. Specific techniques and equipment are used for particular kinds of data collection. The experimenter can often vary only one factor at a time to see how it affects other dependencies. This allows many experimentalists to compare their results easily.
Frequently, research in one area reveals a tendency for a particular phenomena\on to behave a certain way. Rather than simply starting to observe the phenomena anew, one may choose to go back through past observations, looking for the same patterns or evidence of how nature behaved in similar circumstances. Surveys of historical data are common in weather studies, where such records exist for periods of 100 to 150 years, and in astronomical observations.
Surveys of experimental data have been somewhat uncommon, since most researchers prefer to redo an experiment with questionable results. This is changing, however. We are beginning to realize that data collected for one purpose as collateral data, for example, temperature readings as part of astronomical observations to determine air movement, may become important information for another study altogether, such as climate change over several centuries. There are literally thousands of astronomical photographs languishing in observatory archives which have not been evaluated in the light of modern discoveries, as well as millions of photographs of plants, animals, and single-celled organisms taken for one study that may reveal trends if examined for a different purpose.
Chemistry experiments, of all the sciences we teach at Scholars Online, pose the most dangers to the students. Glass equipment, sharp edges, open and very hot flams, and chemicals that are able to burn or poison, are all hazards. The safety guide on the Science website provides a general guide, but far better is the safety information in your Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments, and the safety information that comes with the chemicals and equipment that you may purchase. We will spend significant time on safety practices for chemists, and you will need to complete a lab safety quiz before your lab reports will count toward your grade, as well as three "skills and safety" lab exercises.
Your lab report is the evidence of your observations of a particular phenomena. Your observations should be presented in such a way that the data is easy to understand and supports your conclusions, but also with enough detail on how you obtained them that any peer with similar equipment could repeat your experience and confirm your results (or challenge them, as the case may be).
Organization: A good science lab report has at least seven sections:
Major upsets in theory show up from in news reports from time to time; a good source for these will be the Science section of news.google.com or the Yahoo news page.
Chemistry isn't the most popular science, but it does lend itself to modeling, something computers are really good at. The online sites we will access use many modelling techniques and data-reduction calculators.
In addition to molecular models, there are several virtual chemistry lab programs available. Watch this space for more information!
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