Grading

I am double checking your guys' points etc. before I post the semester grades. I have not forgotten you. Lots of data to double check, for you guys and for the lecture sections.

Finals for another few hundred students

Some of you have sent course mail about grades etc. But I cannot take on your questions individually right now, because I am in the middle of getting finals ready for a big lecture section Monday morning. Lot's to do.

In the mean time, take a look at "Grades and points" on the home page. I always go by points in awarding semester letter grades, and the points table is right there.

Grades

In case you notice that your My Grades page looks all goofy:

I am messing around with the grade book this afternoon. It is not as easy to work with as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, so sometimes I have to deactivate, reactivate and rearrange various columns of the grade book.

To you guys, this'd look like rows moving up and down and disappearing in the My Grades page.

So do not panic. Everything is kosher. By tomorrow afternoon, it ought to look a bit more righteous.

Final exam is GO for 1:00 PM launch.

The final exam is ready for 1:00 PM launch. Everything else will go off the air at that time.

Summary analytical exam

The university has a summary analytical test for everybody to take. It's fifteen minutes, over in the "GEP PSC1121 09Fall" area of Webcourses.

The exam is short and will be available until Dec. 14th. Please take it before your final exam.

Look for the blue mailbox with scary eyeballs

Your semeter review quiz is in the Week 16 learning module, now visible and active. Go take a look and remember: the review quiz is only one tool out of MANY that you should use to get ready for the final exam on Saturday afternoon.

The Week 16 module also has schedule and grade info to double check. Look for the scary eyeballs blue mailbox icon.

Final exam schedule for all classes

Public Service Announcement:

Here is the schedule for final exam week, for all classes.

University of Central Florida Exam Schedule

Make sure that you know all of your exam times, and if there is a conflict with your PSC1121 final exam, let me know. It happens occasionally. We will coordinate with the other instructor.

WARNING: if this is your first semester at UCF, read that schedule carefully!! It is set up weirdly, in my opinion.

By the way, we stick to our exam schedule by necessity, so do not ask me to take it early or late. Your section has one and only one time for its final exam, as printed out on the fall semester schedule and the "grades and points" pages from Day One.

"BONUS Design a question for Final Exam" discussion is open.

"BONUS Design a question for Final Exam" discussion is open now, and you can post your contributions now.

Create a good multiple choice question for the final exam, from chapters 20-22 electromagnetism concepts. Same procedures as before:

1. asterisk * to signify correct option;
2. chapter and page number for studying the answer.
3. Two bonus points if I use yours on the final exam.

Last major learning module is now UP.

Your week 15 learning module is now UP in Webcourses. It is the last major learning module for the semester. Post your questions about it in the Discussions area.

Next week, I think I will put together a mini-review quiz to get you back into the flow of all the topics from Exams 1, 2 and 3. Remember: the final exam covers EVERYTHING this semester!!!!!

Week 14 learning module is UP.

Students, there is a new learning module for this week. It includes a link to the visual podcast site, which has a few new podcasts and some digital video newly re-linked.

One more ch. 21 podcast, concerning circuits.

YAY. Another chapter 21 podcast, for Exercise 18, p. 445, which is about circuits. You can also use the podcast to tackle exercise 17, 19 and 20, which are very similar to exercise 18.

Plus, the podcast ends with an open-ended brain-burner that we can talk about in Webcourses discussions.

New podcast plus two digital videos

The Uvision visual podcast site has a new podcast about batteries and currents, based on two conceptual questions from chapter 21.

Also, I have got the links re-established for two digital videos on static electric field behaviors.

1. Static cling shows the electric field, even field lines, for a toy balloon. This to the concept of induced attraction and field lines in chapter 20.
2. Electromagnetic interaction is a digital video of the polarization demonstration shown in Fig. 20-5.

This week's learning module

The learning module for this week is now up in Webcourses. Lots to do.

Total semester points now up to date.

The "Total semester points" row in your My Grades page is now up to date: best two of three midterms + writing points plus whatever bonus points you have. That is 80 + 20 regular points possible plus whatever bonus points you have snagged. Almost everybody has at least a bonus point or so.

So... we have 100 regular points on the books. This means your total semester points today gives you the percentage level of your semester work as you go into the final. The semester grades will not be final until we actually take the final exam, but going into the final here is how your grades work out:

1. If you have 90 or more points, you are carrying an A average into the final.
2. If you have 75 points or more, that is a B average, going into the final.
3. 60 points or more, and you have a C average going into the final exam.
4. A passing grade, D average, going into the final is 50 points or more.
5. Fewer than 50 points now means you have a failing grade going into the final.

Don't get too confident or lackadaisical -- that final exam is 80 big points and it's going to be rugged, if for no other reason than it being cumulative, every topic since September.

So continue to bear down and study like crazy. Finish strong, and take home your absolute best performance.

90%

I see that 90 percent of you have taken all three midterms. Excellent. This means that you will have the luxury of dropping the lowest midterm exam score of the three and keeping the best two scores.

Exam 3 scores UP.

I just released your scores for Exam 3.

I will be working on the grades for a while, setting up the best two of three midterm exams and "dropping" the lowest of the three. So don't be surprised if grades disappear for a few minutes and then re-appear. THis is how it looks when I am uploading and downloading Excel files of grades etc. Don't worry.

Exam 3 is ready to go.

Your Exam 3 is ready to go as of 12:05 PM today.

There are 35 items, 40 points. Finish by 11:59 PM tonight!

Six new podcasts

I just re-activated six podcasts on chapter 13 topics for you. Visit the new podcast page and click around.

Tomorrow I will make one or two new podcasts for chapter 15 exercises.

Mini-module

We have a new learning module ready for this week. It is a mini-module, covering a selection of wave concepts we need for studying electromagnetism. So the concept guide is a bit shorter, but I made the mini-quiz a bit larger than usual, just to give you some extra workouts.

Also, I will be podcasting exercises 16 and 20 in chapter 15, p. 312. Keep an eye on Announcements, when I am ready to publish them.

Learning module for thermal concepts is UP

The learning module for this week is now UP in Webcourses.

Comments:

1. The mini-quiz has a brain-burner combo that walks you through a tough question about mixing two liquids.
2. I re-posted links to the grading scheme and the semester schedule, so that you can double check everything.

New podcast about subterranean mammals

New podcast on our alternate podcasting site. It concerns exercises 9 and 10 on p. 225, which some of you have queried in discussions.

Some podcasting

I have restructured my old Uvision podcasts website to accommodate visual podcasts for you. Due to service and account issues and software versioning, the old pages are shaky -- but the new ones are fine.

Right now there are

1. Chapter 12 podcasts for this week's learning module and
2. Chapter 11 podcasts for last week's learning module.

I will be setting up more podcasts, some for earlier chapters and some for later chapters, plus some digital videos. But it is a pain in the neck, so it will happen gradually over the next week or so, not all at once.

I have a few more wrinkles in store, so we are not done yet, but this is a good start.

Wrinkle, curve ball and brainiacs

Some of you have been asking for additional study helps. I am entirely sympathetic. The trouble is the institutional structure of these online courses, so it will take some brainiac moves to out-maneuver the powers that be.

But I have thought of a few new wrinkles to try out. Time for a few curve balls. Keep an eye here on Announcements.

Angular; writing assignments

I am still working on the technical re-grade of the angular conversion item on Exam 2. I hope to finish tonight.

Due to changes in Webcourses this semester, and the accompanying difficulties integrating TurnItIn.com and Webcourses, I must now cancel our writing assignments 1 and 2. I am awarding full points to everyone, 20/20. I think this is fair, although I like the writing assignments, so it burns my grits to cancel them.

Angular, part 2

I started re-grading the angular conversion item on Exam 2. I am about halfway through it, up to students with last name beginning with L. And I am glad I took a look at this, because I did find a handful of students whose response ought to have been counted as correct. Good.

I am giving midterms today for my lecture sections, so I will be busy with that until supper time. So I will probably get back to the angular re-grade tonight or tomorrow.

Learning module for this week is now UP.

The week 9 learning module is now UP. The concept guide contains a link to some visual podcasts on a variety of exercises in chaapter 11 and elsewhere.

NOTE: We skip forward to chapter 11 now.

Angular

I think a few of you have typed in a valid answer on one of the angular conversion test questions on Exam 2, but Webcourses might not consider that answer valid. So I am going to go look through everybody's exams and see if there are any valid answers wandering in cyberspace. Most of you will see no change to your score, but a few might see it go up by +1.

When I finish this chore, I will announce it here immediately.

Exam 2 bonus question

I actually used FIVE of the bonus questions from the Discussions. Those five students now have two bonus points to add onto the top of your top exam score. So even if this is your low exam score that gets dropped, and we keep your other two exam scores, these bonus points will not go away.

Nice work, you five!

Exam 2 scores are UP.

Your exam 2 scores are UP. I know that many of you guys worked your you-know-whats off to prepare, so it is good to see you bring your grades up.

Statistically, the most difficult question was one that I used from the bonus question discussion area. So students that used that discussion to prepare for Exam 2 were prepared to tango with the toughest question on Exam 2. Good.

Exam 2 is running.

Your Exam 2 is running.

There are 28 questions, some of which are worth more than one point. But the test total is still 40 points.

You have 50 minutes. Start sometime before 11:09 PM to get your full 50 minutes.

Bonus points questions

I just opened up a discussion area for you to create multiple choice questions for tomorrow's midterm exams. Type in a question, and if yours is good enough to use on the midterm, I will give you two bonus points.

Exam next Monday

I notice this morning that a small number of students are working on mini-quizzes. This surprises me.

It is one week until Exam 2.

Concept guide with extra instructional blurb

Your week 8 learning module is now UP. It contains the primary item, the concept guide, plus an extra two-page blurb about rotation and angles. Make sure to read the blurb before you grapple the mini-quiz.

Learning module for this week is UP.

In all the excitement of giving exams last week for you all PLUS my lecture sections, I thought I had set up your week 6 learning module. Instead, you had an unplanned vacation from studies.

But NOW there are some concept guides up, along with mini-quizzes.

6. Momentum, the dynamic quantity that controls tackling and other interactions between two objects. The tackler with more momentum "wins" the interaction. Momentum is a vector.
7. Energy, the directionless quantity that measures capacity for doing work. A moving object can be described with a momentum and an energy.

The quantities energy and momentum go together, and they are concepts that we use all the way up to advanced research in the theory of relativity and quantum theory. For instance, a photon of light technically has zero mass, but it still interacts with the gravitational field of the sun and curves out of its normal straight line path -- because the photon carries momentum and energy!

To make up for the forced vacation, I will set up a bonus podcast for you and a bonus quiz with a few brain burners. The bonus points will go on top of your exam total. Nice.


Light cones near the event horizon of a black hole.

Learning Module 5 is ready now.

I suggest a day off from physical science brain work, but your next learning module is now ready: Universal Gravitation.

Too, I will probably set up our writing assignments this week, now that we have the basic tools, F = ma and so forth.

Average on exam 1

I just released your scores on Exam 1. They are visible in your My Grades page in Webcourses.

The exam 1 average was 25 points out of 40 points, for students who took the exam. If I gave letter grades on individual exams, that'd be a C. The highest score was 37 points, so nobody aced Exam 1, but 37 is still a fine score.

You can look at the general feedback for each of your question by clicking the View Submission link for Exam 1. I have also posted a PDF example of MY feedback page in the Week 5 learning module.

The general feedback will let you know the areas you need to review and get down before the final exam.

Exam 1 is running.

Exam 1 is running now, several students taking it, so jump in when ready. I have already taken it, so everything reads green.

You'll have 50 minutes, and it must be submitted and finished by 11:59 PM tonight, so do not shilly shally. You have one shot, so make it a good one.

Midterm Exam 1 today

Midterm Exam 1 is today. You will have 50 minutes to complete a 40 point test, mostly multiple choice, maybe a few matching questions, plus a few basic calculations. This is approximately equivalent to what my lecture students have.

Availability begins at lunchtime, 12:05 PM, and continues until 11:59 PM. So block out an hour of your schedule between 12:05 and 11:59 PM, and take the exam.

Battlefield version of Ch. 3 mini-quiz is UP.

You can now put your web browser and internet service through the wringer with the Battlefield version of the Ch. 3 mini-quiz. It is available in Webcourses.

Remember: if your web browser experiences a crash or your internet service goes out of service in the middle of your Exam 1 on Monday, you are S.O.L. There is nothing I can do to help you.

So use the Battlefield version of the Ch. 3 mini-quiz, and be ultra-paranoid about your web browser and internet connection.

Bonus points opportunity before Exam 1 next Monday.

Exam 1 is coming up, Monday, Sept. 21, as published in class materials on first day of classes.

To help you study, I am activating a bonus points discussion area, "BONUS: Create a good multiple choice question for Exam 1, Sept. 21 (Monday)," in Webcourses. If it is good enough to use on the exam, I will award you two bonus points, so make it a good one.

Here are the methods:

1. Write a good multiple choice question on a topic from chapters 2-4. Be creative.
2. Use an asterisk * to indicate which option, A, B, C, D or E is correct.
3. Include a chapter and page number where a classmate can study up and find the answer.
4. You can also refer to the problem solving manual if it is where you got inspired.

I will read and comment -- even tell you to go back to the drawing board if necessary. Keepers will be on the exam and get you 2 bonus points. I might keep one question, might keep a handful.

You won't know which are the keepers, though, so study all of the questions. This will also help you get your mind up to speed and sharp and there will be at least one question on the exam that you will know COLD.

In the Discussion area there is an example question I created, and it will give you an idea of how to type in your question.

GO GO GO

What a nice crescent moon this morning PLUS Orion and Sirius!

Did you see the crescent moon this morning just before sunrise?

1. crescent moon, on its back at nearly zero degrees tilt
2. Orion, higher up and to the right, similar to the photo below
3. Sirius the Dog Star, brightest star in the sky, between the crescent moon and Orion and slightly below the line between them.

And Orion is a good constellation to know, because it is

1. beautiful and
2. easy to spot with the belt of three bright stars, almost as easy as the Big Dipper

Here is a lovely photo from AstoBob in Minnesota, showing late August sunrise, with Orion just before dawn. If only we had clear skies like that here in Florida!!!



We call the hottest days of summer the "dog days" because the Dog Star Sirius is right behind the sun, rising with the sun but invisible to us, from mid-July and continuing for a few weeks. Those are some hot weeks, though not coinciding with the peak of hurricane season. DANG!

It is interesting to work out the three-dimensional motion of this Earth-Moon-Sun-constellation system to see why the moon lies on its back. Baseline reason: we are right up close to the autumnal equinox.

Sunup time today

Your new learning module is UP.

The Week 4 learning module is now ready. The new mini-quiz for chapter 4 is part of the learning module. Look for the coffee cup icon on the Webcourses home page.

Learning module for week 3 is now UP.

Welcome back to classes after a nice weekend.

This week's learning module is now UP. Look for the coffee cup icon on the home page in Webcourses. You will find:

1. the concept guide for chapter 3
2. a mini-quiz to trot you through some of the chapter 3 essentials
3. a link to the discussions area "Questions concerning motion, from chapters 2-4" in case you get stuck.

Remember: these are not the only study activities you should work with. They are only the starting point. In an online class like this, you have the responsibility of keeping up and being an aggressive learner.

About midterm exams

You can take your midterm exams from any computer on the internet: home, on campus, anywhere there is an internet service. Heck, we even had someone a few summers ago taking exams from the Philippine Islands! SWEEET

The main requirement: You must have a rock solid internet connection and a totally reliable computer. You do not want the connection to flake out in the middle of a midterm -- because there is nothing I can do to help. If your computer flakes out and loses your test, it cannot be recovered, and your grade on that exam goes down the wazoo.

To head off troubles like that, I usually set up a special version of the chapter 3 mini-quiz that works like a midterm, so that you can try it out under "battlefield conditions." That will be next week with the learning module for chapter 3. You'll be able to torture any computer you like with the battlefield version of the chapter 3 mini-quiz, to make doubly sure that your computer is swift and sure on its feet. Then you can be confident of your computer.

Do not bother with TurnItIn.com if you are not already registered.

If you are not already registered for TurnItIn.com, do not bother with it any more. It is too confusing.

Instead, just drop a paper into the Elvis assignment in Webcourses (running man icon), and that will get you onto the TurnItIn roster from inside Webcourses. I extended the "deadline" on it so that you can try it out this week. It closes Friday.

There is no class key. There is no password.

Learning Module for Week 2 is now UP.

I have just activated a "learning module" for the second week of the semester. Look for the coffee cup icon on the course home page in Webcourses. Click in there and take a look:

1. The heart of each learning module is the concept guide. Everything starts with the concept guide!
2. The concept guide is filled with study tips, like vocabulary to be familiar with, exercises to work on, diagrams, comments on the reading and even which pages to read. The concept guide for chapter 2 contains a mini-assignment from chapter 1 for those of you who are rusty with the metric system. Everything else is from chapter 2.
3. In addition to the concept guide, you will also find a mini-quiz on chapter 2 concepts. It will help you gauge your understanding, and some students print it out and use it as a study tool for reading. In fact, it is designed to highlight the reading. You can take the mini-quiz as many times as you like, up until September 21, when Exam 1 goes active. All mini-quizzes go off the air that morning before the midterm exam.
4. There is a link to the "Questions concerning motion, from chapters 2-4" discussion area, for posting questions and helping your classmates with tips. My TAs and I will also be participating in the discussion threads. Many students benefit from these discussion interactions and see their grades improve.
5. I will add extra enrichment activities and tools to the learning module occasionally, so always keep an eye open during the week.

Note: whenever I add an enrichment tool to the learning module or any other change or modification, I will announce it here first. Sometimes I make several announcements in a single day. So always keep this Blogspot in your list of things to eyeball a couple times per day. Good.

Gradebook changes

Now that the drop/add period has ended, I am making the major entries in the gradebook, and they are reflected in your My Grades page. One of them is the "Regular points subtotal" row in your My Grades page. It is for exam and writing assignment points, none of which are on the books yet → → so it reads N/A right now.

When we start racking in regular points, that N/A will turn into a number.

The same comment holds for the "Miscellaneous bonus points subtotal" row in your My Grades. I will be updating that sooner, though: we have plenty of bonus updates from SpaceShip Two etc. This row's N/A will be disappearing for most of you in short order.

Diagnostic test

For those of you switching sections or adding into the online section, the GEP_PSC1121 - 09Fall_0001 diagnostic section might not be picking you up. You will not "see" it on Webcourses.

The Webcourses admin is trying to sort it out, normal UCF, under construction forever type of situation.

If you still cannot get in by noon today for the GEP_PSC1121 - 09Fall_0001 diagnostic quiz, do not sweat it. It is not formally part of your semester grade. If you miss it, it will not hurt your grade.

Writing Assignments, grade book etc.

I have been messing around with writing assignments and the grade book in Webcourses. So do not freak out when you see a bunch of new stuff in your My Grades page.

Both writing assignments are still TBA, "to be announced."

However, I did set up a little practice writing assignment, for one bonus point. Click into the running man icon on the home page, and then the MIB icon. It will let you practice uploading a paper into TurnItIn.com. One bonus point for successfully uploading a paper -- no particular topic.

Side note: this will get you enrolled into TurnItin.com, I am pretty sure.

Difficulties

Some of you have tried getting from the to-do list and into the diagnostic test by clicking the link to the instructions page. It was not working. The link is now working, so go take another shot at it!

Diagnostic test

Get that diagnostic test finished by 3 PM Wednesday. Then we will be done for the semester with that task.

Obtaining textbook etc.

Yesterday I activated a discussion area for those of you who are figuring out the best way to obtain the textbook. Have a look and see if there are any tips for you there. Or, post a question of your own. This is the week to get that squared away.

I do not answer conventional email.

Students, I only work in Webcourses during the semester, with the course mail feature. I do not answer conventional email. So make sure to log into Webcourses and check your course mail.

See you in September!

Summer semester is over. See you in Spetember!

Grades are IN at the registrar's office.

Your semester letter grades are IN, now. The registrar has them -- hopefully those goombahs at the registrar's office will get the grades online for you sometime today.

One more thing: it is unethical and sometimes an act of harrassment to ask me for extra points at this part of the semester to improve your grade. Most of you have the sense to avoid doing this, but I want to make it clear to EVERYBODY. I do not look on it kindly.

WA2 scores are UP.

I just finished putting your Writing Assignment 2 scores into Webcourses.

In GradeMark/TurnItIn I have asked a few of you if I may use your papers in a future semester, with future students. Please check the GradeMark red apple to see if I want to use your paper in a future semester. Please respond in course mail.

Now all your semester points are UP. You can add the regular points and the bonus points to figure out what your letter grade will be.

OK, I am back to TurnItIn.com

Being as how TurnItIn.com was down for maintenance yesterday, I could not finish up the last few dozen papers on Saturday.

But NOW, I am cranking through them like a turbo-charged rocket sled on rails. GO GO GO!

Don't forget your bonus points diagnostic test!

The two bonus points on the diagnostic test might be just what you need to push your grades above the borderline to a higher letter grade.

Get this done by tonight.

Grading continues on WA2

I am still grading up your WA2 papers. Many of you already have the scores. Do not worry. I have not forgotten about them. I will get the rest of your guys' papers graded up.

1. You can still take the rubrics survey, because it is about WA1. So get that squared away.
2. Also, focus on the final exam. That is the big one right now.

Final exam today

Final exam becomes available today at 12:05 PM, lunch time. You'll get 120 minutes to tackle it. It has to be finished and IN by 11:59 PM.

So block out two hours in your schedule after lunch and before 10:00 PM, and you will get all 120 minutes.

You will need all 120 of those minutes, because there will be a few brain-burners to really sizzle up your cranium.

ALSO: Get some rest before you tackle the final! (On final exam day, I get to nag you all like a mother-in-law!!)

Bonus points

One more diagnostic test in the special Webcourses GEP_PSC1121 - 09Summer area. (2 bonus points)

Also, in our regular Webcourses area, please take the Rubrics Survey, about 10 minutes. If you take the survey before noon Friday, your final examination will be ready for you by the normal 12:05 PM starting time.

Those of you who decided not to take the survey, it will not appear for you, so do not worry.

Bonus points opportunity tomorrow

I will announce a bonus points opportunity tomorrow that you can fulfill by Friday. Stay alert so that you do not miss out on these 2 bonus points.

WA1 scores are UP in Webcourses now.

WA1 scores are UP in Webcourses now. They had been viewable, of course, in TurnItIn.com since I did the grading.

If you want to know your grade situation, then add up

      WA0

   Exam 1

      WA1

 + Exam 2

---------

Divide that subtotal by 114, and that will be your percentage as of today. But we have 36 points on WA2 still to post, plus the final exam, 100 points. So doing well on WA2 and the final can really move your current percentage.

Double check the grades/ponts page in Webcourses to see the cutoff percentages for each letter grade.

Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch...

I will be grading your Writing Assignment 2 papers between now and Friday. As before, I will start with the papers turned in earliest.

Week 6 learning module is UP.

Your Week 6 learning module is now activated. You will find it in the Learning Module section.

Final exam is on Friday.

Read GradeMark thoroughly.

You must read the GradeMark pages thoroughly. All my suggestions and comments are in there, and your 36 points on WA2 are riding on how well you follow my suggestions.

I have comments with icons in the body of your paper, then you can pop up the sub-window and view

1. the list of comments,
2. general comments
3. rubric scorecard

Here is the toolbar you must click in order to open the sub-window:



and here is the medium size toolbar that also activates in the sub-window.

Writing Assignment 2 is ready to go, due at noon, Saturday.

Your instructions for Writing Assignment 2 (WA2) are now UP. Look in the Week 5 learning module, item 7. It is due at noon on Saturday, Aug. 1.

By the way, do you see the "dollar bill" being used with the dinosaur footprint?

Scores for WA1

It is a pain in the kiester to move your scores from TurnItIn.com over to Webcourses. I will be working on it sometime in the next day or two. But until I get them into Webcourses, you can definitely view everything in TurnItIn.com -- grademarks, suggestions, score etc. -- by clicking your red apple icon.

WHAT THE --?!

Everybody has a grademarked paper. YAY.

But I am going to hit the rack now for some snoozing. I will release our WA2 instructions tomorrow morning, and it will be due on Saturday, lunchtime. Sound OK?


Completely unrelated cover art from Marvel Comics. Enjoy! :)

Still grading

I am still grademarking. Obviously I will be giving everybody an extra day or two to complete WA2, so do not stress out.

Week 5 module is UP.

Week 5 module is ready for you now. I also included links to the Discussions area, where we can get down to the nitty gritty on thermodynamics and electric fields, thereby building some excellent mv for global conquest of PSC1121 concepts for the final exam.

Famous PSC1121 student with excellent experimental hair.

Still grademarking!

I am still reading and grademarking. Stay alert. When I finish all papers, I will release instructions for WA2.

Next on my lovely weekend schedule: WA1 grademarking

The rest of my lovely Saturday will be cranking out the rest of the Writing Assignment 1 grademarks. Yay.

When they are all finished, I will release the instructions for Writing Assignment 2, in which we put it all together.

Grades are UP.

Your exam 2 scores are up.

I inserted some bonus points on a few of the brain burners, so it is possible to have scored 3 bonus points and gotten 53/50. Nobody aced it at 53/50, but many of you did nab a few bonus.

By the way, Webcourses does not "know" anything about my grading scheme, e.g., 50 point midterm exams. It just knows that I have 53 points available; it cannot distinguish bonus points from regular pointage. But you can. So, take your Exam 2 score and remember, it is that score out of 50, not out of 53.

Be ready for exam 2 this afternoon!

Exam 2 will be activated and available for you to take at 12:05 PM. You will have one hour for the 50-point test. So block out an hour somewhere in your schedule after lunch. Take it early, and if you start before 11:00 PM you will get the full hour I want you to get for this exam. The Exam goes off the air at 11:59 PM tonight, and I will release the grades Saturday about breakfast time or so.

By the by, I am still working on your WA1 papers, so do not stress out about it. Focus on today's exam. Your papers will be GradeMark'd up soon and then I will release the WA2 instructions.

You guys...

You guys are putting in a lot of questions in Discussions, and I must praise you for it. It helps you AND anyone else who reads your thread.

Excellent.

More GradeMarks ready.

I just finished up with some more GradeMarks. Look for your red apple !

By the way, I am working through the papers on the basis of "first submitted, first graded."

Just released some GradeMarks.

I just released some GradeMarks on WA1. So go dip into TurnItIn.com and look for that red apple icon. If you see it, you can start reviewing my suggestions for WA2.

If you still have the grey apple, be patient.

And EVERYBODY must be patient for the instructions page for Writing Assignment 2, which I will release later this week.

Nifty Apollo 11 moon landing Youtube and iTunes podcast

I just embedded on our home page a nifty YouTube of the the Apollo 11 moon landing. However, the
best way to view: on your iTunes application!

SWEEEEEEEEEEET!

Week 4 learning module is ready.

I just activated your Week 4 learning module. GO FOR IT. Here are a few extras in the learning module:

1. There is a link to the visual podcasting archive on my Physics server. If you have iTunes on your computer, you ought to be able to view the podcasts in your web browser. Otherwise, you can use iTunes directly, which is also good.
2. Mini-blurb about how to handle the GradeMark that I add to your mighty mighty two-sentence paper on TurnItIn.com -- look for the red apple icon. The apple is gray until your GradeMark is ready, and then it goes red. In the meantime, look over the blurb sheet.

Grading your Writing Assignment 1 sentences.

I will start grading your sentences in Writing Assignment 1 today, and it will take me a few days to do so. So hold your horses about asking me for your score etc.

I will let you know when to go back in to TurnItIn.com and read my comments and grades, which you will use for completing Writing Assignment 2. You will be able to improve your writing in WA2.

For now: focus in on chapters 6 and 7 concept guides.

Exam questions

In case you are wondering, I never re-activate exam questions or publish them in any way. Your look at them is during the exam and only then.

You can click on the "attempt" on the Assessments page, and that will let you see many though not all of the questions with general feedback. The general feedback let's you know the general area where you might have tripped up.

Using Twitter

I have tried a few Twitter applications on my Powerbook, like Scalaris and Canary, but I like the browser interface best. Seems simpler and easier.

That being the case, it is good to point out that my Tw subchannels, like #PSC1121grav, can be read from a search like this

http://twitter.com/#search?q=psc1121grav

and then saved in my Tw page's right hand sidebar.

Just a suggestion. I cannot claim this is the best.

But if you use a Tw application, I would like to hear about how it works and why you like it. Post your remarks in Discussions.

Choose your dollar bill carefully

Be sure to figure out a good "dollar bill" for your writing assignment. For instance, comparing a spacecraft mass to an iPod mass is slightly ridiculous. It would be like Office Donaghy photographing a human hair next to that boot print. Yeah, you could do it, but why would you want to? There are plenty of other everyday things that make good dollar bills.

Writing Assignment 1 is ready!

Take a look at item 8 in the Week 3 learning module. It is the instructions page for writing assignment 1. Two good sentences and they require careful thought.

Read the instructions carefully. 48 points of your semester grade are riding on how well you do this assignment and Writing Assignment 2, which builds on WA1.

You will be able to turn it in at TurnItIn.com starting at 5 PM tonight.

Almost ready

I am getting your Writing Assignment One instructions ready. It's going to be good. Stay tuned.

Dollar bill

Dollar bill

Week 3 learning module is UP.

Your week 3 learning module is ready, complete with an extra blurb about Einstin's theory of relativity.

By the way, for those of you studying the impulse of the gravitational tractor, you can learn its precise meaning in chapter 6. Good.

Honor system on exams

As most of you know, UCF and I expect complete academic integrity on exams and all study activity. This expectation is why university enjoys the honor we give it here in the West.

One feature of this honor system is the normal expectation that, during exams, you close your notes, your textbook and your problem solving manual, and go at the test with only your thinking cap. Once in a while, I give an "open book" test, but usually my exams are "closed everything." I do permit my lecture students to use

1. pencil and eraser
2. a blank page of scratch paper or graph paper
3. a straight edge
4. a calculator

You can definitely use these tools, too. And of course, they have their scantron forms.

I also ask the students to shut down cell phones and iPods, clear their desks of books etc. For online students, you should shut off AIM, Facebook, MySpace, Hi5 etc. during exams, too, and stay off email.

My exams are always loaded with basic questions that cover the basic concepts and sprinkled with a few brain burners that will challenge even a top student. For this reason, you will need most of the hour for each exam. Good. I can see the amount of time you each spend on the exam, so I can tell which students work their you-know-what off, right up to the 60 minute limit -- and which students do not.

We call it the honor system because it reflects the amount of ordinary personal honor you each have. I like this because, although most profs do not take this attitude, the honor I observe in you lets me take an attitude of respect: though most profs never honor you, by semester's end, for those who strive to the utmost, I will honor you.

Difference makers

I just looked over the performance of the class as a whole on each exam question. A few things caught my eye:

1. One of the questions about the size of Δv was a tough one and was a difference maker for top scorers (81% of them got it correct) relative to low scorers (none of them got it correct).
2. Another good difference maker was a humble milepost question concerning avg. speed of a yeloow car and a red car.
3. Majority of class got the Hubble Space Telescope question correct, yet it also distinguished between top scorers (89%) and low scorers (19%).
4. The absolute biggest difference maker was the jumbled sentence about circular motion, with five terms to unscramble. All top scorers got it 100% correct! Low scorers got 34% correct.

I think it is interesting that some of the calculation questions were tough but the biggest difference maker was a VERBAL conceptual question!

I always tell my students that thinking is the hardest task I expect of them, and that is because we think with concepts. Or put it another way: physics grad students, maybe even profs, would be just as challenged by a conceptual question like our jumbled sentence about circular motion.

So never sell yourself short. Don't let anyone belittle you -- EVER. Your intellectual tasks here in PSC1121 are right up there at the top, and many of you are doing nicely with it!! How about that!!??

Alert for zero pointers

To the 12 who got zero on Writing Assignment 0:
I notice that you twelve students did not send your writing assignment 0 to me yet. Even though you cannot get your two points, you will need to get me your WA0 info before you can tackle writing assignment 1, which is due on Tuesday.

Don't put it off. There are 48 points hanging on this.

All writing assignment 0 scores are UP.

All scores are up for WA0.

0. 12 students turned in nothing, zero points.
1. 7 students had a bit of unclarity, error or were late, 1 point. You seven ought to have some more course mail from me now.
2. Everyone else got 2 points. You guys are GO for launch... as soon as I release the Writing Assignment 1 directions page.

I will be placing a few comments here about a few quantities that got chosen, just to get everybody organized.

I think I will use Tw Monday and Tuesday to talk with you about the article and your numbers.

Later today, maybe after lunch, I will release the WA1 directions page. I want to modify it a bit to reflect some of what I learned from your mail messages in WA0. But if I tarry, do not worry: WA1 will be two sentences long. Two sentences, but GOOD sentences.

By the by: make sure you are ready to go at TurnItIn.com, because you will be dropping your WA1 document there, where I will grade it and make recommendations for Writing Assignment 2.

Your Exam 1 grades are UP.

I just released your exam 1 scores. It is how many points you earned out of the 50 points possible.

If you look at your "attempt" you will see the feedback for several of the questions, though not all. I am adding feedback elements to my exam items all the time, so expect to see more of these. If you got one of these items wrong, the feedback can let you see the general area where you made an error.

uploading writing assignment 0 scores now

I am uploading scores for Writing Assignment 0 this morning. I just uploaded about ten of the earliest handed in. So stay tuned in the next hour or so, and see what your scores is.

• 2 points, your proposal is OK.
• 1 point, a problem with your proposal, wait for comment from me in course mail.
• 0 points, not submitted. You risk your semester grade without writing assignment points, which begin here.

After everyone's score is up, I will get to the instructions for Writing Assignment 1, which builds upon Writing Assignment 0.

zzzz

DR. B is getting some zzzzz. Back by 3 PM or so.

Exam 1 is ready for you.

You will have 60 minutes to complete Exam 1, which is about the same as a regular lecture section gets.

Once you start, you must complete it all. If you drop out, or if your computer drops off the network, it will record ZIP, and you cannot re-open it. TOAST

I will release the grades first thing Saturday morning. Also, be looking for Writing Assignment 1 instructions sometime on Saturday.

P.S. Just so you know: Some of the questions are matching, etc., so they count for more than one point. This makes the 50 point test squooshed down a bit to 40 questions.

Message of utmost importance in Webcourses

There is a message of utmost importance on the home page in Webcourses. Please read it and think about it carefully before taking Exam 1.

Some Tw links

These links might help you pick up the Twitter stream.

1. http://twitter.com/#search?q=PSC1121acc, the #PSC1121acc subchannel


2. http://twitter.com/#search?q=PSC1121strobe, the #PSC1121strobe subchannel


3. http://twitter.com/#search?q=PSC1121projectile, the #PSC1121projectile subchannel


4. http://twitter.com/#search?q=PSC1121grav, the #PSC1121grav subchannel

Radio silence

I will be working on your guys' exam for the next 15 hours or so. This means I will be in "radio silence" in Tw, AIM and course mail for most of that time.

So bear down and get ready for a tough exam.

Twitter help, librarians to the rescue

For those of you still flailing^a on Twitter, wondering how the heck to use it, the librarians at UCF have offered to help you learn Tw. My favorite librarian said to send her an email, no problem. I linked a Twitter help mini-page in our home page in Webcourses, including the librarian's direct email address. Take a look.

^aAccurate description of Dr. B a few weeks ago. ;)

Writing Assignment 0 is closed.

I just looked over the list of 100 single sentence mail messages you submitted for writing assignment 0. Looks like there are about ten "no shows" who submitted nothing.

The rest of youse, good job!

I will start reading them today, and if a problem exists, I will reply to your mail message. If your topic is good, you will just get 2 points in the Writing assignment 0 row of your grades page.

I expect to release the Writing Assignment 1 directions sometime on Saturday. So for now, concentrate on last day of prep for exam 1 tomorrow (Friday).

Good

I am proud of youse guys for working the Discussion areas so hard this week.

I always tell my TAs that the more interactions a student can have with me, with the TAs, with classmates, with textbook, with Webcourses etc., the easier it will be for them to learn and snag a good grade for the semester.

Just finished more Tw for space shuttle exercise

I just streamed a bunch of narration and a diagram related to exercise 10, p. 73, which asks about the relative strength of gravity for the space shuttle on orbit at 400 km altitude.

Diagram is to scale, big and nice, and might help you sort out a bunch of other gravitational questions. Go into the Tw stream and click on the link to Week 2 files.

Still 62

There are still 62 of youse who have not submitted the one sentence course mail message that is writing assignment zero. Deadline is tonight, 11:59 PM.

GO GO GO!

Cool countdown timer

Nice new space shuttle countdown timer on our home page. Sweet.

23

There are 23 course mail messages in my Assignment Zero mailbox. Good. That is 20% of the class.

However, it also means that 80% of the class is slacking. GET AFTER IT!!

Google spreadsheet

I just dropped a link to a Google spreadsheet into Tw, #PSC1121projectile. I want to know how you like it. You might be able to download it as an Excel spreadsheet and mess around with it on your computer. Let me know in Discussions.

No personal grades info on Tw, please

Students, remember that Twitter is open for the world to view. So I cannot talk to you about your grades etc. in Tw.

Best place for specific questions about your grades etc. is in Webcourses, using course mail.

Physics questions are fine in Tw, though. Like what a baseball does, why gravity is such a weak physical force etc.

Tw projectile motion is done.

#PSC1121projectile is now done for today. Good set of two diagrams and the data page.

Microblogging in Twitter on projectile motion.

I am using subchannel #PSC1121projectile to tweet about projectile motion concepts in chapter 4 of the textbook. I think I will make a spreadsheet of numbers for an extra diagram to supplement Fig. 4-4, p. 63.

11

Another eight course mail messages for writing assignment 1, total 11. Yay! Keep it up.

3

Good. I just got my first three course mail messages concerning NASA numbers. SWEEEEET! Keep it up!!

Writing Assignment 0 is UP.

Writing assignment 0 is now ready for you to tackle. Look in the Week 2 learning module, item 8.

It might seem like a trivial task, but be careful, because all your other 48 writing points depend on your decision in this assignment! Think it over very carefully.

Due July 8, Wendesday, 11:59 PM.

Twitter acc. finished

I just concluded #PSC1121acc stream for today.

Twitter centripetal acceleration

I am going to tweet about centripetal acceleration and Fig. 4-4.

Questions about homework, mini-quizzes etc.

Here is my recommended work flow if you have a question about a mini-quiz item or something from a concept guide:

1. Instead of sending a course mail message to me...
2. Find the proper Discussions area for your subject.
3. Post your question in that Discussions area.
4. Make it one post for each mini-quiz item or homework problem.
5. I will coach you along in Discussions.
6. Once per day I will add to one Discussions post by branching out to Twitter for extra info.

I think this will make a good mixture of different styles of interaction.

Twitter vector done

Just finished up the vector subtraction Tw. I put together a good diagram for an example.

Twitter vector change

Twittering subtraction of two vectors, hash tag #PSC1121vector

Week 2 module is activated.

1. The Week 2 learning module is now active. Look on the home page for the cup of coffee icon for the folder of all learning modules.
2. More concept guides are in the Week 2 learning module. They are your study priority.
3. In the Week 2 learning module are some extra study tools:
   1. A spec sheet comparing Mars to Earth, which lets you see how the value of g on Earth's surface, 9.8 m/sec², compares to Mars. It's a PDF file.
   2. A prep tool to help you see what my exam questions can be like. It is a leftover mini-review from my spring 2009 lecture section. It's a set of 4 linked HTML pages.
4. Note: if you haven't noticed already, some of the textbook materials work with a rounded off value of g, 10 m/sec². Some of the text materials use a more precise value of 9.8 m/sec². I always use 9.8 m/sec² in exams!
5. I will probably release Writing Assignment 0 instructions over the weekend. To get ready for it, read and think about that article from Nature about the gravitational tractor. What do you find interesting or intriguing in that article?
6. Post substantive questions in the Discussion areas for chapters 2-4 and for chapter 5. I will coach you along there in Discussions.

Writing assignments

I will be announcing the exact specs and directions for Writing Assignment 0 next week, probably Writing Assignment 1, too.

For now, we have to get motion concepts down solid, so you should be studying

1. the concept guides and
2. the gravitational tractor article in Nature, item 9, Week 1 learning module
3. plus everything else in the Week 1 learning module.

Accelerator Twitter done

You can still review the stream of information on Twitter, channel #PSC1121acc from this morning. Good diagram - fun to make.

Twitter

Twitter conceptual question 27, chapter 2, concerning accelerators.

Hash tag: #PSC1121acc

Use course mail

I do not answer conventional email during the semester. So if you want to send a private message, use the course mail method in Webcourses.

Twitter done.

Sweet. I posted a nice diagram, too, as I worked through p. 11 in the PSM.

Twittering instantaneous speed and strobe photo from PSM

I am reviewing PSM 2.3 concerning instantaneous speed, strobe photos etc. The hashtag is #PSC1121strobe.

What you should be doing

Here is a short run down of what you should be up to this week:

1. Begin all your reading and study with the concept guide for each chapter. Right now we have a concept guide for chapters 2 and 3 available. Concept guides are the nucleus for everything we do! Give them priority.
2. Open up the problem solving manual (PSM) and work out a few problems, e.g., Example 2.8.1 is worked out on p. 17 and is related to other problems, such as #30 on p. 20.
3. Use the Webcourses mini-quiz for each chapter, and there are a lot of variations on how to use them. Be creative.
4. Type in questions in the Discussions area of Webcourses, e.g., "Questions about motion, the three laws and various trajectories." I will read and coach you there.
5. Keep eyes on the learning module, because if I come up with a new diagram that I like, I will post it there, midweek.
6. Read your textbook, of course.
7. Organizing your study -- we have approximately two chapters per week, so you have to stay on top of things.
8. Always keep an eye on this Announcements blogspot, every day.

This will give you some direction as to how to study. Remember, this is an online section, so you are too far away for me to nag three times a week. :) That makes it a lot like an independent study course. You are the boss of how much work you do, when and how.

If you are new to Twitter

I will be using Twitter for microblogging several processes this semester: diagramming, problem-solving and writing assignments. You will be able to look over all of my tweets 24/7 if you are not online exactly when I am. Here are a few comments on using Twitter.

1. You do not have to get a Twitter account. Just type in this address
            http//twitter.com/brainwave777x
   and refresh it every once in a while. Tou will see my tweets in your web browser.
2. If you want to "follow" my channel automatically, you have to join Twitter. Here are a few spec sheets for getting started:
   1. Where to join.
   2. What does it mean to "follow" in Twitter?
3. If you join Twitter, you can also contribute to the channel.
4. I will announce the "hash tags" to identify different subchannels for each task we work on.

Grading the SpaceShip Two discussion

I am grading the discussion posting, a few dozen at a time. Still 51 to go.

Meanwhile you can eyeball this graphic from the Scaled Composites company. They built SpaceShip One and sent it into space a few summers ago. The diagram shows the trajectory and so forth. Click it to view the full size image.

Chapter 2 and chapter 3 mini-quizzes are now active.

If you look in the Week 1 learning module, you will see that the mini-quizzes for chapter 2 and 3 are now active.

There are many ways to use the mini-quizzes as you study, before you study and after you study. Be creative!

You get an unlimited number of attempts up until exam 1. At about noon on June 10, the mini-quizzes will go off the air, so use them now!

To-do list still important.

Other than the diagnostic test, the to-do list is still important to complete. Now that the noon deadline extension has passed, there are no bonus points associated with these tasks, however. But get them done, anyway! We will need them this semester for other work.

Popup blockers will defeat quizzes.

I use Safari on my Powerbook, and normally have popup blocking at its strongest setting.

BUT, when I work in Webcourses, I have to turn it off. Popup blocking will prevent Webcourses from poping out a separate window for the quizzes and other objects.

It's a pain in the you-know-what, so remember to cut down the popup blocking.

101 diagnostic

I just updated the regular Webcourses area, PSC1121 - 09Summer_BW62, to reflect that 101 of you have taken the diagnostic test. Good.

After answering the consent quiz, those 101 students will be able to see all of the learning module for Week 1.

The rest of youse guys, get in there by noon to take the diagnostic quiz!!!!

4 for Elvis

I just gave grades for the Elvis papers in TurnItIn.com, for the four students who were brave enough to advance a theory about Elvis and his whereabouts.

For those of you who did not see the to-do list yet, it is just a practice assignment, messing around with TurnItIn.com, with a dummy paper on any topic, including Elvis!

12 hours more

I am extending the deadline for the bonus points offered in the to-do list until Tuesday 12:05 PM. That seems fair.

So the object formerly known as Monday to-do list is now a Tuesday noontime to-do list! :)

71

I just updated 71 students who have taken the diagnostic quiz, as of about 6:30 PM. After you take the consent quiz, the main learning module will light up.

I will update the diagnostic quiz data again at 8 PM tonight and each hour thereafter til I conk out for the night.

PSC1121 - 09Summer_BW62 is now open. GO GO GO!

OK, go to the regular Webcourses area now, PSC1121 - 09Summer_BW62. The to-do list is there, and you can get in some work on it now.

When you've finished the diagnostic quiz and the consent "quiz" then the learning module for Week 1 will light up. It looks like this:



So you can see the grading scheme, schedule, concept guides and so forth, all of which you want to dig into as soon as you can. Remember, summer B is a tight schedule.

Webcourses work area opens sometime today, supposedly.

The Webcourses admin has told me that our main work area in Webcourses, PSC1121 - 09Summer_BW62, will autopoulate all 120 of youse sometime today.

Check after lunch, and if Webcouses PSC1121 - 09Summer_BW62 still is not lighting up for you, check again after dinner time.

Announcements here until Aug. 7

I will be posting announcements here for the rest of Summer B, not at the Outpost blog.

Check this every morning and afternoon. When I add some new material or make a significant change in our course area, I always announce it here immediately.

You will find it easier to keep up with this course, expecially during accelerated Summer B schedule, if you check this page two or three times per day.

Sell back your textbook

I normally do not ask you all to buy books at the UCF bookstore, to keep confusion between sections at a minimum. Sometimes, though, you can sell back to the bookstore at semester's end.

If you have not sold back your textbook yet, you might be able to collect more money for it if you bypass the bookstore. Their price to buy back your book is pitifully low -- I heard $21 -- but they will then turn around your copy and sell it at an outrageous $133.

It really burns my grits.

So if you sell to a friend or roommate in August at $60, your friend or roommate will save significant dineros and you'll have more than the bookstore will give you at buy back.

Slowness on the my.ucf.edu channel

There appears to be a teeny bit of slowness on the my.ucf.edu channel, for the updating of grades. I can see all your semester grades, but apparently you guys cannot.

The registrar's office says the updating of grade rosters for students is still cruising along, and will finish up soon, so we will be polite and not get too fussy about it. :)

Writing 2 grades finished.

The last few grades are UP for Writing Assignment 2.

Unfortunately, I had to grade the last few manually, so none of my comments show on your GradeMark view. However, I typed my comments into the gradebook, and they will show up in your My Grades page, in the row titled "Writing 2 comment."

Those of you who have GradeMarks from earlier this week, your comments are in the GradeMark view.

Good night!

Final exam scores are UP.

Your final exam scores are now UP.

It will appear in your My Grades page as either "Final exam" or "Your final exam" -- which was my way of duplicating the exam: one version for those who took the survey, one for those who did not have the survey.

So do not be alarmed if you have a score with one of these two lines but not the other. The image below shows a slice of my My Grades page. Normal.



Normally, I do not give letter grades on individual exams, but if I did -- 50% passing up to 90% A -- here is how they would be distributed.



Exam performance was good: tough to get an A, yet not too many Ds or Fs. Average was about 71% -- a C+.