Last learning module, O for Oceans, is for bonus points.

Learning module O for Oceans is now ready.

It is your last learning module for the semester -- actually a blast from the past, reviewing first week's reading topics from Ch. 24, but with a few more in depth concepts added in.

I will be grading the mini-quiz for bonus points, so make sure you make an excellent effort.

Next learning module will be up later today.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day and break from school!

Our next to last learning module will be up today, probably after lunch.

Learning module J is up.

You can now go to the next learning module, concerning rocks and minerals, Learning Module J. It's due date is modified in the syllabus to Nov. 16, 5 PM.

Learning module, modified schedule

I am in the process of modifying the schedule of learning modules. We are about one week behind, but we are still looking good, because of some built-in extra time for Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Keep alert. I am modifying the syllabus mini-quiz schedule but not the final exam, of course.

Vote!

I was on line Saturday afternoon for four hours so that I could vote early and teach all day tomorrow, Tuesday.

Make sure to get your vote cast tomorrow, if you have not already done so! This is a big election. Voting is good.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…

Learning module I is ready.

The next learning module on solutions and dissolving is now ready. It is Learning Module I. New deadline is 11/8, Thursday, 5 PM.

Learning module I

I am still fussing with mini-quiz I -- not quite right yet.

So the Learning Module I will be delayed a day or so, til Monday, latest.

Have a great weekend for homecoming!

Exam 3 ready

Exam 3 is ready for special early 8 AM launch.

It has 39 regular questions, one bonus question, for a total of 40 questions, including one two-pointer calculation and one three-pointer super-hot brain burner bonus question. Due to that bonus question, you can crush it and actually go 43/40.

But remember: WE know the syllabus and that this is a 40 point test in our grade scheme, but Webcourses doesn't know from bonus pointage or grade schemes, so in Webcourses is just looks like a 43 point assessment.

Learning module G, the quantum world

You can now dive into the next learning module, concerning quantum physics and the periodic table.

Bonus points up

A few students have earned a bonus point or so through the Exam 1 and Exam 2 bonus question Discussions areas. Check your My Grades page in Webcourses.

Here is what my bonus point subtotal looks like:

Scores UP; mini-quiz deadline today

The mini-quiz F pointage deadline is today, 5 PM. Don't miss it.

Your midterm exam 2 scores are now up. Look on your My Grades page in Webcourses.

Extra time, extra early

I am going to open the exam early today, just for some extra convenience, on account of the W deadline coming up. So look for it at 8 AM, if you are up for it.

It will still go off the air at 10 PM, per syllabus schedule.

Bonus point opportunity

You can earn a bonus point by creating a good question for Exam 2. If it is good enough for me to use in Exam 2, it will earn you one bonus point. Very handy at the end of the semester.

Look in Discussions.

I have activated Learning Module F.

Learning module F will not be on Exam 2 this week, but you can get in a few attempts on the mini-quiz this week. The deadline for mini-quiz F is this Friday, 5 PM.

Learning module F material will be on Exam 3.

Mini-quiz E OK for re-study; learning module E2 is up.

You can now get in and tackle Learning Module E2.

For re-study, though not for points, you can now get back in and re-try Mini-quiz E.

Mini-quiz D re-set for study.

I am posting pointage this morning for those of you who made the Monday deadline for mini-quiz D. Then I will re-release it in study mode: you can retry it for study purposes, but it will not go for the four points on the semester grade.

Learning module E ready to go.

The next learning module is ready for action, concerning springs and oscillatory motion.

Mini-quiz E deadline is Friday, Sept. 28, at 5 PM.

Bonus points opportunity

You have a bonus points opportunity in Discussions. It involves creation of a new question for Exam 1, viz.

Bonus point opportunity:
Post a question for Exam 1 that you create, based on your notes, readings or other materials for modules A, B and C.

Here are the rules:

1. Create a multiple choice question with four or five options.
2. Indicate the correct option with an * asterisk.
3. In the Subject box, type in a short phrase that decries your question.
4. Below your question's options, skip a few lines and type in the page in the textbook where another student can study up on the correct concept.
5. Dr. Brueckner will comment or maybe ask you to revise the question.
6. If your question is good enough to use on the exam, you will earn one bonus point.
7. Take a look at the example question on friction and work.

The bonus questions can make a nifty study guide, too.

Mini-quiz B to "study only" mode.

I just reactivated mini-quiz B in "study only" mode. You can re-study with it, but, since the deadline passed on Friday, 5 PM, you can no longer earn the 4 points on your semester grade.

If you missed the deadline, do not miss out on mini-quiz C's deadline. You can still earn a top grade if you miss one of these deadlines, but if you make it your practice for other mini-quizzes, the semester grade level you can attain lowers rapidly. No more napping!

GO! for launch, Learning Module C.

You are now cleared for launch on Learning Module C. The deadline is Sept. 4, this Friday, at 5 PM. Make the deadline and get the four points.

Pointage and study mode on mini-quiz A

I just posted the pointage on your semester grade from taking mini-quiz A by the deadline, last Friday. If you socred at least one item correctly, it earned you 4 points on the semester grade. Otherwise, it is zero.

If you missed taking it by the deadline, as a few of you did, then you can still take mini-quiz A now in study mode. It will be available until Sept. 20, 9:30 AM, the day of our first midterm exam.

Learning module B is GO.

You are now GO for launch on Learning Module B.

GO for Exam 3

Exam 3 is now GO for launch.

Be ready to crush Exam 3 at 10:05 AM.

Bonus question, exam 3

Write up a good question to contribute to Exam 3, and see if you can earn that bonus point, under the usual conditions.

Bonus points are very handy, so do not be caught nappin' now in the last week of the semester.

Last learning module UP.

As you perfect your naval strategy for defeating space aliens, you must apply the physical facts of water as it exists on our planet.

Leaning module J will help you accomplish that expertise.

GO! GO! GO!

Now it gets interesting: Learning module I

The next-to-last learning module is now ready, learning module I. It has some extra reading on Linus Pauling, a very interesting guy who won two Nobel prizes.

Learning module H is running.

You can now look into Learning Module H.

GO! GO! GO!

Mini-quiz subtotal

I am working on a new row in your My Grades page on Webcourses. It will show the subtotal of your mini-quiz pointage, so it'll be a multiple of 4. It is not cooperating right now, but I hope to get it squared away shortly.

With this number you can easily estimate your pointage total for the semester.

Learning module goes active at 10:01 PM tonight.

For you night owls, I have set up Learning Module G to go active at 10:01 PM tonight. Now that we have the basic concepts of waves, energy and interaction, we can dip down into the quantum world of photons and electrons, nuclei and atoms. Lots of study and thinking required.

Exam 2 is running now.

Just as Ryan "Rhino" Anderson brings such high dangerness from downtown, so you also must now go hit Exam 2: Time for you to launch a 40 pointer.

Another shot at bonus pointage.

Bonus point opportunity:

Post a question for a midterm or final exam.

In this case, you create a question for our Exam 2 on Thursday, based on your notes, readings or other materials.

Here are the rules:

1. Create a multiple choice question with four or five options.
2. Indicate the correct option with an * asterisk.
3. In the Subject box, type in a short phrase that decries your question.
4. Below your question's options, skip a few lines and type in the page in the textbook where another student can study up on the correct concept.
5. Dr. Brueckner will comment or maybe ask you to revise the question.
6. Only if your question is good enough to use on the exam, you will earn one bonus point.
7. Take a look at the example question on wavelength.

The bonus questions can make a nifty study guide, too.

GO! GO! GO!

Last module for Exam 2.

You can now tackle learning module F on electricity. It is the last module for Exam 2.

Learning module D is up.

You can now start working on heat concepts for learning module D. We have three more learning modules coming up. Refer to the syllabus.

Your Exam 1 score

You should now be able to view your Exam 1 score, on your My Grades page in Webcourses.

Don't forget, this was a 40 point test with 2 bonus points. So your percentage is your score/40. However, Webcourses is not smart enough to distinguish the subtleties of bonus points, so to Webcourses, it still looks like a 42 point exam. Make sure that YOU remember the true way to look at your score, thereby outsmarting Webcourses. :D

Exam 1 results

I normally do not give out letter grades on exams, only for semester grades, but if I did give letter grades, the average on Exam 1 would be about C-, a little low. (I usually like the average to be about a C.)

Here is the histogram:

There are a lot of C's, as usual, but too many F grades relative to A grades.

So I took a look at the amount of study time that the A students and the F students logged in Webcourses for the first week (last week) and for this week up to 10 AM Friday, just before the exam. Here are the relative proportions of study time.

Can you see a difference between A and F groups? What does that tell you about modifying your own study methods?

Exam 1 is running.

Students are now taking Exam 1. Webcourses is GO for Exam 1. Get in there as soon as you can and get the exam squared away.

Exam 1 today

Your first midterm exam is today, available at 10:05 AM, must finish before 11:59 PM. You will have 60 minutes to complete it.

Bonus points opportunity, next 18 hours

Bonus point opportunity:

Every semester, I initiate a study activity for bonus points: post a question for a midterm or final exam.

In this case, you create a question for out Exam 1 tomorrow (Friday), based on your notes, readings or other materials.

Here are the rules:

1. Create a multiple choice question with four or five options.
2. Indicate the correct option with an * asterisk.
3. In the Subject box, type in a short phrase that decries your question.
4. Below your question's options, skip a few lines and type in the page in the textbook where another student can study up on the correct concept.
5. Dr. Brueckner will comment or maybe ask you to revise the question.
6. Only if your question is good enough to use on the exam, you will earn one bonus point.
7. Take a look at the example question on friction and work.

The bonus questions can make a nifty study guide, too.

GO! GO! GO!

Exam 1 tomorrow

You have a one-hour exam tomorrow covering modules A, B and C.

1. 40 points
2. About 40 questions -- sometimes a few less than 40 if I use some 2-point questions.
3. One hour to complete it, about the same as a regular lecture section has on a midterm exam.
4. Available at 10:05 AM, must be submitted by 11:59 PM, so find a one hour block of time that
   1. fits your schedule and
   2. starts after 10:05 AM and ends before 11:59 PM
5. 
   Make sure your computer is working like a champion, and
6. also make sure that, wherever you are, the internet services is solid,
7. because if your computer or ISP flakes out on you, your exam is complete and utter TOAST, nothing I can do to help you. So be paranoid about your computer and ISP.
8. All the mini-quizzes go off the air at 9:30 AM until midnight.
9. Grades usually will be released on Saturday morning, first thing.

Mini-quiz B on the books, now, too.

You now have pointage set from taking mini-quiz B.
For those of you who have not taken it yet,

1. you can still take it for study purposes, but
2. because it is now past the deadline, you cannot get points from it for your semester grade.

Your "N/A" will compute as a zero in the semester grade total.

For some of you, this is the second mini-quiz deadline you have missed.  If your plan is to receive an F for the semester, this is definitely one way to go.  But if you plan to pass and graduate, get in and follow the syllabus schedule carefully.

Mini-quiz A pointage is now on the books.

You now have pointage set from taking mini-quiz A.

If you have not taken it yet,

1. you can still take it for study purposes, but
2. because it is now past the deadline, you cannot get points from it for your semester grade.

Your "N/A" will compute as a zero in the semester grade total.

Mini-qizzes GO!

I see that Carolin P. is already on the scoreboard for Mini-quiz A. Good.

To-do list, Summer B first week

Here is your "to-do list" for the first week of Summer B:

1. Obtain the textbook, of course.
2. Skim and look over the photos and diagrams or chapter 24 of the textbook.
3. Work on the Oceans 1 mini-quiz.
4. Familiarize yourself with the Summer B syllabus.
5. Take a look at the extra readings about the Floridan aquifer.
6. Get the exam schedule cleared at your place of employment. The exam schedule is in the syllabus.
7. Get to work on learning module A.
8. Complete mini-quiz A by Friday evening to get full pointage.
9. Subscribe to the iTunes U podcast.

If you have questions about these items, post a query in Webcourses, in the discussion area "General questions."

Welcome aboard!

Summer B students get ready

If you are wondering what to do to get ready for Summer B PSC1121, here are a few tips:

1. If you get the textbook, you can start reading forward from chapter 2 to chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6, then 8.
2. I always tell the students to first view the photos and diagrams, with their captions, just to get a feel for the concepts.
3. Then you can start reading the text relative to any of the diagrams or photos that catch your fancy.
4. Also, read chapter 24 on water. It is always my informal target chapter, in that the early chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 will make the concepts in ch. 24 a lot more understandable.

If you can do some skimming of those chapters prior to Summer B, you will be able to crank on the other mini-quizzes and study outlines that become available in Webcourses when Summer B starts on June 25.

Final exam scores look decent.

Your final exam scores, on the REAL final exam, look decent. Good work, everybody who has taken it.

Final exam reset

There has been a major fault. I will restart the final exam and give you all plenty of availability. I am very sorry for the stress.

I hope to have it reconfigured by 7:30 PM tonight, and there will be plenty of time, lasting until tomorrow evening.

Stay tuned.

Final exam specs plus strategy

I just published a little blurb page on final exam specs, with a bit of study strategy in there, too. Look on the home page.

Next learning module.

Learning module H is now ready. We will have another two small modules next week.

Learning module G is now ready.

You can now get going on learning module G, for which the center is the wave nature of the electron and the periodic table.

There is also a small mini-quiz that is packed with concepts.

Podcast covering concepts from chapters 6, 8 and 9

There is a new podcast that reviews some basic concepts from Ch. 6 and extends to atomic and molecular bonding concepts from Ch. 8 and Ch. 9. View all the diagrams and calculations by using GET or SUBSCRIBE button to download.

Module F on the electric field is now ready.

Image: Jessie from lecture section getting her hair to stand on end, by contact with a van de Graaff generator

You can now go tackle learning module F on the electric field. We will have two more small modules next week.

About the final exam

SPECS FOR THE FINAL EXAM:

1. The final exam will be cumulative, from the first day of classes until the end of the semester, including the next two weeks of material.
2. You will get 2 hours, 50 minutes, just like the lecture sections.
3. However, it is scheduled for the "free period" during final exam week, so availability is slightly different: 1:00 - 9:50 PM, so slightly smaller window of time than a midterm.
4. It will be double the size of a midterm, so 80 points, maybe 80 questions or so.
5. You cannot reschedule it. Get your job schedule, travel schedule etc. re-arranged now!

Learning module E2

We have a continuation of learning module E, more about waves. It is fairly easy, so go take a shot.

1. concept guide E2,
2. Mini-quiz E2
3. and do not forget to pepper up the discussion boards with questions if your brain is getting toasted.

New podcast, new learning module

The new learning module, Module D about thermal energy, is available right now for work this week. With it is a new mini-podcast on melting ice, in our iTunes U area.

I will release another learning module on Thursday evening.

Space weather today

NOAA Space Weather today, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/today.html

Exam 2 scores are up.

You can now view your Exam 2 score on the My Grades page in Webcourses.

Exam 2 is running.

Your exam 2 is now running. You get one hour and must finish by 11:59 PM tonight.

Bonus points opportunity

Bonus point opportunity:
Post a question in Discussions, that you create, based on you notes, readings or other materials.

Here are the rules

1. Create a multiple choice question with four or five options.
   
2. Indicate the correct option with an * asterisk.
   
3. In the Subject box, type in a short phrase that decries your question.
   
4. Below your question's options, skip a few lines and type in the date of lecture or page in the textbook where another student can study up on the correct concept.
   
5. Dr. B and our TA Chloee' Hanks comment or maybe ask you to revise the question.
   
6. If your question is good enough to use on Exam 2, you will earn one bonus point.

The bonus questions can make a nifty study guide, too.

Open for office hour, 9 PM tonight

OK, I just reset the start and stop time, so drop in for discussion at 9 PM.

Goof up

Sorry, online office hours was supposed to be for 9 PM tonight (not 9 AM). I am going to try to reset and restart it for 9 PM.

New learning module; office hours

Your new learning module C has been up and ready to work on for a few days. Look in the Learning modules folder in Webcourses.

ALSO: We will try out the university's Adobe Connect service for online office hour tonight. This method of online office hours uses Adobe Connect through your web browser. Here are the specs:

1. Meeting Name: Thursday evening, 2/16
2. Summary: Meet Dr. Brueckner and discuss questions about our course work.
3. Invited By: Thomas Brueckner
4. When: 02/16/2012 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
5. Time Zone: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada)
6. 
   To join the meeting, use the link published in Webcourses with the Adobe Connect icon.

"Your Exam 1 score"

Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many semesters I must set up several versions of each midterm exam, all of them equivalent, to accommodate special conditions for one or more students in the section. This holds for lecture as well as this online section.

Webcourses allows me to assign the versions to specific students or groups of students, but the My Grades page does not allow me to display one version per student. For one student to see his score on his version, ALL students will see that row in My Grades, even though they have no data in that row.

As a result, on your My Grades page in Webcourses, you will see a few different rows of various versions of the first midterm exam. To resolve the ambiguity for students and to make grading easier for me, I have created one summary row for everyone, "Your Exam 1 score," in which everyone will have their version score displayed. So everyone will have two rows with a score:

1. "Your Exam 1 score" and
   
2. the score on the version of the midterm exam that you took.

Try to remember this when you look at your My Grades page. Confusing at first, but you will get used to it. I will try to make it more streamlined in later exams.

Two new podcasts

There are now two new mini-podcasts about Newton's three laws of motion, integral to Learning Module B.

You can view all the diagrams, notes and equations by following the directions in the YouTube in the iTunes U folder.

New learning module

Learning module B is now available in Webcourses. Look in the Learning Modules folder on the home page.

Also: expect at least two new mini-podcasts in iTunes U on Newton's three laws of motion.

Forces

It is interesting to see the interplay of forces relative to the trajectories of these aircraft landing in Dusseldorf, Germany.

A podcast for Ch. 2 example 2.4

We have an iTunes U podcast area that can be really helpful. I just created a new mini-podcast on how to work out Example 2.4 on acceleration and velocity.

Click on the iTunes folder on the Webcourses home page. There is an embedded YouTube there on how to view all the diagrams, equations and notes in the artwork track of each podcast.

Once you get into the iTunes U podcasting area, it looks like this.

Click the GET button and then the SUBSCRIBE button for future podcasts. I will try to create a new mini-podcast every week or so.

By the way, I will be going over the Example 2.4 on Monday with my lecture section, so you all are slightly ahead of them, by about one day. Nice.

First main learning module

I have just activated Learning Module A, concerning basic motion concepts like Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion. In the learning module you'll find

1. a concept guide with study outline, vocabulary, suggested questions and problems etc.
2. a mini-quiz to take and see how well you can handle the concepts
3. a few other reading links, for extra power.
   

This learning module should direct your studies for the next week or so.

Be on the alert for announcements here if I create any new learning objects for this module.

Welcome to spring semester online section of PSC1121

When Webcourses opens on Monday, you'll have a small intro module to work during this first week, whilst everyone is dropping, adding and swapping. So until Saturday, here are the things to work on:

1. 
   Obtain the textbook, of course.
   
2. Skim and look over the photos and diagrams or chapter 24 of the textbook.
   
3. Work on the Oceans 1 mini-quiz.
   
4. Familiarize yourself with the syllabus.
   
5. Take a look at the extra readings about the Floridan aquifer.
   
6. Get the exam schedule cleared at your place of employment. The exam schedule is in the syllabus.
   
7. See if you can in any way rearrange your schedule so as to swap over to my lecture section, PSC1121-0003, which meets MWF at 10:30 - 11:20 AM in BA119. There are still a few seats, and you will find it way easier to earn a good grade in the lecture section.

Welcome aboard!