Climate Change

Moodle

I'll use moodle.goshen.edu for many class assignments.

I *think* if your iPad is configured for your GC account, due dates in Moodle should automatically show up in your iPad / Google calendar.

Grades & class activities

minimum grade outcomes:

A/A- 93%/90
B+/B/B- 87%/83/80
C+/C/C- 77%/73/70
D+/D 67%/60
F < 60%

I may adjust this scheme down a bit (e.g. 68% might end up being good enough for an C-), but I certainly won't adjust it up.

Assignments & quizzes

Bring paper and pen/pencil to every class. Many classes will involve some sort of individual or group written response and/or some calculations. These in-class assignments cannot be made up if you miss class (though they will be pro-rated if you have a valid excuse.)

Occasional quizzes (graded) will function as textbook material reviews, or provide accountability for required readings. Both are useful preparation for exams.

Exercises from the textbook will be assigned. These will almost always be reviewed, and sometimes they will be graded.

Late work

• If you turn something in by the due date it will not be counted late.
• If you turn something in late, but you've turned it in before I actually start grading the assignment, I will not count it late.
• Any work that comes in after I've started grading an assignment will be counted late, but not zero!: It is always worth turning something in rather than nothing!

  If I cover the answers in class before you turn it in, you will receive just a few points. If the assignment is asking for your reactions and reflections then I will typically award more points even if an assignment is late.

Exams

A portion of each exam will be drawn directly from the concept checks, as well as the suggested exercises in Hobson, both those handed in as well as those not handed in.

Exam dates will be published on the class schedule at least 1 week ahead of time. Make up exams are not possible unless prior arrangements are made, or you have a medical problem come up that is documented by a healthcare provider treating you.

Exams and quizzes are on paper. Questions are mostly multiple choice (and multiple answer: There's a possibility of more than one answer being correct!) and short responses.

Laboratories

Yes, this is a 3 credit hour course, but yes we also have a lab. Because of the lab component, the amount of non-lab work is less than in a regular [non-lab] 3 credit hour course.

You should be signed up for one of the two possible lab times. Occasionally we may spend a non-lab class period in the lab.

Every Thursday (and occasional other class days) will be spent on lab / learning investigations that you will carry out in small groups. Labs will meet in either SC 008 or SC 001. You will find instructions for these labs in Moodle, as pdf files.

A substantial part of this lab material consists of the "Explorations in Physics" Thermal Physics module by Priscilla Laws, David Jackson, and Scott Franklin.

One major tip for the lab portion of the class:

• Feel free to check your results and graphs with your lab instructor during the lab and before you leave. Sometimes I can quickly identify misunderstandings or confustions.
• For sure, check your results and graphs before you dis-assemble any equipment!

Participation and attendance

Go to class! Seriously, unless you are half dead, go!

- Megan Taylor, Salem College, ’15

• Class attendance is important. Don't miss out!
• But things will come up in the rest of your full lives. You do not need to give me an excuse if you miss class once or twice.
• However, if you are absent 3 times I'll assume that there is a larger problem with your physical or mental health / car / family complications / romantic drama. I will meet with you and we will try to identify the issue(s) and strategize together about how to solve them.
• If you find yourself struggling in class, 2 absences will be too many.
• No such grace on lab attendance: Absence from labs impacts not only you, but also your lab partner who might be waiting to start / finish an activity if you don't show. If you must miss any lab time, you must communicate with both your lab instructor and your lab partner(s) ahead of time.

The participation portion of your grade will reflect unwarranted absences (more than 2), as well as your engagement with class activities.

Collaboration and Academic Honesty

You are encouraged to use all available resources in order to learn the concepts, skills, and content of this course.

• Talk with other students and the instructor!
• Form study and homework groups!
• Go to the library and find books!
• Ask a librarian for help in finding resources!
• Find useful web pages!

Collaboration, and building on the works of others are how almost all academic work by professors, researchers, students, writers gets done.

However, copying someone else's work or presenting AI-generated text as your own writing sabotages your own learning process and hides the truth about what is your work and what is the work of others.

Academic Integrity (GC Policy 2024)

Academic dishonesty is any act that misrepresents your academic work or interferes with the academic work of others. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: cheating, falsification of data, submission of your same or similar paper without professor consent, sabotaging the work of another, or plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas or words (sentences, clauses, or distinct phrases) without quotation or citation. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask.

Cases of academic dishonesty are reported to the Associate Academic Dean, who oversees the Academic Integrity and Grievance policy. Penalties for academic dishonesty are listed in the college catalog and range from redoing the assignment to dismissal from the college.

Disability/ Accessibility Accommodations

Goshen College is committed to providing all students equitable access to programs and facilities. Students who need accommodations based on disability should contact the Academic Success Center (ASC). Students must register with the ASC before faculty are required to provide reasonable accommodations. For more information or to register, please contact the Director of Academic Success, Michelle Blank, Good Library 109H, mblank@goshen.edu or 574-535-7526. To ensure that learning needs are met, contact the ASC the first week of classes. More information at: goshen.edu/campuslife/asc/disability-services.

Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty is any act that misrepresents your academic work or interferes with the academic work of others. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: cheating, falsification of data, submission of your same or similar paper without professor consent, sabotaging the work of another, or plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas or words (sentences, clauses, or distinct phrases) without quotation or citation. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask.

Cases of academic dishonesty are reported to the Associate Academic Dean, who oversees the Academic Integrity and Grievance policy. Penalties for academic dishonesty are listed in the college catalog and range from redoing the assignment to dismissal from the college.