PHYS 114 A: General Physics

Welcome to PHYS 114 A. This is the first of a three-quarter sequence of introductory physics courses targeted for students in life sciences. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to develop algebra-based models to describe the physical world pertaining to mechanics, and apply them to other fields of science and everyday phenomena.

Due to the measures taken by the University, the course will be conducted entirely online. Please note that screenshots or recordings of instructors, other students, and course materials during active video (Zoom) participation sessions are strictly forbidden. Streaming or posting inappropriate materials on any course platform is also not allowed. Any student caught engaging in this behavior will be reported to the Student Conduct Office.

Given the sudden change not all details have been finalized, and it is also possible that some details may need to change depending on how things proceed.

Getting started

• Please note that you have already purchased the access code for the eTextbook and online homework platform (MyLab and Mastering) as a part of your registration fee.
• Information on how to access MyLab and Mastering can be found here.
• The access code is: PSPKSA-BEGAD-SIREN-ABATE-CABBY-CAIRD
• Troubleshooting for common issues with MyLab and Mastering is listed here.

Getting help

• Use the discussion board (click "Discussions" on the menu on the left) for physics questions or syllabus related questions. The TAs and I will monitor this frequently and will respond if needed. You are also encouraged to use this to organize online study groups using Zoom.
• You are strongly encouraged to attend my or the TA's office hours on Zoom. The complete list of office hours will be published here shortly.
• For personal correspondence related to lecture or tutorial, contact the lecture instructor. Contact the 11X administrator for questions regarding registering, overloading, etc. 

• Lecture instructor	Kazumi Tolich <ktolich@uw.edu>
  11X administrator	Susan Miller <susanh82@uw.edu>

Class components

• You can see all the components required in a given week by clicking on the "Modules" menu on the left. All the course assignments become available at least one week before they are due.
• This class consists of the following components:
  • Lectures: 
    Lectures will not be held at the scheduled times. You will work at your own pace before due dates. Engagement will occur through graded discussions and numerous office hours through Zoom. The lectures will include the following graded components.
    • Pre-lecture reading quiz:
      After reading the assigned reading for each day (see schedule below), you should complete the quizzes related to the reading on MyLab and Mastering.

• • • Lecture reading discussion:
      After reading the assigned reading for each day (see schedule below), you should complete the discussion assignment related to the reading on the Canvas group discussion board.
    • Lecture video quiz:
      After you do Pre-lecture quiz and reading discussion, you should watch the lecture video and answer video quiz. The videos and associated slides will become available under the "Panopto Recordings" and "Files" menu on the left.  Quizzes will be embedded in these videos.

• • Tutorials: 
    Tutorials will not be held at the scheduled times. You will work at your own pace before due dates. Engagement will occur through graded discussions and numerous office hours through Zoom. The tutorials will include the following graded components.
    • Tutorial Pre-test:
      You should complete the pre-test on Canvas. Once you open, the pretests are available for only 30 minutes, and after time is up, your answers will be automatically submitted. Please keep a record of your confirmation page.

• • • Tutorial discussion:
      Tutorial question slides will become available under "Files" menu on the left. You should complete the tutorial discussion assignment on the Canvas group discussion board. If necessary, the TAs will give you guidance after the the video quiz is due.
    • Tutorial video quiz:
      After you do the tutorial discussion, you should watch the tutorial video and answer video quiz. The videos will become available under the "Panopto Recordings" on the left.  Quizzes will be embedded in these videos.

Grades

• Your grade will be calculated based on the following contributions

  Component	​Percentage
  ​Exams	​60%
  Pre-lecture reading quiz	20%
  Lecture discussions	5%
  ​Video quiz	​10%
  ​Tutorial discussion	​3%
  ​Tutorial pre-test	​2%

• Exams

  • Your exam grade will be based on one of the following methods that give you the best grade:

    • 40% from your two midterm exams and 20% from your final exam
    • 20% from your best midterm and 40% from your final exam
    • 30% each from your two midterms 

    The best option will be picked for you automatically based on your performance.

    • Midterm exam 1 on April 28th starting between 9:25am and 9:45am or between 4:55pm and 5:15pm (PDT) for 1 hour.
    • Midterm exam 2 on May 19th starting between 9:25am and 9:45am or between 4:55pm and 5:15pm (PDT) for 1 hour.
    • Final exam on June 9th starting between 2:25pm and 2:45pm  or June 11th starting between 8:25am and 8:45am (PDT) for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

• • All exams are open-book and administered on Canvas. Communication with others is not permitted.
  • Note that there are no make-up exams. So, students with outside professional, service, or career commitments (i.e. military service, ROTC, professional conference presentation, NCAA sports, etc.) conflicting with the exam dates must contact me early in the quarter to establish alternate examination procedures. Exam scores for students who miss an exam without making prior arrangements will be zero.

• Lectures

  • Pre-lecture quiz:
  • You have up to 5 attempts for each question. For each wrong answer 10% of the grade is subtracted. At the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%). Note that practice problems, adaptive follow-ups, and dynamic study modules available also through Mastering are not graded, but great for your study.
  • Lecture reading discussion:
    You will be given credit for either asking a question or answering a question already asked on the discussion board, or discussing a part of the reading you found particularly interesting. These are graded based on a thoughtful attempt, not on correctness. This is designed to have you carefully think about the reading. Simply giving away answers to video quizzes such as "the answer is A" is not allowed and will not get credit for this assignment. At the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%).
  • Lecture video quiz:
    You will be graded based 80% on participation and 20% based on correctness, and at the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%).

• Tutorials

  • Tutorial pre-test:
  • They are graded based on an honest attempt, so you will receive credit as long as you have attempted most of the questions, even if you run out of time. At the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%).
  • Tutorial discussion:
    You will be given credit for either asking a question about the tutorial material of the week or answering a question already asked on the discussion board. These are graded based on a thoughtful attempt, not on correctness. This is designed to have you carefully think about the questions on the tutorial slides. Simply giving away answers to video quizzes such as "the answer is A" is not allowed and will not get credit for this assignment. At the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%).
  • Tutorial video quiz:
    You will be graded based 80% on participation and 20% based on correctness, and at the end of the quarter your score will be scaled by 1.25 (but not allowed to go over 100%).

Reading schedule

• Reading schedule.

Access and accommodation

• Your experience in this class is important to me, so if you have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical), please see details here.

Safe campus

• I am committed to ensuring a safe environment on campus. I suggest you check out the resources available here.

Religious Accommodations

• Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Academic integrity and student conduct

• The University takes academic integrity and student conduct very seriously. Behaving with integrity and respect is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. Acts of academic misconduct may include, but are not limited to, cheating by sharing answers on exams.
• The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/.
• If you’re uncertain about if something is academic and behavioral misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.