Course Syllabus

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PHYS 2015:  Spring 2019

General Physics Laboratory with a Life Science Focus

COURSE SYLLABUS

NOTE TO POTENTIAL STUDENTS:  WE ARE VERY SORRY, BUT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE PERMISSION CODES FOR SECTIONS THAT ARE FULL.  WE ONLY HAVE SPACE AND EQUIPMENT FOR 24 STUDENTS PER SECTION AND THEREFORE CANNOT ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL STUDENTS.  OUR APOLOGIES!

This class will meet for the first time on the second week of classes, Thursday January 17 and Friday January 18.

Instructor:  Prof. Jordan Gerton

TAs: 

Learning Assistants:

Credit hours: 1

Course website: https://utah.instructure.com/courses/541307

Location: Crocker Science Center room 022 (basement)

Deadlines:

  • Friday, January 11:  Last day to add without a permission code
  • Friday, January 18: Last day to add or drop (delete) the course
  • Friday, March 8: Last day to withdraw from the course
  • Tuesday, April 23: Last day of classes

Meeting Times:

Lab Section Meeting Times LAs & TAs
2015-001 TH 10:45am-1:45pm Jhorg Garcia & Sanduni Fernando
2015-002 TH 6:00pm-9:00pm Liz Nguyen & Jason May
2015-003 FRI 10:45am-1:45pm Linh Luong & Jason May
2015-004 TH 2:00pm-5:00pm Jashan Sandhu & Sanduni Fernando

Weekly Schedule:

Week Dates Lab Activity
1 JAN 10-11 Off
2 JAN 17-18 Lab Intro
3 JAN 24-25 Lab 1A
4 JAN 31-FEB 1 Lab 1B - Lab 1 reports due
5 FEB 7-8 Lab 2A
6 FEB 14-15 Lab 2B - Lab 2 reports due
7 FEB 21-22 Lab 3A
8 FEB 28-MAR 1 Lab 3B
9 MAR 7-8 Lab 3C - Lab 3 reports due
10 MAR 14-15 OFF - Spring Break
11 MAR 21-22 Lab 4A
12 MAR 28-29 Lab 4B - Lab 4 reports due
13 APR 4-5 Lab 5A
14 APR 11-12 Lab 5B - Lab 5 reports due
15 APR 18-19 Makeup Lab
16 APR 25-26 OFF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goals and Objectives:  In this course, our hope is that you will learn how physics principles can be used to explore and explain biological systems.  This is the first semester of a two-semester lab sequence that includes PHYS 2015 and PHYS 2025.  These courses are loosely associated with the corresponding lecture courses (PHYS 2010 and 2020), which must be taken prior to or at the same time as the lab courses, but we make no explicit attempt to synchronize the topics between the lecture and laboratory courses. 

PHYS 2015 generally covers mechanical motion, including 1- and 2-D kinematics, forces and dynamics, diffusion, motion under constant force, and directed motion under drag forces.  Our goal is that you will learn to utilize the relevant physics principles and to engage in authentic scientific practices during weekly laboratory sessions.  You will work in teams to develop your own investigations to answer particular scientific questions.  We hope you will also learn how to quantify the certainty of your results and conclusions, how to justify your assumptions and experimental methods, and how to communicate your results and arguments to others. 

Inclusion:  The PHYS 2015 instructional staff is here to help you learn, and we want you to succeed in this class.  We expect the entire PHYS 2015 community – students, instructors, TAs, and LAs – will strive to be an inclusive and supportive community, appreciative of the many perspectives that come from us each bringing to the class different backgrounds and beliefs. We expect all members of this community to be respectful of each other, and to strive to create a community that facilitates self-expression, inquiry, and learning.

If you have already established accommodations with the Center for Disability and Access (CDA - https://disability.utah.edu/), please communicate your approved accommodations to Prof. Gerton at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. If you have not yet established services through CDA, but 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 or health impacts), you are welcome to contact CDA at 801-581-5020 to make an appointment. General information for students can be found under the "Students" tab CDA website. CDA offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s), and CDA. It is important to the University of Utah to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Expectations for Students:  Most of your work for this course will be accomplished during the weekly 3-hour laboratory sessions.  Because of this, and because you will be working in teams, attendance in laboratory sessions is critical to your and your teammates success.  Thus, we expect you to make all attempts to arrive on time if not early for your section each week - tardiness and absences will be recorded and will affect your participation score (see below). 

Because your work will be done during the laboratory sessions, it's really important for you to prepare before arriving for your session by completing all pre-lab readings and assignments - otherwise, you will likely have difficulty completing your work.  Also, your team is much more likely to complete your work if you all actively participate and work together to develop, pursue, document and communicate your investigations.

Grading:  There are no exams for this course – your grade will be determined by your team lab reports, individual participation, completion of pre-lab assignments, maintaining a team lab notebook, and completing a FLAME project (described below).  The table below shows more specific information about how your final score will be tabulated and the approximate thresholds that will be used to assign grades at the end of the course - please note, I reserve the right to make these thresholds more generous at the end of the semester, but I will not make them more difficult.

Category Percent of Final Score Final Score Grade
Lab 1 report 8% >93% A
Lab 2 report 15% >90% A-
Lab 3 report 20% >87% B+
Lab 4 report 18.5% >83% B
Lab 5 report 18.5% >80% B-
Pre-Lab Assignments 7.5% >77% C+
Class Participation 7.5% >73% C
Reflection Project 5% >70% C-
>60% D
<60% E

Grading Categories:

  1. Lab Reports (80% of final grade):  Lab reports are products of your entire team rather than individual members.  They will be graded using the general rubric found on the Grading Scheme page of this Canvas site.  All together, Lab Reports account for 80% of your final score.  Lab reports must be submitted at the end of the lab period on the concluding week of each experiment. In addition, each lab group will be expected to keep an updated and organized group lab notebook, as will be explained during the first week of lab. This notebook will be counted towards the Lab Report grades.
  2. Pre-lab Assignments (7.5% of final grade):  These are typically reading assignments with some related questions administered as quizzes on Canvas.  These assignments are meant to introduce you to important concepts or techniques that will help you complete your lab work, so it's very important for you to complete these with intention.  We will accept Pre-Lab Assignments up to 24 hours after the due date for half credit. 
  3. Class Participation (7.5% of final grade):  Several factors influence your Class Participation score, which is measured on an 85 point scale - 
    • Attendance in class:  There are 11 lab sessions during the semester.  You will earn 5 points every time you attend for a total of 55 possible points (on an 85 point scale).
    • Tardiness or leaving early:  Each time you arrive late or leave early from your lab session and have not been excused by your TA, one point will be deducted from your participation score (again, out of 85 total points).
    • Participation in course surveys:  You will be given the opportunity to participate in four course surveys during the semester (two at the beginning of the semester and two at the end).  Each survey you complete will earn you 5 participation points (out of 85).
    • Participation in intro activity:  The first week of class (JAN 17-18) will be an introduction to the course and will include an opportunity to complete an activity to help you become acquainted with your teammates.  Participation in this activity will earn you 10 participation points (out of 85).
  4. Reflection Project (5% of final grade):  Throughout the course of the semester, you will be asked to submit four short individual written reflections and also complete a group reflection video project at the end of the semester (using the individual reflections as source material).  These components will be graded using a published rubric, and together will be worth 5% of your final score.

Course Material:  All the relevant course material will be posted on the course site, no additional textbook is required. 

Honesty and Respect: Cheating of any assignment is a very serious violation of University rules and is unethical. Students caught cheating will receive a failing grade for the course and will be sent to the University Disciplinary Committee for further action.  All teaching assistants and learning assistants are to be considered proxies for the instructor – you should listen to them and treat them with respect at all times. 

Student Hours:  You can meet with Prof. Gerton by appointment. These may be granted very promptly (i.e. you might e-mail and be told to come on over), but immediate meetings cannot be guaranteed.  I will be present for part of some lab sessions but will likely not be there for the entire period.  I am best reached by e-mail, not by phone. I check e-mail many times during the day and will respond promptly whenever possible.

Student Code:  All students and faculty need to be aware of provisions in the Student Code relevant to this course. Students have 20 business days to appeal grades and other "academic actions" (e.g., results of comprehensive exams). The date that grades are posted on the web is considered the date of notification. A "business day" is every day the University is open for business, excluding weekends and University-recognized holidays. If the student cannot get a response from the faculty member after ten days of reasonable efforts to contact him or her, the student may appeal to the department chair if done within 40 days of being notified of the academic action. Students should definitely document their efforts to contact a faculty member.

Similarly, faculty members who discover or receive a complaint of academic misconduct (e.g., cheating, plagiarism) have 20 business days to "make reasonable efforts" to contact the student and discuss the alleged misconduct. Within 10 more business days the faculty member must give the student written notice of the sanction, if any, and the student's right to appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee of the College of Science.

All students and faculty members are urged to consult the exact text of the Student Code if a relevant situation arises. The code is on the University web site at http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html.

University Policies:

  1. The Americans with Disabilities Act. The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, (801) 581-5020. CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services.
  2. Addressing Sexual Misconduct. Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which Includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status or genetic information.  If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or the Office of the Dean of Students, 270 Union Building, 801-581-7066.  For support and confidential consultation, contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB, 801-581-7776.  To report to the police, contact the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS).

Course Summary:

Date Details Due