Course Syllabus

Fall 2026 | PHY-1110-VO01 - Introduction to Astronomy

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Alan Peel
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Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ryan Joy

General Education Requirements

Natural Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course focuses on planets and the solar system, the evolution of stars, galaxies, and the formation of the universe. Concepts of astronomical distance, physics of light and gravity, and general relativity will be used to show how astronomers make their discoveries. Basic algebra skills required.

Essential Objectives

1. Apply the scientific method to create and test hypotheses as they relate to astronomy.
2. Describe the history and principal methods of astronomy.
3. Define key astronomical vocabulary and describe phenomenon such as "black holes" and "pulsars."
4. Describe the correct use of a small telescope to locate celestial objects.
5. Identify selected celestial objects.
6. Describe how various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are used to extend our "vision" in astronomy.
7. Compare and contrast characteristics of stars, galaxies, planets, comets, meteorites, and other astronomical objects.
8. Discuss the origin of the universe using the "Big Bang Theory" as the principal cosmological model.
9. Explore the origin and evolution of stars.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, evaluating, and applying quantitative data and information.
11. Explain how knowledge created in the natural sciences has contributed to the creation, maintenance and dismantling of social inequalities and discuss the impacts of diversity and inclusion on scientific research and practice.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

Our class follows a weekly cycle which includes a recorded 'lecture' from me (about one hour long) including some questions, online discussion fora, 'homework', and a short quiz.

Lecture:Few students actually learn from a lecture. The best 'lectures' are 1) a first exposure to the material 2) suggest analogies for the material from your daily lives (yes, even in astronomy!), and 3) give you a heads up as to where your intuition may mislead you. Expect to write down some answers to a few (about 5 on average) questions embedded in the lecture. They don't have to be correctfor full credit, but often should be full sentences. It will be obvious where they are in the lecture. You'll submit those as an assignment. This should take you no more than 60 minutes to watch (on your own schedule; broken up into chunks if you like) and maybe 15 minutes at most to react to the questions and post you answers.

Onine Fora:Engagement with each other is the most important part of learning the material. There will be at least two online graded discussions each week. You are expected to react to the prompts at the head of the thread and also react to each other's posts sometime during the week. I will also react to these. Again, you don't have to be correct(in fact, some prompts won't have "correct" answers!), but you do have to show a good faith effort in reacting to the prompts. This should take no more than a few (possibly separate) 15 minute sections during the week.

Two or three homework questions to cement analytical skills mostly graded on completion - several of these will involve you making "naked eye"sky observationswhen possible - no telescope needed.

Weekly quizzes to assess comprehension will happen several days after that week's material has been covered. For instance, our first week runs from Tuesday September 8 through Monday 14 September. The first quiz won't be due until Thursday September 17.

In lieu of a final exam, a final project will start mid-semester and wrap up near the end of the semester. One component of which will be a recorded presentation for the class to watch. There will be a great deal of flexibility in what this project can be (a series of observations, or a short paper, even an art project informed by what you've learned). The goal here is to have fun, be creative, and show off some of what you've learned. See the Canvas syllabus for more details.

Evaluation Criteria

Most assignments are graded on completion and thoroughness (and only sometimes on the "correct answer"), avoidance of excessive (or insufficient!) significant figures and a bit on the "correct answer" within reason. That is, an impossible answer must be at least commented on to avoid any major point deduction ("e.g., I know this is unreasonable, and was expecting to get about..." (a good estimate goes here) "...but not sure where I made the mistake"). This is a bit harder in astronomy since (the well worn cliché) astronomical numbers tend to defy your sense of what's reasonable!

In contrast, quizzes are open book, open notes, internet resources, etc., but no collaboration with anyone else please (your family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, pets, classmates included! And yes, don't consult AI!). These test like assignments are still graded mostly on completion and thoroughness for each question and commentary if any unreasonable numbers are calculated. "Zeroes" are usually only given for blank answers.

• Reacting in good faith to the quesitons embedded in the recorded lecture ("Lecture Questions"): 10%
• Homework (two or three questions) 20%
• Quizzes 20%
• Posting and reacting in good faith to online graded discussions each week: 25%
• Final Project 25%

In the event the grading seems on the harsh side based on overall class success, I reserve the right to curve your grade in your favor. (I will never curve the grade to your detriment!). In other words, 90% is definitely an A, but it's possible 85% is also an A despite the basic CCV policy. This is a wild and mind-blowing class, and we actually learn more from correcting our "mistakes" than our "right answers", consequently good faith efforts and persistence are heavily rewarded (as in real science!).

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

This is an asynchronouscourse; there is no official time or date where we meet in person or on an app such as Zoom. However, there are "Graded Discussions": participation in these is asynchronous, mandatory, and is subject to a due date. You are expected to engage with these in good faith. The prompts for these may or may not have "right answers" but you will be graded on your level of engagement (and reacting by the duedates). These discussions will be used to:

• Stimulate discussion
• Allow for students to ask questions or request clarification
• Assess student progress and understanding
• Assess instructor efficacy (!)

(Questions embedded in the recorded lecture also separately require your answers for credit (you are not graded on "correctness" though!), but this is just between you and me.)

Missing & Late Work Policy

Nothing accepted without prior arrangements unless prior arrangements were not possible (i.e., unforeseen emergencies are the exception - see syllabus on Canvas.)

We follow a predictable weekly cycle of due dates. It is incumbent on you to organize your schedule so that you meet those due dates or contact me well in advance when you know something will interfere with meeting them.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

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