Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

PHYS-1011: Physics II – Summer 2020

Credits - 4

Description

This algebra-based online course is a four credit-hour course that includes a hands-on physics laboratory. The overall goal of this online course is to provide the student, interested in the health professions, with a continuing introduction to physics that emphasizes additional concepts than those covered in PHYS 1010 that are the foundation of science and which the students may encounter in their professional studies. These topics include thermodynamics, waves and sound, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, light and optics, and atomic and nuclear phenomena. Course pre-req: one semester of college algebra. PHYS 1010 or equivalent physics course is highly recommended.

Materials

Textbook

College Physics
OpenStax College
Rice University
ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-01-2

Available free online: https://openstax.org/details/college-physics

Mandatory UNE-approved webcam and whiteboard* – To be used during proctored exams

Lab Materials

IOLab: The Pocket Physics Lab
ISBN: 9781319149918
Available to purchase through our bookstore at https://www.bkstr.com/uofnewenglandstore
Available for rent at Macmillanlearning.com; ISBN: 9781319321185

Hands-On Lab Kit
To order, go to: www.holscience.com
Click on: “STUDENT ORDERS”
Then click on the green “YES”
Login: C000384
Password: labpaq (all small case)

All of the online simulators used in the course are available for free from:
PhET Interactive Simulations
University of Colorado Boulder
https://phet.colorado.edu

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Program Outcomes

In lecture courses, students should be able to:

  1. Communicate scientific concepts and information clearly.
  2. Illustrate fundamental laws, theories, and principles of scientific disciplines.
  3. Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to scientific problems.

In lab courses, students should be able to:

  1. Ask a question or define a problem that can be tested.
  2. Hypothesize possible result(s).
  3. Plan and/or conduct an investigation individually and/or collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence.
  4. Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (i.e. computational, mathematical, graphical, etc.) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution.
  5. Communicate the results by constructing an explanation based on multiple pieces of valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
  6. Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence gained from various experiments, as well as other observations and/or research, to provide an explanation of phenomena and solve design problems, taking into account possible unanticipated effects.

Course Outcomes

The objectives of this course are designed to facilitate your construction of conceptual models to describe physical ideas that are the foundation of sciences that you may encounter in your professional studies.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Apply thermodynamics principles to explain various scenarios.
  • Predict auditory phenomena using wave properties of sound.
  • Design a project, collect data, and interpret results related to thermodynamics and sound.
  • Analyze electrostatic distributions and interactions.
  • Interpret simple resistive and capacitive DC circuits.
  • Explain behavior of charged particles in magnetic fields.
  • Solve geometric optics problems using ray tracing methods and equations.
  • Summarize physical principles behind observed atomic and nuclear phenomena.
  • Discuss potential health concerns associated with digital technology.
  • Produce an audio, video, or written report related to modern physics concepts of electromagnetic, atomic, or nuclear phenomena.

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Lectures and Laboratories

Course Details

Physics II is divided up into 16 weeks that follow the second half of the textbook. Each week contains a reading assignment, video lectures, homework assignment, and lecture quiz, except weeks that have an exam or project. Non-exam/project weeks also contain a laboratory assignment and lab report. Each of the three units includes a discussion board.

TED-Ed Lecture Videos

All lecture videos feature optional quiz questions that students can use to check their understanding. The questions do not count towards final grades. To access this optional content, please register for a free TED-Ed account here.

Assigned Homework Problems and Lecture Quizzes

Successful comprehension of physics concepts requires practice, diligence, and motivation. You should spend several hours per section on homework and independent of laboratory time. Assignments can be found through Blackboard. They consist of homework with solutions to check your work once the homework has been reviewed by your instructor, and lecture quizzes.

Laboratory Assignments

A significant amount of time is dedicated to at-home hands-on laboratory experiments. We will make use of the IOLab Wireless Lab System along with accompanying laboratory instructions to collect data, analyze data on your home computer, and share results and interpretation with the instructor and other students. Other lab experiments will make use of the materials in the Hands-On Lab Kit. Labs will focus on discovering relationships between physical variables and identifying applications of the relevant physics principles. Laboratory instructions and experiment submission forms are provided for each lab and are organized by course week/topic.

Discussion Board Posts

Discussion questions cover interesting current events or materials that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. There are a total of six required discussion questions throughout the quarter that will count towards your discussion grade for the unit. Each question will require you to conduct at-home lab work, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, and/or view a short video. Then you will write a response following the guidelines in the assignment.

To earn full credit: you will need to post a response, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute to an ongoing discussion. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.


Discussion Question Guidelines

  1. Read the assignment carefully so that you are familiar with the materials that you need to cover and how to craft your post.
  2. Respect each other’s ideas, feelings, and experience. Some of the questions involve areas of disagreement. Expect your classmates to have different opinions.
  3. Use proper writing style. Correct spelling and sentence structure are expected just as if you were writing a regular paper. Use spell check and grammar check before you submit.
  4. Write your posting in a word document! That way you can save a copy and use spell check and grammar check.
  5. Cite the sources that you use to write your response. Follow the AMA guidelines.
  6. Avoid posting large blocks of text. Break your writing into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs to make your posting easier to read online.
  7. Subscribe to the discussion so that you get email updates when there is activity.
  8. Use the “reply” button rather than the “compose” button when responding to someone else’s post.
  9. When responding to a classmate, address them by name.
  10. Do not use postings such as “I agree,” “I don’t know either,” or “ditto.” They do not add to the discussion, take up space on the Discussions, and will not be counted.
  11. Everyone benefits from an active discussion. Check back in frequently to see what others are saying.
  12. Plan your time carefully. You will need to give your classmates time to respond to your postings. This is an asynchronous class where students will be in different points of the class.

Examination and Grading Information

Exams and Projects

You must purchase the Official UNE External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam. For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.

Each unit concludes with a final assessment. In the first unit, that assessment is a hands-on project and a written report. The second unit culminates in a proctored exam. For the final unit, you will create a presentation and complete a short proctored exam. The exams are closed for review. You will not be able to review these exams at any time. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.

The two proctored exams begin and end promptly with scheduled times. Be prepared to stay in the exam room for the entire time.  The exams are administered online via web proctoring – you will be required to follow all the proctor’s requests.

You may use:

  1. A scientific calculator (NOT a graphing calculator)
  2. A UNE-authorized white board. You must show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session. If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited.
  3. The provided Equation Sheet (available in Blackboard) by opening it in front of your proctor just before you start your exam. It must be a digital copy; no printed copies are allowed.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Homework13%
Quizzes13%
Unit 1 Project16%
Unit 2 Exam16%
Unit 3 Exam6%
Unit 3 Project10%
Lab20%
Discussion6%
TOTAL100%

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

This course is designed to be completed in a 16-week period, just like an on-campus course. One week in this online course is equivalent to 3-50 minute lectures in a traditional classroom setting. The general rule of studying for science courses is to spend 3 hours studying for every one hour that you are in class. Therefore, the suggested study time for each module is 9 hours above and beyond the time it takes to listen to the lecture. Please refer to the schedule below for the suggested schedule of lectures and the accompanying laboratory exercises. Students may complete the course in less than 16 weeks.

Week Title Textbook Chapter Lab Assignment
1 Introduction, Thermodynamics I 13 I/O Lab Setup and Calibration
2 Thermodynamics II 14, 15 Heat Transfer and Temperature Mapping with I/O Lab
3 Waves and Sound 16 Waves and Sound Frequency with
I/O Lab
4 Sound II 17 Sound Intensity Level and Mapping
5 Unit 1 Project: Thermodynamics and Sound 13–17 None
6 Electrostatics 18 Charged Objects
7 Voltage and Capacitance 19 I/O Lab Circuits I
8 Current and Resistance 20 I/O Lab Circuits II
9 DC Circuits 21 I/O Lab Circuits III
10 Magnetism 22 Magnetic Field with I/O Lab
11 Unit 2 Exam 18–22 None
12 E/M Waves, Light 24 Light Intensity with I/O Lab
13 Geometrical and Wave Optics 25 Lenses and Mirrors
14 Atomic Physics 30 Simulation-based
15 Nuclear Physics 31, 32 Simulation-based
16 Unit 3 Project and Exam 24, 25, 30–32 None

Student Resources

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

Further Assistance

Your student service advisor monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.

Student Lounge

The Student Lounge Discussion Board is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.

Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.

Policies

Proctored Examinations

The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.

Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.

Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's web site, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.

Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.

Proctored exams are not available for review at any time. You will not be able to see the questions, nor the answers you've given, after completing the exams. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.

Course Discussions

Discussion board assignments cover interesting current events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each assignment may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video prior to writing a response following the specific guidelines in the assignment.

To earn full credit: you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You will need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. Please keep in mind that only this initial response is included in your assignment grade, so make sure you have followed all of the guidelines and written a complete response prior to submitting the post. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.

Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each assignment. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.

Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion board assignment is worth.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Length

A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.

  1. Courses in the SPHP program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 16 weeks
  2. Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar found on the Student Success Portal.
  3. Course start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.

Grade Policy

Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..

Transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.

To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Academic Transcript

To request your official UNE student transcript:

Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Request Printed/Official Transcript
  5. Follow the prompts

After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.