Web page
for CCSF Astronomy 1 Online, Fall 2009
If you ever tried to send me
messages to cbryja@ccsf.edu, I might not
have received them. That address tends to
fill with spam, and it often freezes up when it gets overfull. If you have any questions about this course,
please e-mail me at claia@phch.org instead. (Although, just on the first day of the Spring 2009 semester, I reviewed my spam folder for that
e-mail address and found an important message from a student in there, so it’s
not perfect either. #sigh#)
I do not require students to
check in when they register, so please don’t send me e-mail unless you have a
question that needs answering. Also, once you gain access to the course, please
only use the internal message system to contact me.
The textbook for the course
is the 4th edition
of “The Essential Cosmic Perspective” (not the full length
version that lacks the word “essential” in the title, and not any of the three
earlier editions or the one later edition of the same name), by Bennett,
Donahue, Schneider, and Voit (ISBN
#0-8053-4792-5). The CCSF bookstore
sells copies that are packaged with the extra “Mastering Astronomy” tutorial
DVD, but I am not requiring that you buy that.
While I highly recommend the “Mastering Astronomy” package, and while I
believe that it is worth the extra cost, students with a limited budget may wish
to order the textbook online without that extra package.
Important Notice #1: This
course requires a mid-term exam and a final exam that must be taken in person
at the CCSF main campus. (Multiple
times for taking these exams will be offered, so personal scheduling is not
likely to be a concern.) Please do not enroll in this course if you
cannot attend these exams in the months of October and December.
I will hold
an optional but highly recommended
orientation at
As soon as
the new semester starts, you may begin the course on your own, regardless of whether you plan to attend the optional
orientation. See the instructions below
for how to login.
Important Notice #2: Available
space in this class is very tight, the wait list is full, and we will be
working at a rather fast pace. Because
of this, I may drop you from the course
if you do not access the class and begin work by
To
access Insight, you'll need to log into the website with a username and
password.
1.
If you HAVE NOT used Insight at City College this academic year, you will
receive an email to the email address you have registered in WebStars containing information for how to login to Insight
and access this course. Please look for this email (it is from noreply@ccsfdev.mrooms.org) to be delivered to you
around the first day of classes.
2. If you HAVE taken an online
course in Insight at City College this academic year, you can use your old
username and password. If you have forgotten your password, please follow the
instructions on this webpage for resetting your password yourself:
http://insight.ccsf.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=18323&chapterid=6873.
3. If you have any questions about
logging in, editing your user profile, or changing your password please read
this information:
http://insight.ccsf.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=18323&chapterid=6871
4. If you need telephone
assistance with this process please consult this information: http://insight.ccsf.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=18323&chapterid=6874.
Telephone assistance is available business days from 9am-4:00pm (PST) Monday
through Thursday at 415-452-5689.
I look forward to meeting everyone-- either on line or
in person-- as this course takes off!
Sincerely,
Claia (rhymes with
"hi ya!") Bryja (pronouncing
the “y” like a long-I the same as the “ai” diphthong
in my first name, and pronouncing the "j" in the usual English way)
--- --- ---
Here is a
link to a great resource of other links to anything and everything you can
think of about astronomy. I encourage
you to browse.
Finally,
here’s my favorite webpage of all: