High Energy Astrophysics
Fall 2020

Learning Managament System: Sakai

Department web site: The home page for the department web site of the course is http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/ugrad/442/

Format: The course format will consist of two 80-minute lectures each week given remotely at the usual scheduled class time (TTh 5:00-6:20PM). Slides of each lecture will be prepared beforehand and presented using the Meeting feature of sakai. Slides will be made available on sakai before the lecture or shortly thereafter.

Homework Policy: Weekly homework (H/W) assignments will be posted on the Assignments tab of the sakai course web site and must be turned in through sakai. ONLY PDF DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. H/W will be due by 5:00PM, Friday, of the week indicated. Late homeworks will be assessed the following penalties:

• First assignment: minus 10% per hour late
• Second assignment: minus 50% per hour late
• Third or later assignments: no credit if late

Assessment: In addition to weekly homework, there will be 2 midterms and a final project. Some assignments may require you to write computer programs using a software package of your choice (e.g., python, IDL, Fortran, java, c, c++, Excel). The final project will be described and listed on the Assignments tab of the sakai course web site and must be turned in through sakai. Again only PDF documents will be accepted.

The in-class midterms will be open textbook and notes, but must be your own effort (no outside resources beyond those listed are allowed). While taking these tests, students will need to have their web camera and microphone on and be visible to the instructor, using a sakai Meeting session. They will need an app or cell phone camera to scan their test sheets and e-mail them to the instructor.

Supplementary resources and relevant websites will be made available on the departmental course web site. Additional written materials will be posted under Resources on sakai.

Final grades will be determined using these weights for the individual assessment elements:

• Weekly homework: 34%
• Two in-class midterms: 33% (total)
• Final Project: 33%

Office Hours: Prof. Hughes will have scheduled office hours several times during the week at times chosen by the class to accommodate students at different time zones. These will be held as Sakai Meetings. At least one office hour will be specifically devoted to the week's homework assignment. The instructor will also be available at other mutually convenient times for one-on-one Sakai Meetings sessions for students who are unable to attend a scheduled office hour or wish to have more detailed discussions about the course material. Students can also send brief questions via e-mail.

Announcements: Important announcements will be posted on sakai and at the department web site.

Academic Integrity: Students are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. Visit the Academic Integrity site at Rutgers University and familiarize yourself with the university policy on academic integrity. Violations will be reported and enforced according to this policy.

Use of external sources to obtain solutions to homework assignments or exams is cheating and a violation of the University Academic Integrity policy. Cheating in the course may result in penalties ranging from a zero on an assignment to an F for the course, or expulsion from the University. Posting of homework assignments, exams, recorded lectures, or other lecture materials to external sites without the permission of the instructor is a violation of copyright and constitutes a facilitation of dishonesty, which may result in the same penalties as explicit cheating.

Not only does the use of such sites violate the University's policy on Academic Integrity, using such sites interferes with your achievement of the learning you are paying tuition for. Assignments, quizzes, and exams are given not simply to assign grades, but to promote the active learning that occurs through completing assignments on your own. Getting the right answer is much less important than learning how to get the right answer. This learning is critical to your success in subsequent courses and your careers.

Student Wellness Services:

• Student Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) for non-emergency psychological health issues, (848) 932-7884, 17 Senior Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/.
• Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA), (848) 932-1181, 3 Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, http://www.vpva.rutgers.edu/.
• Office of Disability Services (848) 445-6800, Lucy Stone Hall, Suite A145, Livingston, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, https://ods.rutgers.edu/.
• Scarlet Listeners for confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, (732) 247-5555, http://www.scarletlisteners.com.