Structure of our astronomy courses
The first year course consists of a number of components designed to introduce you to the basic concepts and nomenclature of astronomy and astrophysics, allowing you to develop a comprehensive understanding of these concepts, to gain practice in problem solving, to develop skills associated with research reading and report writing and to gain experience in observation and data analysis.
These components comprise:
Lectures
Each astronomy module includes two 50 minute lectures per week. These provide the main forum in which the course material is delivered.
Problems classes
Problems classes for PHY104 are held once a week, and consist of ~15 students with two members of staff. Their main purpose is to develop your problem-solving skills, especially in learning how to apply the material you are taught in lectures to the solution of numerical or descriptive problems. These skills are clearly critical in preparing for examinations. Homework exercises to reinforce these skills will be handed out at each problems class to be returned the following week. Problems class leaders will also be happy to answer questions on the course material, including lab assignments and coursework as well as lectures.
Seminars
PHY111 includes four seminars by guest speakers, covering in more depth four topics related to the course material. The seminars are examinable: the exam will contain one optional question asking you to write short essays on three of the four seminar topics.
Directed reading
PHY111 also incorporates a directed reading exercise, which asks you to read a book from a specified list, answer questions on it, and write a book review. The aims of this exercise are to develop your skills in independent learning, assimilating written material and effective written communication. It accounts for 25% of the mark for PHY111. Full details are available on the PHY111 website.
Homework exercises and progress tests
Homework exercises account for 10% of the total mark in PHY104. They are intended to give you practice in applying the material of the lecture courses to numerical and analytical problems, and are particularly useful in preparing for the examinations. The homework exercises for PHY104 will be handed out in each week’s problems class and should be returned the following week. Because problem class leaders may go over the previous week’s homework questions, late exercises can only be accepted up to the end of the week in which they should have been handed in.
In PHY111 and PHY106 the homework exercises are partly replaced by two progress tests which will take place in lecture slots. In PHY111, the progress tests consist of multiple choice questions. Each progress test lasts about 20 minutes and contributes 5% to the total mark for PHY111. You will be given at least one week’s notice of an impending test. There is also one homework exercise late in the semester, which carries a weight of 5%, but which is primarily intended to help you to prepare for the examination.
In PHY106, the progress tests consist of extended examination-style questions. They will be held under "open notes" conditions: i.e. you will be permitted to use your lecture notes from the course when answering the questions. The focus of the tests is therefore not on factual recall, but on your ability to assimilate and use the taught material. Each progress test in PHY106 will last approximately 45 minutes and will contribute 15% to your total module mark.
Laboratories
You will attend one three-hour laboratory session per week. Working in pairs, you will initially gain experience in the use of basic laboratory equipment before moving on to more complicated experiments. The main aims of the laboratory sessions are to develop skills in the taking of good quality data, data analysis (including correct treatment of experimental uncertainties), and the keeping of clear and concise records of your work in the form of a laboratory diary. In addition to the formal laboratory work some of the sessions are spent in the computing laboratory developing relevant skills.
Preparatory sessions
When you move on from the basic laboratory skills training to more advanced experimental work, each 3-hour laboratory session will be preceded by a 50-minute preparatory session in the morning. During this session you should make sure you understand the underlying theory, plan your measurements, and consider possible sources of experimental uncertainties. It is very important that you use the preparatory session effectively, as otherwise you will not work efficiently in the afternoon session and may not be able to complete the experiment.
Short courses
In the first semester, the Professional Skills module includes a series of short courses introducing skills you will need when taking and analysing data, solving problems, and communicating scientific results. These courses are delivered through lectures and/or workshop sessions, and are assessed through homework exercises. The topics covered include Experimental Errors and Data Analysis, Problem Solving Techniques, and Scientific Writing.
Note. Attendance at all of the above is compulsory. In particular, students who do not satisfactorily complete the laboratory component of any module will not be awarded credits in respect of that module, regardless of their performance in the examination.
The end-of-semester examination
The remaining 60% of the final module grade (70% for PHY106) is contributed by the end-of-semester examination. The purpose of the examination is to test your knowledge of the material taught in the lectures, and your ability to apply your knowledge in solving problems. As with physics exams, you will be given a sheet of physical constants and mathematical formulae (except in PHY111, where it is not needed), but you are expected to remember the astronomical formulae and definitions you have learned in the lectures.
The exam rubrics for the four astronomy modules, along with some guidelines on exam technique, are given in the astronomy online year guide, which can be accessed from the Departmental web site.