ASTRONOMICAL VIEW OF THE WORLD ELEC-A CREDITS

Transcription

1 ASTRONOMICAL VIEW OF THE WORLD ELEC-A CREDITS

2 TODAY:

3 TODAY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... this course Teachers Content Structure

4 TODAY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... this Universe (in 15 minutes)

5 TODAY Introduction of the course Who are we? What this course is about? How does everything work? Your background Who are you? How much do you already know? How much does the person next to you know?

6 WHO ARE WE?

7 Joni Tammi Metsähovi Radio Observatory M.Sc. (astronomy), Ph.D. (astrophysics) Anne Lähteenmäki Metsähovi Radio Observatory & Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering M.Sc. (astronomy), D.Sc. (tech.; radio astronomy) Director of the observatory Professor of radio astronomy

8 AALTO UNIVERSITY METSÄHOVI RADIO OBSERVATORY In Kirkkonummi (30 km west) Aalto research and teaching infrastructure (ELEC) Radio-astronomical observations Multifrequency astronomy Instrumentation & methods

9 ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

10 METSÄHOVI RADIO TELESCOPE

11 SOLAR RESEARCH

12 ACTIVE GALAXIES Optical image Radio image

13 VERY-LONG BASELINE INTERFEROMETRY

14 YOU NEXT

15 WHY AND HOW TO USE CLICKERS Part 1: Your background What kind of an audience do we have Assess the diversity of backgrounds Instead of student introductions Part 2: Your astronomical background For teachers: How much do you know? Better picture of what kind of content is already familiar to you. For students: How much do others know? Common misconceptions, what s to come,

16 CHANNEL / FREQUENCY Make sure it has the right channel: 41 Green light Ch 4 1 Ch

17 ARE YOU READY? 93% A. Yes B. No 7% Yes No

18 WHAT S YOUR BACKGROUND

19 FROM WHICH SCHOOL? A. Aalto ARTS 34% B. Aalto BIZ C. Aalto CHEM 18% 20% 21% D. Aalto ELEC E. Aalto ENG 4% 4% F. Aalto SCI G. Open U. & Others Aalto ARTS Aalto BIZ 0% Aalto CHEM Aalto ELEC Aalto ENG Aalto SCI Open U. & Others

20 ORIGINALLY FROM 87% A. Finland B. Europe C. Africa D. Asia E. Australia or Americas Finland Europe 5% Africa 0% 7% 0% Asia Australia or Americas

21 ENGLISH IS MY 78% A. Native / first language B. Second language C. Third+ language 0% 22% Native / first language Second language Third+ language

22 WHICH YEAR? (ALTOGETHER) 34% A. 1st year 25% B. 2nd 21% C. 3rd D. 4th 9% 11% E. Nth 1st year 2nd 3rd 4th Nth

23 STAGE OF STUDIES. STUDYING FOR 67% A. Bachelor B. Master C. Doctoral D. Not aiming for a degree Bachelor 29% Master 2% 2% Doctoral Not aiming for a degree

24 I HAVE STUDIED MATH 75% A. Less than high school math B. Short math in high school C. Long math in high school D. Long + university courses 4% 14% 7% A. B. C. D.

25 I HAVE STUDIED PHYSICS 73% A. Minimum or less in high school B. Many high school courses C. University courses 16% 11% A. B. C.

26 I FOLLOW ASTRONOMICAL STUFF A. Not at all B. Little (read an astronomical news item if I come across one) C. Somewhat (occasionally read popularised magazined, actively follow news) D. Much (more or less an amateur astronomer) 43% 43% 8% 6% A. B. C. D.

27 COURSE STRUCTURE WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT

28 LECTURES AND EXCURSION Lectures every Tuesday 14:15 until 15:45/16:00 12 lectures 2 evaluation sessions 1 excursion MyCourses Excursion in March Helsinki Observatory (Observatory museum) Week-day night (Thu?) 18:00-20:00 Admission is pre-paid (or a few eur) More information will be given later Registration is required, later

29 COURSE TIMELINE MyCourses > AVotW 2017 > Course information > Course timeline Background for later lectures Ancient astronomy Developing astronomy Wk Date Topic Theme LD DL Introduction and diverse background Solar system & basic cosmology Celestial mechanics from the One planet, one sky, one people "Sancta terra" Towards scientific astronomy Evaluation session (class) Background, basic celestial mechanics Ancient astronomy, from myths to science Homework Before every lecture After every lecture Learning diary after every three (lecture) weeks Modern astronomy Cultural influence Future The past 100 years Astronomy in the 21st century Modern astronomical worldview Art and science fiction Astrobiology (by Esko Valtaoja) Big open questions Modern astronomy, year 2000 ± century Astronomy and society, art, biology, future, Excursion somewhere here Evaluation session (online)

30 ADMISSION ESSAY "Learn astronomy" Cultural connections History of astronomy "Learn practical things" "Improve English / writing" "Improve learning skills" Past, present, future Astronomical topics, substance knowledge Transferable skills peer assessment, reflection, writing, giving feedback Everyday things

31 THE DEVELOPING BIG PICTURE THE COURSE IN 10 MINUTES FOR THOSE WHO WILL SOON GET AFRAID OF THE HOMEWORK AND WILL DROP OUT AFTER THIS LECTURE

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40 HOW TO ASSESS (AND GRADE) LEARNING WHEN STARTING LEVELS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?

41 ASSESSMENT Understanding Knowledge Learning Initial level

42 ASSESSMENT!???! Learning (~ effort) Initial level

43 ASSESSMENT Learning Initial level

44 ASSESSMENT Learning Initial level

45 ASSESSMENT Learning Initial level

46 ASSESSMENT Learning (~effort) Initial level

47 ASSESSMENT Focus is not on memorising facts or reaching a pre-defined common level, but on learning, and raising one s own level Learning (~effort) Initial level

48 HOW IS THIS DONE IN PRACTICE?

49 DEALING WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS 1. Most of the studying and learning happens outside the lectures. Studying at your own pace. Take as much time as you need. 2. Before the lectures: Getting familiar with basic concepts. Studying part of the content yourself. E.g., preliminary tasks for this lecture. Write down any questions or problems to discuss at the lecture. 3. After the lectures: Follow-up tasks based on the lectures. Further studying and thinking often required. Summarising what you learnt (from preliminary work and lecture). Putting things in your own context. Writing it down for future learning diaries (and for grading )

50 SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT IT S BALANCED ~0.8 credits from lectures 12 lectures + 2 evaluation sessions + 1 excursion ~2.2 credits from individual work Preliminary studies before each lecture Homework after each lecture Learning diary writing and peerassessment Homework replaces both the exam and exercises.

51 AFTER THE LECTURE: TWO TASKS Assignment task(s) One or more specific questions. Exam questions To get you think, and think about your thinking. Result: your own view, opinion, explanation, or answer. Answering may need more reading or searching for information. After every lecture, during that week (= deadline next Mon 08:00) 50 % of final grade. Learning diary Submitted four times, written continuously Not a lecture diary (list of topics/facts). 35 % of final grade. All four are required for passing the course. Peer assessment LD1: teachers read, assess, and give feedback. LDs 2-4: students do this 15 % of the final grade. Details later To be read later

52 LANGUAGE English All coursework in English. Improved language skills / writing in English frequently mentioned as an unintended learning outcome Also mentioned in the admission essay! Does not affect grading English course using astronomy vs. Astronomy course using English Everyone has an accent

53 ONLINE PARTS OF THE COURSE

54 MYCOURSES The primary information channel.

55 MYCOURSES The primary information channel. One week = one section Learning outcomes (if you missed the lecture, this list tells you what you should be able to do, i.e. what you need to learn to keep up) Lecture slides (published after the lecture) Assignments Preliminary work (before the lecture) Homework (after the lecture)

56 OTHER News forum Official announcements General discussions Additional Nice to know stuff Comments & questions Discussions Sharing ideas and interesting stuff Online resources (wiki) Link collection (collective)

57 YOUR ASTRONOMICAL STARTING LEVEL 16 QUESTIONS

58 THE NORTH STAR (POLARIS) IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE NIGHT SKY. 64% A. True B. False 36% Nope. Sirius is the brightest, Polaris is barely in the Top-50. True False

59 MOST OF THE STARS YOU SEE IN THE NIGHT ARE ACTUALLY ALREADY DEAD WHEN YOU SEE THEM 67% A. True B. False 33% Some may be (distant big stars may have gone Supernova in the past years), but most certainly are very much alive. True False

60 THE BIG DIPPER NEVER SETS IN FINLAND. 63% A. True B. False (Otava, Plough, Karlavagnen,...) 37% It s sufficiently close to the celestial pole and never sets at these latitudes. True False

61 MOON PHASES ARE CAUSED BY EARTH'S SHADOW. 55% 45% A. True B. False More like Moon s shadow. Details next week. True False

62 THE SUN MUCH LESS THAN A LIGHT-YEAR AWAY. 84% A. True B. False 16% The Sun is about light-years away. True False

63 THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST AND SETS IN THE WEST. 60% 40% A. True B. False Only twice a year. Today rose in SE and sets in SW. Details next week. True False

64 WINTER IS COLD, BECAUSE THE EARTH IS MORE DISTANT FROM THE SUN THAN IN SUMMER. 93% A. True B. False 7% The Earth is closer to the Sun in winter than in summer. Details next week. True False

65 THE SUN AND JUPITER HAVE ALMOST THE SAME ATOMIC COMPOSITION (MASS). 82% A. True B. False 18% Yup. In fact, the Universe itself has about the same atomic composition. True False

66 WHICH ONE CLAIM IS TRUE: A. There are over 400 constellations. B. Sun goes trough all constellations during the year. 77% C. Some constellations can be seen only in the southern hemisphere. D. With better telescopes astronomers can find more constellations. A: There are only 88 constellations. B: Only goes through 13. C: Yes, for example Dorado (Kultakala). D: Nope, telescopes have nothing to do with this. 11% 9% 2% A. B. C. D.

67 WHICH ONE CLAIM IS TRUE: A. Venus has similar phases as the Moon. B. Sometimes, but rarely, the planet Mars can look as large as the Moon. C. The Moon doesn't rotate around its axis. D. The distant side of the Moon is always dark. 33% 20% 20% 26% B, C & D are completely fictional. As an inner planet Venus does have phases. A. B. C. D.

68 WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING YOU CAN NEVER SEE AT MIDNIGHT? [FINLAND, WINTER] 76% A. Moon B. Mars C. Mercury D. Milky Way Mercury is always near the Sun, and the Sun is far below the horizon in winter nights. 13% 4% 7% A. B. C. D.

69 A PERSON WHO IS "LIBRA" (FI: VAAKA), WAS BORN WHEN THE SUN WAS IN THE CONSTELLATION OF 70% A. Pisces (Kalat) B. Virgo (Neitsyt) C. Libra (Vaaka) D. Scorpius (Skorpioni) Libra is between , but the Sun is in Virgo all that time, between % 9% 9% A. B. C. D.

70 OVER 90 % OF VIOLENT CRIMES HAPPEN WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF FULL MOON. THIS IS BASED ON A. Astronomy B. Astrology 72% 95 % of all nights are within two weeks of a full moon. Hospital and crime statistics show nothing special during full moons. 28% A. B.

71 SUMMARY

72 WHAT NEXT? Finish this week MyCourses: Section Week 1 Prepare for the next week MyCourses: Section Week 2 After the lecture tasks 3 Assignments/questions (submitted via MyCourses) Deadline: next Monday 08:00 Before the lecture tasks 2 tasks (To be done before the lecture, nothing submitted this time) Deadline: before the next lecture. Needed on the lecture.