Syllabus for AGRON 206
Introduction to Meteorology
Fall 2007

3 Credits

125 Kildee Auditorium

Summary

AGRON 206 will introduce the student to basic concepts in meteorology, including atmospheric measurements, radiation, stability, precipitation, winds, fronts, forecasting, and severe weather. Applied topics include global warming, ozone depletion, world climates, and weather safety. The student will gain an understanding of how weather works and develop the ability to apply observations to daily activities.

Communication

Important: Course-related email MUST be sent to one of the email addresses listed above.

If you have a question about your grade you must see us personally. Because of ISU privacy policies we cannot discuss grades over phone or email.

Course Materials

Textbook

Understanding Weather and Climate, 3rd Edition
Edward Aguado and James E. Burt, Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Save money! Used copies of the 2nd Edition of the text are available from online booksellers and are very cheap. The 2nd Edition of the text is nearly the same as the 3rd Edition, except for some minor changes such as re-numbering of the chapters.

The Online Supplement (http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_aguado_uwac_3/) for the textbook has lots of useful materials including sample exam questions.

Weather Cycler

Students are required to have "The Weather Cycler" (http://www.weathercycler.com) by I. Geer in addition to the course text by Aguado and Burt.

Classroom Response System or "Clicker"

We will use an electronic polling system (commonly called a "classroom response system") for in-class feedback. You will need to purchase a TurningPoint ResponseCard RF or "clicker" from the bookstore. This classroom response system will be in use at Iowa State for the duration of your college career. If your current and future instructors also choose to use a classroom response system, they will use this same technology and you will be able to use this same clicker in these classes.

Policies

Assignments

As dictated by a large enrollment, most assignments are submitted electronically. Exams are largely multiple choice, but will also include questions that require a written response. Assignments will be accessed and submitted on WebCT, which monitors and grades the assignments and displays scores.

Your responsibilities

• We are eager to work with you if you need help understanding the course material. There are lots of opportunities for help - your instructors, the TA, and a Help Room in 3008. Take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you!
• You will be treated as an adult. Adults have the maturity to keep up with assignments, deadlines and other requirements. If you make poor choices with regard to attending class, turning in assignments, or the like, the consequences of those choices are yours.
• Students are responsible for checking the syllabus and announcements regarding class materials, assignments, etc. Announcements will be posted on WebCT. Usually announcements will be covered in class, but it is possible that some may not be, so students are responsible for checking for electronic messages.
• Turn in all work on time. Since all assignments are graded automatically, late assignments cannot be accepted under ANY circumstances. So plan ahead. If you wait until the last minute and your computer locks up or something else happens to prevent you from turning in the assignment, you're out of luck.
• Check this syllabus often. The schedule and other details will change as the semester progresses. Don't risk missing an exam or assignment because you're looking at an old version of the syllabus.
• Students are responsible for checking that their work is properly submitted and graded on WebCT. Classwork issues (scoring errors, etc.) need to be resolved within one week after the assignment, by contacting John Baranick.

Makeup policy

We realize there may be times when you have an emergency and can't come to class or finish an assignment. But with nearly 300 students in the class it is not practical to schedule individual makeups. Instead we give you a chance to earn makeup points or take a class makeup exam. You don't need to provide an explanation for why you missed the exam or assignment - just earn makeup points or take the makeup exam.

• Assignments: You can make up for missed assignments (but not class participation points, and not exams) by earning up to 50 makeup points. See the section "Makeup Points" under "Grading."
• Exams: You can make up one missed exam. There will be a single makeup exam near the end of the semester for all students who need a makeup. The makeup exam will be comprehensive. Guard your makeup exam carefully. If you blow off an early exam and then have a true emergency for a later exam, you're in hot water.
• The final exam is required for everyone and cannot be made up.

Ethical standards

Most students are honest. Those few who are tempted to take shortcuts should be aware that there will be zero tolerance of cheating. Exams will be supervised by the instructors and by advanced students in the meteorology and agricultural meteorology programs. Anyone who is observed cheating will be immediately dismissed from the exam, given a grade of F for the course (not just the exam), and will be reported to the Dean of Students.

Special needs

We want every student to be able to do their best. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact one of the instructors so that your learning needs can be appropriately met. Contact us as soon as possible and no later than the end of the second week of classes (or as soon as you become aware of your need for accommodation). No accommodations can be made retroactively or less than one week before the assignment for which accommodation is needed. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Resources office (http://www.dso.iastate.edu/dr/student/), located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076. Their phone number is 515-294-7220, TDD 515-294-6335.

How To Succeed

We want everyone in the class to do well. Students who have taken the course have given these suggestions on how to succeed:

• Read each chapter in the book before we cover it in class. That way, you won't be overwhelmed with new ideas. Don't worry too much about details at this point - just get acquainted with the topic. You should be able to do this in about 30 minutes or less.
• Attend class and be engaged. If you're coming to class to play computer games, read the newspaper, or IM your friends, please stay home so you won't bother other people who want to learn.
• During class take some notes but spend most of your time listening and thinking. After class, get the lecture notes from WebCT (print four to six slides on a page) and write your own notes on the lecture notes. Keep your class notes, lecture notes, and other material in a three ring binder. Note: lecture notes will only be available before class to students who have submitted a SAAR form specifying this need.
• Get help if you need it. You can see one of your instructors, a TA, or advanced meteorology undergrads in the AGRON/MTEOR 206 Help Room (3008 Agronomy Hall, directly across from Dr. Hornbuckle's office).
• Go beyond memorization - aim to understand the concepts. Learn how to combine different ideas and think critically. This takes time and reflection, which you can't get by cramming. About 20 points on every exam will involve critical thinking questions, so if you put off studying until the last minute the best score you can hope for is about 80.
• The most common reason students have trouble in this class is poor time management. Over and over again, students have told us "the material wasn't that hard, but I just didn't keep up." Read the book as we cover each topic instead of leaving three chapters for the night before the exam. Be aware of when assignments are due and plan accordingly - if you wait until the last minute to do an online assignment and then your internet connection goes down, you're out of luck. No student that has completed all the assignments has ever failed our course!

Grading

Maximum possible point total for the course is 600 points, distributed as follows:

• 300 Points - Hour Exams (3 exams, 100 points each)
• 100 Points - Final Exam (required for all students)
• 200 Points - Assignments

Makeup Points

• PreTests: A few days before each regular hour exam (not the makeup exam, not the final), we will release a PreTest that will give you practice for the exam. Each PreTest will have 15 questions and will be worth up to 15 points. You earn one makeup point for each PreTest question that you answer correctly. Besides earning makup points, this is an excellent way to prepare for an exam!
• Exam questions: We encourage you to submit questions for the hour exams or final exam. For each question that is used on the exam you will receive 3 makeup points. If your question is a good one but we just can't fit it in, you'll still get 1 makeup point. Submit a typewritten hard copy of your questions and four alternate responses for each question - including a clear indication of the correct response - at least 7 days before the date of the exam (by November 30 for the final exam).
  • You can submit up to three questions for each exam.
  • Only one person can receive credit for any question.
  • Questions cannot be copied or adapted from the publisher's web site or other sources. This is plagiarism and is cause for academic discipline up to and including dismissal from the University.
  • We are looking for questions that require some thought to formulate and answer - not simple memorization. Examples of good exam questions can be found at http://mesoscale.agron.iastate.edu/agron206/questions.html.
  • Questions that are handwritten, emailed, or submitted after the deadline cannot be considered.

Grade scale

The grade scale is fixed at the start of the semester so that you know exactly how many points you must earn to reach a certain grade. There will be no "free" points for anyone who is near the cutoff for a higher grade. If you need a certain grade to maintain a scholarship or hold office in an organization you should apply yourself during the semester and earn all the credit that is available to you.

If you have a question about your grade you must see us personally. Because of ISU privacy policies we cannot discuss grades over phone or email.

Schedule of Topics