Syllabus for AGRON 206
Introduction to Meteorology
Fall 2009

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, 5th edition, by Edward Aguado and James E. Burt. Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Save money! New or used copies of the 4th and 3rd edition of the text may be available from the bookstore or online booksellers and are likely much less expensive. The 4th and 3rd editions of the text are nearly the same as the 5th edition, except for some minor changes.

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.

206 Help Room

In addition to the two instructors and the teaching assistants, you can get help in the 206 Help Room. The Help Room is staffed by advanced meteorology undergraduates who want to help you learn the basic meteorology concepts that are presented in 206. The Help Room is in 3008 Agronomy Hall, which is right across from Dr. Hornbuckle's office. The Help Room is open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. A list of the students staffing the Help Room and their hours is on display. The staff member currently on duty should be wearing a red bead necklace. If you are having trouble in the course, before hiring a personal tutor try the 206 Help Room: it's free!

Policies

Assignments

Most assignments are submitted electronically on WebCT. Exams are mostly multiple choice plus a few short essay questions.

Your responsibilities

• There are a lot of ways to get help - your instructors, the TA, and the 206 Help Room staffed in 3008 Agronomy Hall.
• 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 the consequences of those choices are yours.
• You are responsible for checking the syllabus and announcements. Don't risk missing an exam or assignment because you're looking at an old version of the syllabus. Announcements will be posted on WebCT. Usually announcements will also be covered in class, but it is possible that some may not be, so be sure to check for electronic messages.
• Turn in all work on time. Since assignments are graded automatically, late assignments cannot be accepted under ANY circumstances. If you wait until the last minute and something happens to prevent you from turning in the assignment, you'll need to use makeup points.
• Check that your work is properly submitted and graded on WebCT. Classwork issues (scoring errors, etc.) must be resolved within one week after the assignment, by contacting a TA.

Makeup policy

There may be times when you have an emergency and can't come to class or finish an assignment. Although we don't accept late work or schedule individual makeup exams, you can earn makeup points or take the class makeup exam as explained below. 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 clicker 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 an emergency you're in hot water.
• The final exam is required for everyone and cannot be made up.

Ethical standards

Most students are honest, but we will not tolerate cheating. Exams will be supervised by the instructors and advanced meteorology students. Anyone who is observed cheating in an exam 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.

Bringing a friend's clicker to class and using that clicker to answer questions for the absent student is another form of cheating. You can talk to other students about questions asked in the clicker sessions -- this is a good way to learn. But if you use a friend's clicker, both you and your friend will lose all the clicker points for the semester and will have a chat with the Dean of Students. (Students have told us that this is not the most enjoyable conversation they've ever had.)

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 Student 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.

Do you want a higher grade?

See our tips on how to succeed in 206.

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)
• 170 Points - Assignments
• 30 Points - Clicker questions

Assignments will be available in WebCT Learning Modules that focus on important concepts and current events. Clicker points measure your class participation. If you answer (any answer, not just the "correct" answer) more than 50% of clicker questions given in class throughout the semester you will receive 30 points. There will be no partial credit, so if you answer 50% or less of the clicker questions you will receive no points. We set this standard very low (only 50%) because we know there will be times when you can't attend class, your forget your clicker, or have some other problem.

You can keep track of all your assignment grades (including clicker responses) on WebCT.

Makeup Points

You can earn up to 50 makeup points that you can apply to missed assignments. Makeup points can not be used for exams and class participation (clicker points), and they can not be used to improve grades from completed assignments. Makeup points can only be used to replace points from assignments that were missed.
There are two ways to earn 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 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: You can earn makeup points by submitting questions for the hour exams or final exam. Submit a printed hard copy (not handwritten) 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).
  • For each question that is used on the exam you will receive 3 makeup points. If your question is a good one but we can't fit it in, you still get 1 makeup point.
  • 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. See our explanation of good exam questions (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.

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.

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