Course Syllabus
Welcome
We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Mizzou K-12's global student body.
Course Overview
Physics is the foundational study for a deep understanding of any area of science. The study of physics provides us with a basis for describing the universe around us. Physics is the study of matter, space, energy, and time. Physics describes space-time and the way objects move. It also describes the basic nature of matter and the many forms of energy, as well as how energy interacts with matter.
There are many fields of physics—for example, mechanics, electricity, heat, sound, light, condensed matter, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. Physics is the foundation of all the physical sciences, including chemistry, material science, and geology, and it is important for understanding many other fields of human endeavor such as biology, medicine, computing, ice hockey, television…the list goes on and on.
One of the key ideas in physics is that there is an underlying simplicity and unity in nature behind the complexity of the world around us. This is often expressed through all-embracing fundamental concepts such as the principle of conservation of energy. I am in awe about how simply the universe may be described using ideas from physics.
Physics is fascinating and can be fun. At its heart, physics is about finding things out—about understanding what lies behind everyday phenomena such as rainbows, red sunsets, and blue skies, as well as the more revolutionary concepts of quantum theory, relativity, and cosmology.
This first half unit of the course takes you through an adventure of understanding how and why things move. It provides you with a basic understanding of the nature of matter and the properties of matter. You also will discover the strange world of special relativity, where unique things happen as objects travel near the speed of light.
Course Description
Course Description: In this introductory physics course students will learn about physics of motion, heat, and the nature of matter. They will investigate the nature of motion, what makes things move (or change their motion), the interactions of matter and energy, and the macroscopic nature of matter. The course’s laboratory component is an integral portion of most lessons. Students may choose to purchase an a laboratory kit from Amazon. There are two main lists.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two years of high school math, including Algebra I. Some background in trigonometry is required.
Required Materials
- Conceptual Physics by Paul G. Hewitt. Needham, Massachusetts: Prentice Hall (2006)
- Conceptual Physics Lab Manual by Paul Robinson. Needham, Massachusetts: Prentice Hall (2006)
- Calculator: A graphing calculator is recommended, but any calculator with trigonometry functions can be used.
- Laboratory Activity Materials: You will need to purchase various common household items for use in your Laboratory Activities. You will also need to purchase other items that are more difficult to find outside of a scientific catalogue. These more scientific items may be purchased from Amazon.
- Geogobra and other graphing software: Some of the Laboratory Activity Reports that you will submit for this course will require you to include graphs of the relationships that you find in your data. You may hand-draw these graphs, scan the drawings, and then insert them into your reports as images, but we recommend that you use a good graphing software. An easy-to-learn software program that can accomplish many of the tasks in this course is available for free at GeoGebra.org.
Technical Requirements
The most up-to-date requirements can be found here:
- Computer Requirements
- Browser Requirements
- Proctoring Requirements
- Microphone (external or internal)
- Webcam
Additional requirements for the course are below:
- audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)
- Geogobra
Quizzes & Assignments
You should submit all assigned work in sequence (Lesson 1, then Lesson 2, etc.) Assignments for the course are listed at the bottom of this syllabus.
Quizzes
Quizzes are taken online. After you submit them, you’ll quickly receive a report on how you did. Unlike exams, you may use any assigned readings, your notes, and other course-related materials to complete graded quizzes and assignments.
Assignments
Assignments may require you to submit your completed work in the form of a file (such as a text document, image, audio or video recording, or multimedia presentation) or a hyperlink for grading.
Practice
There are PRACTICE assignments and labs throughout the course. These activities are ungraded but should be completed to increase comprehension of the course material.
Reading and Using Feedback
After your work has been graded, you will receive a report that provides individualized feedback and comments on your work. Look carefully at what you missed and read any corresponding feedback. Then study the lesson materials to make certain that you can accomplish the associated learning objectives.
Each lesson provides step-by-step instructions on how to submit your work. Be sure to check submitted work carefully for errors (e.g. spelling, grammar, and punctuation) as they may result in points being deducted.
Exams
You are required to take two proctored exams for this course.
To pass the course, you must earn a minimum of 60 percent on your exams group (see grades section below for details.) See the "About Exams" in the policies section for additional information on exams at Mizzou K-12.
Grades
Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.
Source for Grade | Points |
---|---|
Assignments | 230 |
Quizzes | 270 |
Midterm Exam | 200 |
Final Exam | 200 |
Total | 900 |
To pass the course, you must earn a minimum of 60 percent in the exams assignment group.
\(\frac{total\:exam\:points\:earned}{total\:exam\:points\:possible}=exam\%\).
You will be able to see your exam percentage in the "Exams" column in your gradebook.
The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard:
Grade | Percentage |
---|---|
A | 90–100 |
B | 80–89 |
C | 70–79 |
D | 60–69 |
F | 0–59 |
After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts.
Getting Started Resources (Canvas and Other Resources)
View the content below to learn more about each of these elements and how they work in your Mizzou Academy Canvas course.
Academic Integrity
Our academic integrity policy at Mizzou Academy is based on our values of ethical behavior, learning, and giving all stakeholders the benefit of the doubt. Collaboration, research, and technical literacy are vital 21st-century skills when combined with academic integrity.
Definitions
Mizzou Academy's academic integrity policy is aligned with the University of Missouri’s academic integrity policy. The definitions of what constitutes "cheating" and "plagiarism"are posted on the Provost’s Advising Council’s webpage which can be found here: https://advising.missouri.edu/policies/academic-integrity.
Issues Involving Violations of Academic Integrity
If, when completing any of your assignments or exams for this course, you are found to have demonstrated cheating or plagiarism as defined above, this is a violation of academic integrity. At your teacher's discretion, violations of academic integrity may be subject to either or both of the following actions:
- receiving a zero for the assignment or exam
- receiving an F for the course
Accessibility
If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.
About Exams at Mizzou Academy*
*This section describes the policies of exams at Mizzou Academy. This section only applies if you have exams in your course. See the section above to see if you have exams.
ABOUT EXAMS
Your exams are online. It is your responsibility to schedule your exams.
During exams, unless otherwise noted, you are not allowed to navigate away from the exam or use any other resources. If you deviate from the exam guidelines without proper prior permission, it is considered cheating on an exam.
SCHEDULING EXAMS
Global Courses
First, request approval for your proctor. Allow enough time (2 weeks) for our office to receive your request and communicate with your chosen exam site and proctor. Mizzou Academy has approved exam sites throughout the United States and around the world.
Request Exam Date and Proctor Approval Form
- Choose a proctor and make arrangements for taking the exam.
- At least 2 weeks prior to taking your exam, submit your proctor information to Mizzou Academy
- You will be sent an email notice indicating if your chosen proctor has been approved or denied.
- Arrive at your proctor’s testing site at the scheduled time with a photo ID. At testing time, you will log into your Mizzou Academy account and select the exam for your proctor to access and administer.
You can also schedule with an online proctor using Examity. Review the information in the "Getting Started Resources (Canvas and Other Resources)" section under the "Examity" panel. in the course syllabus.
Co-Teach Courses
If you are taking a co-teach course, work with your local teacher to identify your date of the exam and how you will be proctored. You do not need to request an exam date with the above form.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS
- Complete and review all assignments.
- Review the learning objectives; make sure you can accomplish them.
- Be prepared to explain any key terms and concepts.
- Review all the lessons, exercises, and study questions.
- Review any feedback and/or comments on your assignments and previous exams; look up answers to any questions you missed.
Additional Course Policies and links
- Course add/drop/transfer
- Examity Online Proctoring**
- Course extensions**
- Course length**
- Flexible and Global format course policy**
- Fees
**Not applicable to World Language courses.
Canvas and Technical Support
Canvas is where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.
- courses.mizzouk12.missouri.edu
- This course is mobile-friendly. Download the mobile apps on your iOS, Android device.
- Getting Started with Canvas
- View the Getting Started Canvas Guides.
- For Canvas, Passwords, or any other computer-related technical support create a ticket in Canvas or contact Mizzou Academy Support.
- How to Get Help in Canvas
- Mizzou AcademySupport Phone: +1 855 256-4975
- Tiger Portal login - https://mizzouk12.missouri.edu (Links to an external site.)
- Mizzou Academy Email - mizzouk12online@missouri.edu