Reading-Homework-Self-Testings (RHSTs):

For weighting of RHSTs in the course, see Evaluation & Grading.

To explicate how RHSTs work while actually lecturing in the classroom, we can GO to the IAL Contents right NOW and explicate by example. After that, we continue with the following as needed:

1. Readings:

   The readings are all from IAL---except the Course Website / Extended Syllabus (which you are reading right now) is a required reading too and is considered IAL: -1.

   URLs and videos linked from IAL are purely supplementary---they are NOT part of the required readings.

   For the 3 streams, the readings are:
   1. All Astronomy IALs:

      The readings from IAL are IAL -1 (which is the Course Website / Extended Syllabus that you are reading right now), IALs 0 to 30, but 3 are omitted since we do NOT cover them and mostly they do NOT exist. The omitted IALs are specified in the IAL Contents.

      Someday, yours truly might get those omitted IALs written/completed.

      So there are 1+1+30-3=29 IALs to read altogether.

      Here's a table to coordinate IAL number and count of IALs:

        IAL identification number   -1  0  1  2    3  4  5  6    7  8  9 10
        Count of IALs                1  2  3  4    5  6  7  8    9 10 11 12
      
        IAL identification number   11 12 13 14   15 16 18 19   20 21 22 23
        Count of IALs               13 14 15 16   17 18 19 20   21 22 23 24
      
        IAL identification number   25 26 28 29   30
        Count of IALs               25 26 27 28   29  (see IAL Contents) 

      IAL 18: Exoplanets and IAL 23: The Post-Main-Sequence Life of Stars are readings only insofar as they can be read since they have never been finished.

      IALs NOT covered at all in class: IAL 5: Physics, Gravity, Orbits, Thermodynamics, Tides and IAL 13: Venus. Parts of other IALs are NOT covered in class: some such parts are already set; other parts are NOT covered if we need to catch up a bit. The NOT-covered-in-class IALs and parts are still readings if they appear in the table above.

      IALs NOT covered at all in class may be less heavily weighted on exams.

   2. Planetary Systems IALs for Ast 103: The Solar System at UNLV:

      The readings from IALs are IAL -1 (which is the Course Website / Extended Syllabus that you are reading right now), IALs, 0 to 18, omitting 17 which is out of date as specified in the IAL Contents,

      Someday, yours truly might get 17 updated.

      So there are 1+1+16+1=19 IALs to read.

      Here's a table to coordinate IAL number and count of IALs:

        IAL identification number  -1  0  1  2    3  4  5  6    7  8  9 10
        Count of IALs               1  2  3  4    5  6  7  8    9 10 11 12
      
        IAL identification number  11 12 13 14   15 16 18 
        Count of IALs              13 14 15 16   17 18 19  (see IAL Contents) 

      IAL 18: Exoplanets is a reading only insofar as it can be read since it's never been finished.

      IALs NOT covered in class:

      1. Usually IAL 5: Physics, Gravity, Orbits, Thermodynamics, Tides is NOT covered in class, but it is a reading-homework-self-testing. It is NOT covered since it overlaps considerably with IAL 1: Scientific Notation, Units, Math, Angles, Plots, Physics, Orbits, IAL 6: Electromagnetic Radiation, and IAL 7: Spectra.
      2. Usually IAL 13: Venus is NOT covered in class, but it is a reading-homework-self-testing. It's NOT covered since usually there isn't enough time and Venus is not yours truly's favorite planet.
      3. Parts of other IALs are NOT covered in class: some such parts are already set; some other parts are NOT covered if we need to catch up a bit.

      The NOT-covered-in-class IALs and parts are still readings if they appear in the table above.

      IALs NOT covered at all in class may be less heavily weighted on exams.

   3. Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology IALs for Ast 104: Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology at UNLV:

      The readings from IAL are IAL -1: Course Website / Extended Syllabus and IALs 0--8, 19--23, 25--26, and 28--30.

      So there are 1+1+8+5+2+3=20 IALs to read.

      Here's a table to coordinate IAL number and count of IALs:

        IAL identification number  -1  0  1  2    3  4  5  6    7  8 19 20
        Count of IALs               1  2  3  4    5  6  7  8    9 10 11 12
      
        IAL identification number  21 22 23 25   26 28 29 30
        Count of IALs              13 14 15 16   17 18 19 20  (see IAL Contents) 

      IALs NOT covered in class:

      1. Usually IAL 5: Physics, Gravity, Orbits, Thermodynamics, Tides is NOT covered in class, but it is a reading-homework-self-testing and is on exams. It is NOT covered since it overlaps considerably with IAL 1: Scientific Notation, Units, Math, Angles, Plots, Physics, Orbits, IAL 6: Electromagnetic Radiation, and IAL 7: Spectra.
      2. Usually IAL 21: Star Formation is NOT covered in class, but it is a reading-homework-self-testing and is on exams. It is just a bit too long.
      3. IAL 23: The Post-Main-Sequence Life of Stars which is an RHST without a homework-self-testing and it is only a reading only insofar as it can be read since it's never been finished. It is NOT on exams, but aspects of it that are covered in other IALs are on exams.
      4. Usually IAL 28: Galaxies is NOT covered in class, but it is a reading-homework-self-testing and is on exams. It is a bit redundant to IAL 26: The Discovery of Galaxies.
      5. Parts of other IALs are NOT covered in class: some such parts are already set; some other parts are NOT covered if we need to catch up a bit. These IALs and parts are still readings if they appear in the table above.
      6. IAL 24 and IAL 27 which are NOT RHSTs at all and only exist as placeholders for being written up, sine die.

      IALs NOT covered at all in class may be less heavily weighted on exams.

2. Schedule for IALs:

   There is a schedule for covering the IALs in class, but it is NOT rigid. We do them when we get to them and they vary in time length: typically 1 to 3 class periods.

   We will just glance over our stream and schedule at IALs.

3. Homework-Self-Testings:

   All the IALs included in the Readings have accompanying homeworks and solutions which are already POSTED.

   Except IAL 18: Exoplanets and IAL 23: The Post-Main-Sequence Life of Stars do NOT yet have homeworks and solutions.

   Yours truly is working on it---as time allows.

   There are also excluded IALs which are labeled NOT a reading. So don't read them for the course. You can read them for educational value.

   AFTER you have completed a reading, you are REQUIRED to self-test on the homeworks (unless there is a homework).
   Self-testing means you try all the homework questions WITHOUT looking for answers in the IALs NOR looking at the solutions.

   After completing self-testing you should check your answers. Ideally, you should first try to find the answer in the IALs and only after you should check the already posted solutions.

   Self-testing is vital in any course to achieve active knowledge that leaps into your mind---like an elephant when someone says elephant. Ideally, the answer or how to get the answer needs to spring into your mind on tests and in life. It can only do that with practice.

   After doing the homework-self-testing for an IAL, you report that you have done that reading-homework-self-testing.
   Note you get a mark for doing a reading-homework-self-testing, NOT for reporting the homework answers which are NOT reported.

   See below for How to Report Reading-Homework-Self-Testings (RHSTs) and Recommended Due Dates for Reporting Reading-Homework-Self-Testings (RHSTs).

4. How to Report Reading-Homework-Self-Testings (RHSTs):

   Just send an email RHST report in the email BODY to david.jeffery@unlv.edu in format:
   

   Lastname,Firstname,Ast103.1001/2 or 104.1001/2, IAL number(s), date.
   

   Example reports:
   1. Doe,John,Ast104.1001, IAL -1--0, 2023jan01.
   2. Roe,Jane,Ast104.1002, IAL 0, 2023jan01.
   3. Hassan,Malik,Ast104.1002, IAL 1,2,3, 2023jan01.
   4. Prefontaine,Janeuf,Ast103.1002, IAL -1--4, 2023jan01.

5. Recommended Due Dates for Reporting Reading-Homework-Self-Testings (RHSTs):

   The recommended due dates for the reports of reading-homework-self-testings (RHSTs) are all specified by regular semester week or summer semester day at Introductory Astronomy Lectures (IAL): Contents.

   The recommended due dates are for keeping up efficiently with the course. There is NO penalty for being late until the final due date. The final due date is Tuesday at 4 pm after final exam week (or final exam day for the summer semester) when grades are due for all courses. Do NOT wait till the last moment to report.

   Note that yours truly sometimes, but rarely, misses reports, and so yours truly's makes it the STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that the instructor has recorded all reading-homework-self-testings by the final due date.

   You can check your reading-homework-self-testings by looking at the Posted Grade Records under your anonymous alias.

   So before loafing begins (see the figure below local link / general link: hammock_loafing.html), check that reading-homework-self-testings have been recorded in the Posted Grade Records.

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6. The Study Guide:

   The RHSTs (i.e., the homeworks and solutions) are the study guide.

   See Saint Jerome (c.345--c.420) doing his homework in the figure below (local link / general link: saint_jerome.html).

   Typically, about 50--70 % of the exam questions are drawn from the homeworks.

   So knowing all the homeworks really well is a desideratum for the exams.

   But since there are exam questions NOT from the homeworks and there are over the semester too many homeworks questions to just memorize them all, you have to know those astro stories too.

   As an example of accessing homeworks and solutions, let's access Homework -1 for in-person instruction (or Homework -1 for remote instruction) and Solution -1 for in-person instruction (or Solution -1 for remote instruction).

   If this is is an in-person instruction course, below in today's group activity, we'll do Homework -1.

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