Please check the FAQs first!
Class and technology questions
Q: How do I navigate this class?
A: Watch this class navigation video, and read the Get Started page.
Q: What are the required software packages to take this class?
A: I expect that you can handle and work with Adobe reader, google forms, google doc, google sheets, and excel. 😉 You can download them from the OIT software catalog. You can find what software you can use to open the MP4 videos at the link. You can find information on the google accessibility and the wordpress accessibility at the links.
Q: When will we get our quizzes returned?
A: I try to return quizzes within a week.
Q: The movie does not play. What shall I do now?
A: Make sure you have flash drive installed on your computer. If on a Mac, Â the video still does not play, Â download Google Chrome as the videos work on this browser.
Q: I’ve been having problems being able to watch the lecture video for unit XYZ. The video keeps on stopping and when I refresh the page I can’t seek to a new location. I end up having to restart the entire video.
A: Empty your browser’s cache as it may have had problems downloading in there and hence crashes always at that spot. If doing so does not solve the problem, download the newest version of the flash player and try again.
Q: How do I know which unit is up when?
Check the schedule.
Q: Why are there 2 units each week?
A: From a time management point of view it is easier to find 2 short time slots in a busy schedule than one large time slot. Also it is easier to work on one aspect at a time and not have too many new concepts at once.
Q: What shall I do when I have difficulty with understanding the material?
A: Read the assigned text and watch the video again under the special aspect of the stated learning goals and the points listed in the Student Learning Assessment form.
Q: I have read the assigned text and watched the video multiple times (>2) as suggested above, but still have difficulty understanding the material. What can I do to seek clarification?
A: Ask your classmates first. They have a similar background and may have already figured it out. Often just trying to explain what you don’t understand leads to the click to overcome the difficulty. If doing so did not do the trick, send me a 1 minute quiz email. In your email, state exactly what you understand, where you got stuck, what your question is, and what part of the material you do not understand and seek clarification on. “I do not understand the material” is too unspecific to get a hook on helping you.
Q: Are there resources you can recommend how to best solve the math problems?
A: Yes, Appendix B of Grant W. Petty, A first Course in Thermodynamics. It’s available in the library. See here.
Q: My adviser assigned me work that has a dead drop deadline (e.g. for a conference, re-submission of a paper, thesis proposal, report) and I have no time to prepare for the class time. What shall I do?
A: Notify me as soon as you find out this fact, but no later than 24 h prior to class time.
Q: Which email address should I check for course announcements and communications?
A: I will be using your UAF email address for important course communications. Be sure to check it regularly :)!
Q: Where can I comment?
Q: When do I have to hand in the student learning assessment form/answers to the questions?
A: At 1500 the day before class.
Q: How do I find out the date and time of the final exam?
A: It’s listed in the UAF calendar of the current academic year. It has the info for all your classes. Note that some instructors may negotiate different times with their students.
Q: I am unable to access the link to the “relation between hours of daylight, time of the year and latitude.” When I click on the link, the web page does not seem to work and I am unable to see the relation between the three. Would I need to download the software to be able to see the animation?
A: No, you won’t have to download the animation. However, you must have adobe flash on your device, and it must be activated and be allowed to show on your page. Here is the link https://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/daylighthoursexplorer.html once more for your convenience. This tool allows you to change positions on Earth to see how day light hours change.
Q: How do I use google docs, sheets, quizzes?
A: Go to the official google support page.
Not what you were looking for?
Have you checked the UAF available help resources already? There are many resources available to students on campus. These include the Academic Advising Center, the Community and Technical College, Rural Student Services, OIT, and Student Support Services. Check whether you can find an answer there before you seek further info here.
General questions on class material
Q: I always am confused by the units of rainfall. How do I convert them in each other?
A: Just assume a box. One time it is 1 mm high and has a 1 m2 surface. In the other case, the box’s surface is 10 cm x 10 cm (= 1 dm x 1 dm) and its height is 10 cm (= 1 dm). This volume can hold 1 liter of water. Therefore 1 liter rain spread over a square meter is 1 mm high when the water is stored in that flat box. Thus, we have 1 mm = 1 liter m-2 = 1 dm3 = 0.001 m3 = 10-3m3.
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