Astronomy

About This Course

Astronomy provides a broad overview of all topics in astronomy for the beginner. The course provides a foundation to the science of astronomy including motions in the night sky and the tools of modern astronomy. It contains the most up-to-date science about our solar system, stars and galaxies. Astronomy also explores the exciting prospects for future discovery in astronomy including life in the universe and the mysteries that continue to perplex astronomers. The course provides an engaging combination of videos, interactive media, photo galleries and readings so that students can explore the content in a variety of ways. Stellarium, a free open source software application, must be installed on the student’s device in order to complete certain assignment activities. See the Technical Requirements section of the syllabus for details. Prerequisites:  None

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Explain the movement of objects both inside and outside of our solar system in order to understand Earth's place in the universe
• Identify historic events in space and astronomy
• Explain what is necessary for life to form and how scientists search for the possibility of life outside of Earth
• Explain the life cycle of a star and how nuclear fusion changes during its life cycle
• Describe astronomical evidence for the Big Bang Theory and how it supports further theories and research in the field of astronomy

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Looking Up

Unit 2: Birth of Science

Unit 3: Modern Astronomy

Unit 4: Solar System

Unit 5: Search for Life

Unit 6: Stars

Unit 7: Galaxies

Unit 8: The Universe

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: None

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Stellarium, a free open source software application, must be installed on the student’s device in order to complete certain assignment activities. Visit Stellarium for system requirements and available downloads.
A web application version of Stellarium may be substituted for users of Chromebook devices, however this version does have more limited functionality then the downloadable software application.

Ensure that your school or district network and device administrator establishes network access permissions or exceptions for online resources relevant to the course in which you are choosing to enroll. Ref., Michigan Virtual Course Allow List

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building, discussion-based assessments (one-on-one conversations with your teacher), and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: Stellarium, a free open source software application, must be installed on the student’s device in order to complete certain assignment activities. See the Technical Requirements section of the syllabus for details.