Syllabus

Physics 221, Elements of Physics I, Sections 22 - 24, Spring 2024

Physics 221 is a 4 credit-hour, introductory physics course with laboratories.  The course is designed for asynchronous online delivery.  Students do not attend formal lectures or lab sessions at fixed times, but they have to adhere to a strict course schedule.  The class material is divided into 12 modules.  For each module students are expected to submit assignments and lab reports online on time.  For class participation credit students must contribute questions, answers, hints, or comments to a discussion forum.  Optional extra credit assignments associated with each module must also be submitted on time.

Physics 221 is a general education course.  Please allow enough time in your schedule for this 4 credit-hour course.

Instructor:

Dr. Marianne Breinig (Physics)
Office: 202 Nielsen Physics Bldg.
Office Hours: MW 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm and online by appointment
Phone: (865) 974-7842
Email: mbreinig@utk.edu

Lab Instructors

Section 22:
Matthew Minton
mminton2@vols.utk.edu
Rohan Nain
rnain@vols.utk.edu
Erick Urquilla
eurquill@vols.utk.edu
Section 23:
Alzinuzzaman Khan
akhan47@vols.utk.edu
Shaun Vavra
svavra2@vols.utk.edu

 
Section 24:
JT Ternullo
jternull@vols.utk.edu
Ahmed Ismail
aismael@vols.utk.edu

 

All instructors will have office/tutoring hours at different times during each week.  Students from all sections can attend any instructor's office/tutoring hour.

Class structure:

There are no formal lectures.
Students are expected to complete the online class modules on time.  Each module consists of two sets of online class materials that student are required to study, two homework assignments, one laboratory write-up, a class participation discussion forum, and optional extra credit opportunities. 
All assignments for each module must be completed by the date shown on the schedule.  Links for the submission of all assignments are on Canvas.  Students should use the online discussion forum to engage with the instructors and each other.
Students are responsible for their own learning.

Textbook:

The textbook for the class is College Physics 2e - OpenStax.
This is an online textbook with spaced practice problems and feedback.
The College Physics textbook can also be downloaded as a PDF.

Homework assignments:

Homework assignments are based on the material covered in the online modules.  They are found under Assignments on Canvas and must be submitted on time.

Laboratories:

Each section has its own lab instructors.  The lab instructor will help students with the laboratories and grade the lab reports.  Students cannot earn passing grade for the course, unless they earn a passing grade for the labs.

Class participation credit:

Students earn class participation credit by contributing questions, answers, hints, comments, etc to a Canvas discussion forum.

Exams:

There will be two 90-minute exams, on March 19 and on May 9.  The exams are online.  Exam 1 questions are about material covered in modules 1 - 6, and exam 2 questions are about material covered in modules 7 - 12.  Students will take the tests online using the Chrome browser with the Proctorio extension during any 90-minute period between 7:00 am and 11:30 pm on the test day.

Extra credit:

Up to 50 points extra credit will be available for answering extra credit questions on Canvas.  These questions are challenging, but students are encouraged to discuss them in the discussion forum.

Grades:

Each exam is worth a maximum of 125 points.  All homework assignments together are worth a maximum of 100 points and the all lab reports together are also worth a maximum of 100 points.  Class participation is worth up to 50 points.  Extra credit points are added to the total score from tests, homework assignments, laboratories, and class participation.

450 and above    90% and above    A
435-449 87% - 89% A-
415-434 83% - 86% B+
400-414 80% - 82% B
385-399 77% - 79% B-
365-384 73% - 76% C+
350-364 70% - 72% C
335-349 67% - 69% C-
315-334 63% - 66% D+
300-314 60% - 62% D
285-299 57% - 59% D-

Missed assignments:

Students must notify the instructor promptly and submit documentation if they miss an assignment or lab with a valid excuse and request an extension.  Late notifications will not be accepted.

Announcements:

In Canvas, please go to "Account", "Notifications", and set your notification preferences so that you receive announcements notifications and conversations immediately.  Review the announcements in Canvas regularly.


If you need course adaptations or accommodations please let me know how I can help you.
If you have a documented disability, please contact Student Disability Services (SDS).  This will ensure that you are properly registered for the services provided by SDS.

Student Disability Services
1534 White Avenue
Blount Hall First Floor
Knoxville, TN 37996
Tel: 865-974-6087
Fax: 865-974-9552
VRS: 865-622-6566
Email: sds@utk.edu
Website: http://sds.utk.edu/

Please review the Campus Syllabus for information that is common across all courses at UTK.