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PHYS1160
INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY
Physics
Assessment information
Note that all specific due dates are in the Course Outline. All assessments are submitted
on Moodle.
Summary of assessment and alignment to learning outcomes
Assessments
Learning Objective
Assess:
Quizzes
Assess:
Short
reports
Assess:
Exam
Assess:
Written
assessment
Describe key concepts in astronomy and astrobiology,
including the formation of stars, planets, and galaxies;
the history of life on Earth; and the beginning and
ultimate fate of the Universe
X X X X
Synthesise multiple scientific perspectives to
distinguish between scientific fact and pseudoscience X
Search appropriate literature to identify and explain
supporting evidence for or against scientific claims X
Use experimental techniques to justify how, using
simple experimental techniques, astrophysical
phenomena can be observed and used to demonstrate
our understanding of the Universe
X
Communicate astronomical concepts accurately and at
an appropriate level to general audiences X X
Quizzes
Testing your understanding is a vital component to learning. It helps you gauge what you have learned and
where there are gaps in your knowledge. In most weeks, you will have a quiz to complete on Moodle. These
quizzes are comprised of multiple-choice questions that will test your conceptual understanding of the
material.
Short reports
The short reports used in this course have been purposefully designed to scaffold your skills development and
learning of course material. The short reports, therefore, directly prepare you for the written assessment.
You will develop your communication and research skills as you respond to given stimuli two times throughout
the term. You can see that, as the term progresses, you are given less direction and are expected to do more
independent research.
There is no specific format to the short reports. The lengths of each short report are given below. You should
write concisely and ensure you satisfy the rubric criteria (outlined below). You may include figures, where
necessary, and you must include appropriate referencing. The usual rules on attribution and plagiarism apply to
these short reports. If you plagiarise, the procedures outlined in UNSW’s Plagiarism Policy.
The details for each short report are below and summarised in the table.
Short report 1: Answering questions
In the first short report, you are expected to answer 2 questions provided to you by your tutor. Each question
should be answered in 300 words (600 words total for the answers to both questions). The word count is the
number as shown by Turnitin. This means that it includes everything, such as references, figure captions, titles.
Short report 2: Choose ONE (1) of the following:
1) Debunking misconceptions and pseudoscience
In a maximum of 1000 words (as shown by Turnitin), you are expected to research the science relevant to
climate change. You are to answer the question: Why are misconceptions about climate change so prominent,
and what evidence is there for climate change?
In your response, you must refer to:
• (Briefly) Common climate change misconceptions, such as those outlined here, and why such
misconceptions are popular in society
• Evidence for climate change, with specific reference to solar variability and the impact (if any) that
solar variability has on climate.
• How climate change is scientifically linked to a particular event/occurrence that has happened in a
region of your choice (e.g., where you currently live, your hometown, etc.). Alternatively, you may pick
one from the list below:
o Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching
o 2009 Victorian and South Australian bushfires and heatwaves
o Increased droughts across Australia
o 2011 loss of Western Australia’s kelp forests
o 2019 bitumen melting in NSW
• Possible scientific solutions to climate change
2) Researching new telescopes and missions
In a maximum of 1000 words (as shown by Turnitin), you are expected to choose a new telescope or mission
that began collecting data in the last 10 years (that means that the mission/telescope could have launched
more than 10 years ago but started collecting data in the last 10 years). In this report, you are to:
• Describe the background scientific information that places the reason for the mission or telescope
into context. What is the gap in current knowledge?
• Explain the scientific aims of the mission/telescope, and how they will be answered (this is related to
the first point; the mission/telescope may not completely fill the gap in current knowledge!)
• Summarise the data that will be gathered by mission/telescope, or the data that has already been
collected.
• Briefly explain how this contributes to current scientific knowledge.
Short report Task Length (strict word limits as
shown by Turnitin, includes
things like references, figure
captions, titles, etc.)
1: Answering questions Answer 2 questions provided by tutor 300 words per answer
2: EITHER:
Debunking
misconceptions and
pseudoscience
Researching new
telescopes and
missions
Answer the question: Why are misconceptions
about climate change so prominent, and what
evidence is there for climate change?
Research a new telescope/mission that
started collecting data in the last 10 years
1000 words
Marking criteria