Intro. Metr. I

Time: Tuesday and Thursday 8:30-9:45
Room: NWC 5930
Instructor: Kis

Required textbooks: Practical Meteorology: An Algebra-based Survey of Atmospheric Science, Roland Stull (available for free at  https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/books/Practical_Meteorology/) (NOTE: This book was previously called Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers)

Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment (10th Ed.), C. Donald Ahrens

Recommended textbooks: A First Course in Atmospheric Thermodynamics (1st Ed.), Grant W. Petty

A First Course in Atmospheric Radiation (2nd Ed.), Grant W. Petty

Canvas: https://canvas.ou.edu (log in with your OU 4×4)

Please check Canvas often for announcements, content, due dates, and grades. Your quizzes will be taken on Canvas, and you may upload the work for your problem sets to Canvas.

Goals and objectives: The topics and framework of this class are designed introduce you to physical phenomena and processes that occur in Earth’s atmosphere. We will cover topics related to: The structure of Earth’s atmosphere; atmospheric radiation; dry atmospheric thermodynamics; atmospheric moisture and moist processes including cloud and precipitation formation. Along the way, we will learn foundational techniques, concepts, and methods that will be used throughout the rest of your meteorology courses.

Problem sets: There will be about 5-8 take-home problem sets during the semester, each worth variable points for a total of 350 points during the semester. Because math is a huge part of meteorology, problem sets will focus on using algebra and calculus in derivations and calculations.

You are welcome to collaborate with your classmates on problem sets. However, please understand that “working together on a problem set” does not mean copying is allowed—students are welcome to collaborate as a group but must arrive at their solutions independently, submit their own independent work, and be able to justify their solutions. Copied problem set work will not receive credit. If you collaborate together, you must indicate at the top of your work which classmate(s) you worked with.

The course syllabus is a general plan for the course. Revisions may be necessary, and will be announced by the instructor via class meetings, email, and Canvas.

Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, problem sets will be due by the start of class (8:30 a.m. Central Time) on their scheduled due dates. You may submit your work either on paper to the instructor directly at the start of class, or you can upload scans or digital pictures to Canvas by the start of class. If you choose to give your work directly to the instructor, please scan or take a picture of your work for your own study while the instructor is grading your work. If you choose to upload your work to Canvas, you must submit your work as PDFs (single or multiple files are fine) in order to minimize compatibility issues; 5 points will be deducted automatically for work uploaded to Canvas that is not turned in PDF.

Problem sets are considered late if they aren’t submitted by their due dates/times, and the option to upload problem sets to Canvas will close automatically at their scheduled due dates/times. Because we may discuss problem sets in class, and to facilitate continued review and study, I want to make problem set keys available as soon as possible. Thus, late problem sets will only be accepted for credit when accompanied by a University-approved excuse that is provided to me (in-person or via email) before the relevant due date/time or within 8 hours after a problem set is due. I encourage you to let me know of any such excuses as far in advance as possible, so that we can discuss accommodations. In such cases where an approved excuse is provided within the stated time limits, late problem sets must be submitted to me via email, within 36 hours after their scheduled due times, in order to be graded for credit. Otherwise, late problem sets automatically will be assigned a grade of “0.”

Canvas Quizzes: There will be about 12-16 quizzes during the semester, all administered via Canvas, each worth variable points for a total of 350 points during the semester. These quizzes are designed to help you keep current with class topics, think about class topics in new ways, and prepare for upcoming lectures. Quiz questions will use a variety of formats, including multiple choice, multi-select, true/false, matching, fill in the blank, and short answer. They will test you on recall, conceptual understanding, and occasionally on calculations. All quizzes are open-non-human-resource: Notes from this or previous classes, textbooks, the Internet, etc. They are, however, to be taken individually – in other words, you may not work with your classmates or other human resources on your quizzes!

The number of questions in each quiz will vary. Each quiz will generally be open for 2 hours. Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, all quizzes are due by 8:59 pm (Central Time) on their respective due dates. Each quiz can only be submitted once. The quizzes will close automatically at their scheduled due dates/times, and quizzes are considered late if they aren’t submitted via Canvas by the times they close.

Because we may discuss quizzes in class, and to facilitate continued review and study, I want to make your quizzes available for review as soon as possible. Thus, late quizzes will only be accepted for credit when accompanied by a University- approved excuse that is provided to me (in-person or via email) before the relevant quiz due date/time or within 8 hours after it’s due. I encourage you to let me know of any such excuses as far in advance as possible, so that we can discuss accommodations. In such cases where an approved excuse is provided within the

stated time limits, I will extend the available quiz time, and late quizzes must be completed within 36 hours after their scheduled due times in order to be graded for credit. Otherwise, late quizzes automatically will be assigned a grade of “0.”

Regular semester exams: There will be 2 exams given during the regular semester, administered during class meetings. Each exam will be worth 150 points for a total of 300 points during the semester. They will involve a variety of question formats that include fill-in-the-blank, short-to-long answer, calculations, and derivations.

Exams must be taken during their scheduled class times; no make-up or late exams will be given in order to ensure academic integrity and fairness. Only University-approved excuses will be accepted for absence from an exam during the regular semester, and in keeping with the Faculty Handbook, the student must give me notice (in-person or via email) of such excuses for approval within two full class periods before the relevant exam date. (For example, if the exam is scheduled on a Tuesday, you must notify me of excuses by the start of class on the preceding Tuesday. If the exam is scheduled on a Thursday, you must notify me of excuses by the start of class on the preceding Thursday.) For such excuses, the average score of the other regular semester exam and the final exam will be applied to the missed exam score. If you miss both regular semester exams, the situation will be handled at the discretion of the instructor and the decision is final.

If you have any questions about your exam grades, they can be brought to my attention during the week after exam grades are posted. After a week, grades may not be changed.

Final exam: The final exam will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2017 from 10:30am – 12:30pm in NWC 5930. The final exam is worth 200 points and is comprehensive: It will include material covered after the 2nd regular semester exam, and will also feature questions on older topics that appeared on the regular semester exams.

Class participation: I expect regular attendance. Besides keeping track of attendance, I will randomly provide opportunities for participation throughout the semester, such as Q/A, discussions, derivations, and group work. I also expect that you will keep current with assigned textbook readings, and class discussion will often rely on having done assigned readings in advance.

Statement on absences due to religious holidays: It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations that may fall on religious holidays. Any student who has a religious holiday fall on one of the exam days, please see me no later than one week prior to the exam so that we can make arrangements.

Grading: A total of 1250 points may be earned during the semester. Points will be divided as follows:

Homework: 350 pts

Quizzes: 350 pts  Regular semester exams: 300 pts

Final exam: 200 pts Class participation: 50 points

The following standard scale will determine the final grade for the course:

A: 1125 – 1250 points

B: 1000 – 1124 points

C: 875 – 999 points

D: 750 – 874 points  F: 749 points or below

Student conferences: I will be available at 8am TR in the NWC for questions before our class meetings. I also will answer questions at the start of each class and will remain after class to answer questions. Asking questions at the start or end of class is great, because they will be fresh in your mind and it is likely your classmates will have similar questions. You can also email me your questions, as I check my email often during the day and will respond as quickly as possible. Emails are usually sufficient to get questions answered and clarifications made. Conferences can also be requested.

Accommodation of students with disabilities: The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course are requested to speak with the instructor as early in the semester as possible. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations in this course. The Office of Disability Services is located in Goddard Health Center, Suite 166. You may contact the office at 405-325-3852 (voice) or 405- 325-4173 (TDD).

Adjustments for pregnancy/childbirth related issues: Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.

Title IX resources: For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5 M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident.

Academic misconduct: Cheating and other academic misconduct will not be tolerated and will be reported: No exceptions, no excuses. Those found cheating will be

penalized under the OU Academic Misconduct Code, which can be found at http://www.ou.edu/provost/integrity. In short, if you cheat, expect to be removed from the course and to receive an F for the course. All alleged instances of academic misconduct will be investigated and, if substantiated, appropriate admonitions will be imposed. Please read http://www.ou.edu/provost/integrity-rights for further information.

Working together on homework assignments (not quizzes!) is encouraged in this class (as stated above, you must list the classmate(s) you collaborated with on your homework assignments), and using other students as a resource is a great way to learn. However, the work you submit MUST be your own work. Any student caught copying off another student will be penalized.