PHYS 280 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Final Exam:
The Physics 280 final exam will be held on Thursday, May 14 from 8:00am-11:00 am. The exam will be proctored by CBTF online (via live Zoom). If you should have a question about content during the exam, your proctor will email our course TAs on your behalf--Aric and Paisley will be standing by to help.
Exam Reviews & Format: We wiil hold final exam reviews via Zoom during the week of the exam at two different times (T 5/12,10:00am-12:00pm and W 5/13, 3:00pm-5:00pm). The Zoom meeting codes will be provided in an email.
The final exam has 75 multiple-choice questions (70% of the exam grade) plus one essay question (30% of the exam grade), with questions provided in a PDF exam booklet and answers submitted on an Excel spreadsheet--you will upload your completed answer sheet to the usual assignment upload site via an assignment link named "Final." The professor provided a copy of the Excel worksheet in a 5/13/20 email to the class, so that you can practice editing the file and uploading it. The upload link is open now; your upload at the end of the final on Thursday will overwrite any file you have uploaded as an earlier test.
The exam is cumulative and open book/notes/Internet. Not allowed: (1) communication with anyone other than your proctor during the exam; (2) copying content from others, including Internet sources.
Study Aids: Half of the questions are taken from old final exams (these are available on the Exam Information page). On the Exam Information page, you will also now find the midterm exam for the current semester with solutions. The final lecture slides on nuclear winter are available as well; they are linked on the course Schedule page.
Before the final, please read carefully the following article -- important to prepare for writing the exam essay: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/china-may-have-conducted-low-level-nuclear-test-us-report-claims .
Questions/Concerns: If you have any concerns about your ability to take the exam during the posted time, with live Zoom proctoring, or in uploading your exam to our regular course upload link, please contact your TA and copy the professor as soon as possible (remember to include 20p280 at the start of the subject line). To read more about exam policies, including conflict exams, see here.
Note: CBTF will contact you with additional instructions. There is no charge to students for this service, which is provided by the Grainger College of Engineering.
COVID-19 Adjustments
Physics 280 has moved online following Spring Break, in accordance with campus and college policies for COVID-19 management (please check the University site often for updates).
Lectures:
- The professor will either present via Zoom or record lectures and place them online for you to watch during our regularly scheduled class time (although viewing any recorded lectures at a time of your choosing is also possible). For Zoom lectures, see the professor's class email for the meeting code and password (provided before each Zoomed lecture). Note: The T 3/31 and R 4/2 lectures were held in Zoom; they were not recorded, but slides are available (see our course schedule).
- Top Hat questions will no longer be used to review lecture material. The number of dropped Top Hat grades (five) from lecture remains the same as originally stated on the Course Grading page.
- Attendance is not required for lectures (when live Zoomed), but is strongly encouraged.
- Paper copies are no longer required for essay submissions. You will upload essays in the same way as in the earlier part of the semester. Work will be returned by your writing lab instructor via an individual Illinois Box folder (set up by your instructor) to protect your privacy (Illinois Box is FERPA compliant).
Writing Labs and Office Hours:
- Attendance will continue to be taken in writing lab, in which attendance is required.
- Quizzes will continue to be administered in writing lab and in the same way as in the past.
- Writing labs and office hours will be held via Zoom at the usually scheduled times. To protect student privacy, writing lab meetings (video, chat) will not be recorded. Any slides used in writing lab meetings will continue to be posted via link on the course schedule.
Quick Start Guide for Zoom
Zoom Office Hours
Office hours will be offered via Zoom each week on Tuesdays from 5-6pm and on Wednesday from 4-7pm.
(1) Tuesday office hour via Zoom
- TA: Heather Schlitz (5-6pm)
(2) Wednesday office hours Zoom
- TAs: Paisley Meyer, Aric Tate (4-5pm)
- Nico Santiago, Kelsey Luo (5-6pm)
- Logan Meredith (6-7pm)
Handouts:
- You will access course handouts via a Student Handout Folder located in Google Drive. Please do not alter or delete handouts -- download them for use.
Support
- Please email your TA or the professor with any questions (remember to begin the subject line with 20p280).
For help in transitioning to online learning, visit the Grainger College of Engineering IT's Keep Learning page. - For help with connecting via VPN or for any other technology needs, visit Technology Services's Continuing Key University Activities page.
- The Writer's Workshop has online appointments available -- their online appointments "use a combination of video / audio, chat, and a whiteboard space to share text.
Under the Supplemental Information tab of the course menu, you can find resources for exploring how nuclear weapons and arms control have shaped our modern cultural imagination. These are provided for personal growth and exploration.