Welcome to PH201-203 Online
This is the webpage for online General Physics at Chemeketa Community College. These courses might be referred to as "College Physics" or "Algebra-based Physics" at other institutions. This is a sequence of three introductory physics courses that are entirely online, including the labs which you will do with purchased kits.

Note to prospective students: I will be switching textbooks starting summer term 2012. I will use College Physics; 1st edition; Knight, Jones, and Field (ISBN 0805390626 or 080530634X). The text is out of print, so it is only available from resellers such as Amazon.

You can take these courses from anywhere in the world with a reliable internet connection. You can register for these courses through Chemeketa Online, a division of Chemeketa Community College, in Salem, Oregon, USA. If a class is full when you attempt to register, then use the waiting list. I will not allow anyone to register over the limit or after the first week of class. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through e-mail.

Once you enroll, please download the syllabus and read the course calendar from the following table:

Comparison to Traditional Format
Class average grade is 3.0, which is higher than that of my campus-based classes, 2.5. But the number of hours spent on task is higher, the cost is higher, the average incoming GPA is higher (explaining the higher grades), and the dropout rate is higher. If you have a choice, you may be better off taking a traditional physics course.

Student Profile
Though the courses generally fulfill lab science graduation requirements for two and four year degrees, most students take this sequence of courses because it is required for their major or graduate school. These commonly include pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, and environmental science. About 30% of the students are from Chemeketa and 50% are from other colleges in Oregon. About 10% take the courses while abroad.

Students Abroad
Students have taken these courses while in Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Panama, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine. One issue to consider when taking these courses abroad is that shipping lab kits directly can take significant time and might have difficulty in customs. It is generally easier to ship to an American address and then put the kits in luggage.

Transferring Credit
Transferring credit depends on decisions made by the registrar at your home institution, but there has never been a serious problem for any of my students. Chemeketa is regionally accredited (the most prestigious accreditation) and the course is mainstream in content. We use a quarter system, so transferring credit to an institution on a semester system can be awkward if you don't take the entire sequence. I suggest you download the course syllabi above and present them to appropriate people at your home institution before enrolling. The course is put on your Chemeketa transcript the same as the campus-based course.

We will use three different websites in this course.

Chemeketa Faculty
The website you are on right now is open to the general public. The calendar should be your first stop whenever you go online.

MasteringPhysics
The second website we will use is called MasteringPhysics. It contains an interactive online homework system that is based on current physics education research. You will need to separately purchase an access code.  Please follow the instructions for registration.

eLearn
The third website we will use is eLearn. Use your user name and password from My Chemeketa to access this site. Consult eLearn support (503-399-7399) if you have difficulty accessing it. We will use eLearn to report grades, host discussion groups, post lab reports, e-mail, and deliver exams.

This is a difficult class made more challenging by the delivery method. The necessary mental, temporal, and physical resources are significant.

Mental Resources
The prerequisites for the courses are listed above. You should have a strong grasp of algebra, trigonometry, and vectors before beginning PH201. You are not required to have any formal training in physics to begin PH201. You should also be competent at using a digital camera, web browser, word processor, and spreadsheet program. If you do not have the necessary mental resources to successfully complete the class, you should consider acquiring them and enrolling at a later date.

Temporal Resources
These are not self-paced courses. You will need to commit a significant amount of time each week to complete the work necessary to master the physics topics. You will read the text, perform and write up labs, do homework, take exams, run computer simulations, post messages, and do other activities as posted in the class calendar. All told, you should expect to spend from 10 to 30 hours per week on this class. If you do not have the necessary temporal resources to successfully complete the class, you should consider enrolling at a later date.

Physical Resources
In addition to paying for the required tuition and fees (about $350 for all US students), you will need to procure a variety of physical resources to complete this class. I make every effort to keep costs down, but this class is likely to be more expensive than most others at Chemeketa. Please consult the following list and acquire the necessary resources as soon as possible:

1) You will need a computer with good internet access, MS Word 2007 or equivalent, and MS Excel 2007 or equivalent (cost varies).

2) The textbook, Physics, Walker, 3rd edition, Pearson Prentice Hall (ISBN 0131536311) is available from Amazon and former students for approximately $20. This will be the text for all three courses. You can also purchase an e-book from MasteringPhysics for about $60, though you should not use this as your sole text. Note that I may switch texts starting summer 2012.

3) Lab kits must be purchased separately from the Chemeketa Bookstore for about $120 a term. Other options are to purchase them from former students or build your own.

4) You will need to procure additional lab equipment including a digital camera (low resolution such as a cell phone is fine), metric tape measure, string, and scissors.

5) You will need a calculator that does not have cell phone or internet capabilities. This will be necessary for the exams.

6) You will need to purchase a subscription to MasteringPhysics based on instructions. This subscription will be valid for all three terms and costs approximately $55.

7) You may need to pay for the services of a proctor, depending upon where you take your exams. No Chemeketa branches charge for this service. Please see the webpage for exams for more information.