Discussion ForumsSyllabus for NUC-303
NUCLEAR PHYSICS FOR TECHNOLOGY
Nuclear Physics for Technology provides students with fundamental concepts of atomic and nuclear physics, nuclear reactor physics, and nuclear reactor operations. It includes a background in atomic and nuclear physics, nuclear reactions and elementary particle interactions, as well as the theory of nuclear reactor design for steady state and transient conditions, reactor control, and reactor operations.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
ISBN-13: 978-0-201-82498-8
Supplemental Reading
Nuclear Physics for Technology is a three-credit online course, consisting of six (6) modules. Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored onlinemidterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.
Consult the course Calendar for due dates.
Discussion ForumsNuclear Physics for Technology requires you to participate in six (6) graded discussion forums (worth 24 percent of your course grade). There is also an ungraded but required Introductions forum in Module 1. All class discussions take place on the class Discussion Board.
Communication and collaboration among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Written AssignmentsYou are required to complete six (6) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the courses modules.
The written assignments require you complete selected problems from the end of each chapter in the textbook. You are to submit your answers to these problems to your mentor for correction and grading.
Assignments must be prepared electronically, using a word processor and whatever equation editor comes with your word processing software. However, if your word processor is not compatible with your mentor's word processor, you will need to save your document as a rich-text file (.rtf) before submitting it. Check with your mentor first to determine file compatibility. (Note: You may submit the scanned hand-written solutions if your mentor allows this option.)
When preparing your answers, please identify each exercise clearly by textbook section and exercise number. Be sure to include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled. To receive full credit for your answers, you must show all work and include complete solutions. If you choose not to use an equation editor to write mathematical symbols, you'll need to use the Insert > Symbols menu of your word processor to find the appropriate symbols. Exponents can be inserted as superscripts using the Format > Font menu.
When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor.
Midterm ExaminationThe midterm exam covers all material assigned in modules 1–2 of the course and is two hours long.
The exam is open book, but not open notes. In this regard you are permitted to bring only a nonprogrammable calculator and the authorized textbook to the exam. The textbook must be an original bound hard copy; electronic textbooks (or printouts) are not allowed. You are also not allowed to bring any loose pages or notes, either typed or printed, or to consult a solutions manual or any other reference sources or sources of information.
For the midterm, you are required to use the College's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.
Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.
Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
Final PaperIn lieu of a final exam, you are required to complete a final paper (worth 28 percent of your course grade).
Your final research paper shall be 8-10 pages long. You are required to discuss the design and operation considerations of a thermal or fast reactor system. Design and operation considerations include fuel management, reactor control, and maintenance considerations, as well as costs and operating histories, including reliability concerns. The project entails two stages:
Stage 1: Submit a 1–2 page paper outline (worth 5 percent of your course grade) that includes technical information of a reactor system: type of reactor, type of fuel, type of moderator, type of coolant, and safe shutdown systems. The outline should list two key references you will be using in the reference list, and include a schematic of the vessel internals.
Stage 2: Complete and submit the final paper (worth 23 percent of your course grade).
Please see the Module 4 and Module 6 areas of the course Web site for further details.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
Stage 1: Outline—5 percent
Stage 2: Final paper—23 percent
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a nonarea of study course), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
Academic Dishonesty
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:
Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.
A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.
If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.
Plagiarism
Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
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