School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Undergraduate Programme Handbook for
Physics – Year 5
2013 - 14
PART A – SCHOOL INFORMATION
1 Summary of Key Information
2 Welcome and Introduction
3 General Information about the School/Institute
4 Key staff and office locations
5 Programme Overview
6 Programme Structure and Delivery
PART B – UNIVERSITY INFORMATION
B1 ordinances and regulations
B2 quick finder GuiDe to academic support services
B3 quick finder guide to student ADMINISTRATION AND support services
PART A – SCHOOL INFORMATION
1 Summary of Key Information
KEY CONTACTS IN PHYSICS
Room No
Head of Teaching
Dr J G Crowder DB153
5th year Director of Studies
Professor I Galbraith DB209
Secretary:
Mrs Sheila Young EPS Student Support Centre, JN 1.07
SIGNIFICANT DATES IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR
Session 1 : 16th September to 20th December 2013
Session 2 : 13th January to 4th April 2014
Session 3 : 28th April to 23rd May 2014
LINKS TO FURTHER INFORMATION/SERVICES
University Website : www.hw.ac.uk
You can also access much of the material of this handbook on the internet at the undernoted Web site:
http://internal.eps.hw.ac.uk/subjects/physics/handbooks.htm
The Year 5 Director of Studies in Physics is Professor I Galbraith, but enquiries should first be directed to your mentor or to Sheila Young located in the EPS Student Support Office, JN1.07, telephone number 0131 451 3025. General enquiries to 0131 451 4011, email address .
.
2 Welcome and Introduction
2.1 Welcome from the Principal of Heriot-Watt University
I am delighted to welcome you as a student of Heriot-Watt University!
Heriot-Watt University has a well earned reputation as Scotland's most international and outward-looking University. With three campuses in Scotland (attended by a high percentage of students from across the world), a new Campus in Dubai, a new Campus in Malaysia and Learning Partner institutions across the world, we have a vibrant and diverse learning culture which is unique and unmatched by other universities in the United Kingdom. We are keen to give our students the opportunity to develop an international dimension to their studies which will enhance their opportunities for future growth.
Students at all our campus locations are an important part of our global community and I very much hope you enjoy your time with us.
Professor Steve Chapman
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
3 General Information about the School
The aim of this part of the programme handbook is to provide a “user friendly” summary of University and Departmental regulations as well as general information and advice. Whilst this is written in the spirit of the regulations you should note that the University regulations in the official University publications take precedence over this guide.
The various subject disciplines of the University are grouped into “Schools”. Physics is part of the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences along with Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Combined Studies.
THE COURSE SYSTEM AND PHYSICS DEGREES
Courses
A credit-based course system is the common structure for all undergraduate degree programmes offered by this University. This system has a number of advantages for students.
Each course is designed to be of equal length in terms of student effort. Although there will be some unavoidable variation from one student to another, the “average” student is expected to put in a total effort of 150 hours for each course. These 150 hours include lectures, tutorials, writing up notes, revision and any examination. Each semester, you take 4 courses. There are two semesters in the year and so you will take 8 courses. This corresponds approximately to a 40 hour week during the semester, which should give you adequate time to take part in the many extra-curricular activities available to you and which are an important part of university life.
In each year, most of your courses will be assessed at the end of each semester by a combination of coursework taken during the course and written examination. This enables a check on your progress to be made throughout the year and avoids a large set of examinations at the end of the year. Exceptions to assessment at the end of the semester are the project courses in years 4 and 5 and some courses delivered by other disciplines.
You should make sure you know how the assessment of course will be carried out and what is expected of students taking the course. This information will usually be given to you by the lecturer at the start of a course.
The contributions of coursework and examination to the course mark vary from course to course. Full details are given in the course syllabuses.
Course Codes
It is helpful to understand the way course codes are devised. The first letter identifies the School (e.g. B for Engineering and Physical Sciences, F for Maths and Computing, D for Built Environment, etc.) The digit following the letter identifies the subject discipline. (e.g. B2 for Physics, B1 for Chemistry 1, F1 for Maths, etc). The next digit is the last digit of the SCQF level of the course. (SCQF stands for the Scottish Credits and Qualifications Framework). The following two letters identify the topic and the last digit (sometimes omitted) represents the semester, e.g. B27MW1 is a Physics course at level 7 and is given in the first semester. SCQF levels 7 to 11 correspond to years 1 to 5 respectively. Thus, as another example, course B20PS1 is a Physics course at level 10 given in semester 1.
Assessment
Courses are usually assessed at the end of each semester. Assessment may be by exam, coursework, or more usually, a combination of the two. Details are given in the course syllabuses. The number of courses required for various degrees and the various rules for progression from one year to the next are given in the publication “General Information for First Degree Students”. A brief summary is given in section 5 of this handbook.
There are no resits in year 5 of the programme (or in year 4 for BSc students).
.
Recommended Textbook
The recommended textbooks for all first and second year courses are as follows:
“Mathematics for Engineers: A Modern Interactive Approach” (3rd edition) by A. Croft and R. Davison, (published by Pearson)
“Physics”, Volumes 1 & 2, by Resnick, Halliday and Krane, (published by Wiley)
In addition the recommended textbook for experimental work in the first two years is:
'Experimental Methods’, L Kirkup (Wiley).
.
General Information
Your personal Mentor:
This is a member of the permanent Academic Staff, and is assigned to you when you begin each academic year. Your mentor is the first link between you and the University and will be able to get to know you on a personal level as each mentor has no more than ten students assigned to them.
You are required to have one formal meeting with your mentor at the start of each semester and they will discuss your progress and give general support on any matter of concern to you. All the staff are here to help you - if you are having any difficulty with a particular course you should discuss this with the lecturer for the course, or ask for help in a tutorial. In a university context it is important for you to be aware that the onus is on you to seek help.
For the Department to contact you:
Our main method of contacting you will be by the student notice boards, the student mail boxes and e-mail for class messages. You will be shown the location of the mail boxes on your introductory tour of the department. The first and second year location is on the first floor of the Physics spur, outside the first and second year laboratories, and the third, fourth and fifth year location is outside the third year laboratory. All internal and incoming mail will be put in your mailbox, which you should check frequently.
All students in the Physics department have an e-mail address which should be checked on a daily basis.
If there is a very urgent need for a telephone message to reach you we will make every effort to contact you immediately. The departmental telephones must not be used for non-urgent personal messages for undergraduate students.
Student Staff Committee
Although much of the flow of information between students and staff in this Department is on an informal or individual basis, there is also a formally constituted committee.
This committee consists of two student representatives from each of the undergraduate years together with postgraduate representatives and two staff. Meetings are held at least once every semester. All matters are open for discussion and this committee provides a valuable exchange of views and information for both staff and students. Discussion points could include: organisational problems, e.g. more tutorials needed in a programme or perhaps too much tutorial work; discussion of proposed changes in programme structures; the need for a drinks machine for students in the department, etc..
Lectures, Laboratories and Tutorials
Lectures start at 15 minutes past the hour and last for 50 minutes so that students can change rooms if necessary for the start of the next lecture. Lectures consist mainly of listening and making notes on the subject being taught. In many cases lecturers will provide teaching materials and notes which you will need to study and annotate during lectures. Lecturers welcome questions. You may be reluctant to ask a question in a large class but, if you are and you need to clarify some point, see the lecturer at the end of the lecture and/or make an appointment for a mutually convenient time. In the first year you will have specific tutorials arranged in a small group with a tutorial assistant, and in these you will work out examples and discuss general topics relating to your course.
Laboratory work, both experimental and computing, is a very important part of your course. In the laboratory you will develop practical skills which are an important part of the training of a physicist. You will also learn the art of scientific report writing - you must be able to communicate your experimental methods and your results effectively. Experimental work is time consuming, and the skills needed also take time to develop, but it is these skills which make well-trained physicists such useful employees!
Absences from Classes
If you are absent from classes for any reason the Department must be notified. Absences for up to four working days (this excludes Saturday and Sunday) are notified on a self-certification form available from the Undergraduate Office. Absences over four working days require a medical certificate.
If you miss an examination your absence must be supported by a medical certificate even if you are only absent for one day.
It is important to notify the department of all absences or of any special circumstances which may affect your studies at the time they occur. In this case, due consideration can be given to you when the Departmental Examiners meet to consider your results. Do not wait until you have done badly in an examination before telling us you have been ill or have had some special problem affecting your work as it may then be too late for us to help you. If you do have a problem you should see your Mentor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
The Department is required to inform the University Registration Office of extended absences from classes and it is in your interest to document all such absences.
Virtual Learning Environment - Vision
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are systems that support a range of learning contexts, ranging from conventional, classroom implementation to off-line, distance learning and online learning. The University’s VLE is called Vision and is based on a commercial software package called Blackboard. All courses are required to have a minimum presence on the VLE and you may be required to access information or complete and submit on-line assignments for courses on the VLE.
You are automatically registered for a VLE course based on the courses that you registered for at the start of the year (or any changes made after registration). The VLE can be accessed from any computer with internet access although not all browsers will support the functionality of Vision. It is best to access Vision from on-campus PC Caledonia machines. The VLE can be accessed from the web page http://vision.hw.ac.uk
Personal belongings
There are small metal lockers throughout the department in which you may keep personal belongings. You should supply your own padlock for your locker, and the locker must be cleared at the end of each session i.e. at the end of the academic year (i.e. end of semester 2). As in other Universities, the University cannot accept any responsibility for your personal belongings although the locker should give a good measure of security.
Students with Special Needs
If you require any special help in order to study effectively, discuss this with one of the Directors of Undergraduate Studies. In addition the Student Welfare Service is able to provide help - the contact person is Lorraine Vallance in the Hugh Nisbet Building.
Normally, students with dyslexia are registered with the University so that this is taken into account at exam time and special provision can be made.
Race Equality Policy
The University is committed to the elimination of unlawful racial discrimination; and the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups.
No religious, racial or political test shall be imposed by the University on any person in order to entitle him or her to be admitted as a Member, Professor, Teacher or Student of the University, or to hold office therein, or to graduate thereat, or to hold any advantage of privilege thereof.
Equal Opportunities Policy
Heriot Watt University is committed to equal opportunities for all, irrespective of sex, colour ethnic origin, disability, marital status, religious or political beliefs, trade union membership, sexual orientation or other irrelevant distinction.
COMPUTER FACILITIES
The computer facilities within the School are multi-faceted. There are a number of computer labs which form part of the university desktop service. In addition the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences has its own network of computers. However these are mostly restricted to staff and PhD students and will not be discussed further here. Finally there is a wireless network provision which allows students to connect their own laptops and gain internet access.