In order to pass the unit, you need to obtain a total mark of at least 50%, as well as a mark of at least 40% in the final exam.

Oral assessment: On 4 separate weeks the students will be given a week to read a set of notes and book pages. In order to digest the material the students are asked to print and annotate the pages, including answering a questionnaire and to be prepared to explain any part of the material to their peers in class during a 2 hour long round table discussion. Part of the material will be new to the students and part will be from content already presented. It is not expected that students understand everything they read. However, it is expected that they are able to present questions about any aspects that they do not fully comprehend and that these questions be in the context of those concepts that they do understand.  The ability to explain any concept in a clear fashion and according to some pre-agreed specification (level of depth, time constraints, etc.) is a key skill to be mastered by any science student. This is why this assessment task is part of this unit.

This assessment task also allows the lecturer to "flip" part of the unit. The oral session where the students are presenting and discussing material that has not yet been presented by the lecturer, will allow the lecture time to be a far more interesting and in depth discussion session, rather than board presentation. The lecturer will be there to consolidate concepts and stimulate a deeper understanding. 

Assignments: four exam style assignments will be given to prepare students for the type of questions they might be getting in the final exam and to test their general understanding and their problem solving skills. Programming a computer to answer questions that are not simple to answer in any other way is an essential skill not just in Astrophysics but in any job that require a science degree as a platform. In part of each assignment the student will write short computer codes to answer questions. 

The final examination will be three hours long duration plus ten minutes reading time.  The final examination is similar to the theoretical side of the Assignments in style, but is carried out under controlled conditions and without the help of books. Battery or solar powered calculators which do not have a full alphabet on the keyboard will be allowed into the examination. Calculators with text retrieval are not permitted for the final examination.  

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. You must obtain a mark of at least 40% in the final exam to be eligible to pass the unit. If your mark in the final examination is between 30% and 39% inclusive, you may be a given a second and final chance to attain the required level of performance; the mark awarded for the second exam towards your final unit mark will be capped at 40%, and you will be allowed to sit the second exam only if this mark would be sufficient to pass the unit overall. If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled after results are released. Please see FSE101 in iLearn for dates. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination. Second chance exams for hurdle assessments will also be scheduled in this period.

You are expected to present yourself for the final examination at the time and place designated in the University examination timetable (http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/).   The timetable will be available in draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of examinations and in final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of examinations.

The only exception to not sitting the examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption.  In these circumstances you may wish to apply for Special Consideration (see ‘Special Consideration’ in this Guide).  If a supplementary examination is granted as a result of the special consideration process the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period.  You are advised that it is the policy of the University not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students.   All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, i.e.  the final day of the examination period.

The course will be delivered through weekly lectures and tutorial sessions. The unit will cover four parts:

1) Stellar Pulsations and Stellar Nucleosynthesis (6 weeks, lecturer Devika Kamath)

2) The physics of fluids, astrophysics of accreting gas in star formation and binary interactions (7 weeks, lecturer Orsola De Marco)

Each part will be assessed via oral sessions and assignments during the term, and will be approximately proportionally represented in the final exam.

Week 1-3: Stellar pulsation

Week 4:  Stellar pulsation 

Week 5: Stellar pulsation and nucleosynthesis

Week 6: Nucleosynthesis: the genesis of the elements

Week 7: The equations of fluid dynamics

Week 8: The equations of fluid dynamics and star formation

Week 9: Shocks

Week 10: Shocks and viscosity

Week 11: Viscosity and accretion disks (and maybe jets)

Week 12-13: Accretion disks and jets

Modifications to the syllabus this year will be:

1) A slightly shorter section on stellar pulsations in the first part of the unit (lecturer Devika Kamath)

2) Slightly reduced emphasis on star formation with increased emphasis on accretion in general and disk formation and evolution.  (lecturer Orsola De Marco)

Assessment was simplified as follows:

1) The class participation item was eliminated.

2) The presentation assessment substituted with 4 oral/presentation assessments.

3) The computer assessment was integrated into 4 regular assignments.

4) The short answer assessment task (class flip) was integrated into the oral presentation.