COURSE INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Optical Theory class. For those of you who are new to
this method of delivering the courses, I hope that you find this to be
an interesting experience.
At any time in this course if you feel that you do not understand the
material, have questions that the reading does not answer, or have any
other concerns about the class or the program, feel free to contact your
instructor.
In this course we are going to cover basic theory. Some of this material
is tested on the ABO exam. The intention of the course is to give you a
basic understanding of light, lenses and prisms as they are used in Ophthalmic
Optics.
YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THIS COURSE AND YOUR INSTRUCTOR
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Clear explanations of the material and the assignments.
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Worksheets to fill out in every lesson to help you understand the lessons
and to help your instructor make sure that you understood the material.
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Help with the course material when you e-mail and ask for it.
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A response from your instructor within the time period indicated in your
course orientation. If you do not hear from your instructor, either your
assignment did not arrive in your instructor's mailbox, or your instructor
could not tell who sent it, or the response did not arrive in your mailbox.
In any case, CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR!
YOUR INSTRUCTOR'S EXPECTATIONS OF YOU
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Assignments done within the week that they are assigned. Sometimes
this will be difficult, but you are expected to communicate whenever you
know that you will be late with an assignment.
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Do the worksheets and/or exercises, even if the material is 'simple' to
you and you already know how to do it. If this is true, it will only take
a few minutes of your time.
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Buy or borrow the textbook! There will be a lot of lessons where
you will be told to read a section, and then you will be expected to answer
questions from it. You will need it.
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Buy or borrow a calculator. You will need it on a regular basis, so do
not borrow it from someone who is also taking this course or another Opticianry
course!
You will need a calculator that has a key labelled 'sin'. (Stands
for 'sine', which is pronounced like 'sign'.) If you have a key like this,
you have everything that you need for this course and for all of the other
Opticianry courses. The more complex the calculator, the harder it will
be for your instructor to help you if you run into problems with it. So,
if you are buying one, get the least complex calculator that you can find
that has this key somewhere on it. The TI-34 would be a good choice; it
is inexpensive and it is readily available.
In every lesson, first read the assigned pages in the text, then read
the material on the internet lesson. You may then go back and do the worksheets,
or you may do the worksheets as you go along. Many people learn best if
they read first for basic understanding, then go back and look at the points
one at a time, writing down the important parts for themselves.
We actually learn by repetition. The act of writing helps the brain
to remember. So does talking out loud. I once had a straight-A student
who took careful notes, then went home and read them to her dog.
It does not matter who you explain a concept to: verbalizing it helps you
to understand and remember it. An English teacher who read that statement
the first time I had this course available on-line told me that an even
better method would be to read each lesson to a tape recorder, then play
it back as you look at the examples and diagrams.
Do not just read. You must also write, say it out loud, listen to it.
Do not just copy the words: phrase each idea in your own words. Believe
me, this will help you to understand!
