Registering for MasteringAstronomy

 

This website has been designed to be used in conjunction with our Astr 1020 textbook, The Cosmic Perspective.  The core of the website that we will focus on is the Tutorials which feature a comprehensive collection of interactive and animated study aids for self-paced learning.  The site also features narrated animations, movies, interactive figures from the text, chapter-specific quizzes, chapter summaries and overviews, and web links.  It will help you improve your grades when you use it weekly.

 

You will need an access code to register for The MasteringAstronomy website.  You can get a 12-month access code in two ways:

  1. It is free when you purchase a new textbook.  You will find a Student Access Kit in the front of your textbook.
  2. Purchase access online with a credit card, if you bought a used book.  Go to http://www.masteringastronomy.com/ , choose our textbook (The Cosmic Perspective, 4e), and click on the “Buy Now” button.  The cost is about $27.00.

 

Once you have your access code, check the Site Requirements and then follow the step-by-step Registration Instructions in your book, OR the summary below.  You can register ONCE to create your personal login name and password.  You will log-in subsequently using the personal login name and password your created.

 

Site Requirements

You will find everything you need to optimize your computer for use of this website on the Site Requirements page, including system requirements, links to update your web browser, and links to update your plug-ins.  You need Shockwave Player 8, Flash Player 7.0, and QuickTime 6.0.  All of these can be downloaded for free.

 

Step-by-Step Registration Instructions

  1. Go to www.masteringastronomy.com
  2. Click on the cover of your text (The Cosmic Perspective, 4e).
  3. Under “First-Time User?, click on Register.

 

STEP 1: Access Information Screen

  1. Do You Have a Pearson Education Account? section:  If you have already registered for an online product published by Addison Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Logman, or Prentice Hall, type in your Login Name and Password under “Yes, Look Me Up”.  If not, select “No, I am a New User”.
  2. In the Access Code section, enter the 6-word access code (from your textbook or purchased by you as described above) in the boxes.
  3. In the School Location section, type CU’s zip code (80309) and select School Country (U.S.).
  4. Click Next.

 

STEP 2: Account Information Screen

  1. In the Personal Information section, type in your First Name, Last Name, and E-mail Address.
  2. In the School Information section, choose University of Colorado from the pull-down menu.
  3. In the Login Name and Password section, create your own personal login name and password.  Re-type your password.
  4. In the Security Questions section, choose a security question from the pull-down menu and fill in your answer.
  5. Click Next.

 

STEP 3: Confirmation & Summary Screen

  1. Once your login name and password have been accepted, you will see a Confirmation Summary page.  You will also get an E-mail with this information.  You may want to print out this information for future reference.

 

 

Register For a Class

On the Confirmation & Summary Screen, you will see the following “Need to join an online class?”  CLICK YES.  THIS IS IMPORTANT!  Clicking Join a Class prompts you to complete a few more registration steps, including your class ID.  Your instructor, Professor Burns, will give you the class ID during the first class period and will also send it to you via your CU E-mail account.

 

From now on, anytime you want to use the site:

 

Step-by Step Log-in Instructions

1.      Go to http://www.masteringastronomy.com

2.      Choose our textbook.

3.      Under “Established User?, type your login name and password that you created during registration.  Click the “Log In” button.

 

Note: the first time you log-in, click on “Site Requirements” near the bottom of the page, and make sure that your computer meets the system requirements and to see if you have the necessary plug-ins: Shockwave, Flash, and QuickTime.  If you don’t, click on the links to download these to your computer.

Click your browser’s “Back” button to get back to the Log-in screen.

 

The system shows that it knows you are in our class by showing the class ID in the upper left.  If it isn’t there, you probably are NOT getting credit.

 

When you do the Tutorials, to get credit, be sure that your name and Our class shows.  If you don’t see this, and you HAVE followed the registration instructions, contact tech support at masteringastronomy (you can click “tech support” near the top of the screen) AND confer with another student or our TA.  Most students should not have any problems with this registration.

 

When you do the tutorials, you must check YES on the first screen that comes up, “Do You Want to Record Your Work/Scores for this Tutorial?”  When you finish, you must also choose “SUBMIT”.  This sends your results into the class gradebook.