About the Course:
This course was all about Black Holes and astrophysics, revolving around the physics of the universe. I wish to pursue a degree in the field of physics in my college, and this course was the one that peaked my interest. It taught me a lot of things regarding how the principle of black holes works (as far as what has been discovered), the timeline of discoveries/formulae (and how each completely changed the understanding of spacetime), and compelled me to ask more questions regarding the topics. The 10-module course consisting of 18-hour (total) lectures enlightened me regarding how vast the universe is and the fundamental physics behind the same.
LO1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
Identifying my own strengths before starting the course was important – I had to make sure that I was clear about all my knowledge till 10th grade (that has been taught) and revise the same properly. Then, when I started my course, in the beginning it seems easy to understand. My main strength is taking running notes, which helps me grasp the knowledge that is being taught more clearly, as I am penning everything down. I continued using this skill throughout the course and made insightful notes as well.
An area of growth, a challenge that I faced during the course, was that in the latter quarter of the course, the information started to get a little confusing. ‘Quantum Physics’ was introduced, along with recent discoveries such as ‘Hawking Radiation.’ It was difficult to wrap my mind around concepts that I had barely heard about before. For this, I rewatched the videos a few times and tested my knowledge on a personal level. I even used the search engine to find answers to my questions, and clear all doubts. This helped me improve my knowledge on the topic and helped me stay on-track with the course.
LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
A major challenge that I went through was managing my time with my studies. This course was heavy with theory, and along with my grade-11 studies, I found it harder to cope. Manier times I had no free time for myself, which put me under stress as well, especially when the term end exams were coming up. However, I soon found a way to manage my time by making a personal timetable, where daily I would give this course a minimum of half an hour. I would also make sure that I give myself some free time so that it doesn’t become a burden on me. Thus, I developed time-management skills in the process of this online course.
LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
I was dedicated to this course throughout the first term of grade-11. I did my level best to manage it along with studies/extra-curriculars, and even set a target for myself to complete the course by the end of Diwali Vacation. This goal helped me set a clear path and pushed me to give this course enough time, so that I can achieve my set target. During the tests after each module, I made sure to rely on my personal knowledge. If the test score was bad, or several answers were incorrect, I would re-give the test without checking the correct answers, evaluating where I went wrong. The commitment and perseverance demonstrated in this course is what helped me complete this course on Black Holes by the end of term-1.
Therefore, through the demonstration of LO1, 2, and 4, this CAS experience helped me develop a lot of skills, polish them, and learn a lot more about how the universe works. The theoretical knowledge I earned through this course will definitely help me in the near future, in my college.