What topics are taught in introductory astronomy courses?

Abstract

So, just what is it that people teach in ASTRO 101? Very likely the astronomy-naı̈ve physicist will have to figure that out “on the run” and perhaps alone. There are lifelines, however.

Pedagogical changes in an astronomy course for non-physics majors: Student and professor perspectives

“…First, the course should impart a deeper understanding of the nature of science and the scientific method; second, it should incorporate history and philosophy as it pertained to pioneers in the field of astronomy; and finally it should be student-centered, drawing from the students' own experiences and allowing those experiences to emerge through various assignments. These goals are similar to those found in the literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] but set in a Canadian context at a small undergraduate university. Through discussion, research, and continually questioning what was in the best interests of the students while keeping true to the content, a change in pedagogy was employed to reach the above-mentioned goals [2].…”

“…Therefore, the question of how this course should be taught to better meet students' needs was raised [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The professor and assistant commented on three main "big ideas" they wanted to implement into this first-year astronomy course specifically for non-physics majors.…”

Development of a Concept Inventory to Assess Students’ Understanding and Reasoning Difficulties about the Properties and Formation of Stars

“…Literature about related topics often reports on young children's ideas, rather than those of college nonscience majors despite that star properties and formation are one of the most common topics in ASTRO 101 (Slater, Adams, Brissenden, & Duncan, 2001). This study addresses a critical deficit in the scholarly literature about college students' conceptions of stars and star formation that is needed for constructivist instructors who want to effectively target students' prior knowledge.…”

Investigating undergraduate students’ ideas about the fate of the Universe

“…The ASTRO 101 courses examined in this study, comprised of a convenience sample, cover the major topics typically taught in an ASTRO 101 course [45], and were taught at three American undergraduate institutions: Chicago State University (CSU), an urban minority-serving university located in the Midwest; Concord University (CU), a regional state university in Appalachia; and the University of NevadaLas Vegas (UNLV), an urban research-intensive university located in the western United States. Although individual demographic data were not collected, student demographics for the ASTRO 101 courses are generally representative of each university's undergraduate population as a whole because the courses satisfy general education requirements for all students.…”