During my time at UT Austin as a graduate student, I have been a teaching assistant/assistant instructor for a variety of courses from stellar evolution to research methods. However, the last few semesters I have fallen in love with teaching introductory astronomy. I have found that general astronomy courses act as “bridges” between public astronomy communication and formal astronomy education.
AST301 is a new, undergraduate astronomy course for non-majors taught by Steven Finkelstein that utilizes the Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services (LAITS) online course program. This mode of teaching broadcasts a live lecture taught in a filming studio to 500+ online students, greatly increasing accessability to astronomy education. Additionally, we encourage our in-studio students to engage in active learning through a variety of activities, instapolls, and projects.
I have enjoyed designing this course alongside Steven Finkelstein and the LAITS team as much as I have enjoyed interacting with the students. I am priveleged to hear from students across a variety of majors, backgrounds, and stages in eduction and use their feedback to better the course. One of the most rewarding parts about teaching introductory astronomy has been seeing the progession of students who believe they are “bad at math/physics” become confident in their abilities. It is our hope that the problem solving skills our students develop in this class aid in their future education and beyond.
Are you a UT student looking for a science credit? Sign up for AST301 here!
