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Paper: Evolution of Astronomy Education at a Small Four-Year Institution: Studio Astronomy at The University of Michigan-Flint
Volume: 473, Communicating Science
Page: 341
Authors: Ganguly, R.; Stark, M. A.
Abstract: As an independent satellite campus, The University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) is a typical, small four-year, primarily undergraduate, institution, having just passed an enrollment of 8000 students in fall 2011. Astronomy courses are offered under the physics program, which itself is part of the Department of Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics. In this poster, we present a timeline for how astronomy course offerings have evolved from four separate lecture/lab courses to a single survey-style class. We plan to offer this survey course in a studio model inspired by our introductory physics courses. This presents a format that is manageable by a small program with very limited resources and also makes use of learning strategies that have been successful in teaching introductory physics. We present some of these proposed learning strategies and invite community input on potential changes and avenues for improvement. In addition to the new studio format for the course, the university also leases time from the local planetarium. We present a sample of the labs that utilize the unique environment of the planetarium, and associated learning goals.
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