Astronomy from the Ground Up: Applying the research process to undergraduate teaching

by Dr Geoffrey Mathews (University of Hawaii)

Tuesday Apr 25, 2017, 3:30 PM → 4:30 PM Pacific/Honolulu

112 (Watanabe Hall)

The field of Astronomy Education Research (AER) has largely focused on the teaching of Astronomy for general education and neglected the preparation of the next generation of astronomers: students receiving degrees in Astronomy and Physics majors seeking minors as an introduction to the field. Despite a 34% growth in the number of undergraduate astronomy degrees granted by US universities from 2006 to 2015, there has been no effort to either tabulate what is taught in undergraduate Astronomy programs, nor to come to an agreement regarding what should be taught in an undergraduate astronomy program. Here, I discuss efforts over the past 4 years to answer to this question, attempts to improve the teaching of astronomy, and I lay out a roadmap for future efforts.

Slides astronomy_from_the_ground_up.pdf