Your astronomy class may be the last chance! Making concepts stick with interactive instructional methods

What students hear in astronomy class is not as important as what students DO in astronomy class. Most students in introductory astronomy courses are getting the last science instruction they will ever have, but it's all too easy for such courses to become fire hoses of information. These courses are an opportunity to nail down some basic concepts of natural science while teaching students the process of science: how we know what we know and why it is essential to keep learning. We will review recent physics and astronomy education research and methods of interactive student-centered instruction, focusing on conceptual mastery, that have enabled significant increases in student learning gains in introductory courses at Ithaca College and elsewhere.