We present our Lunar Phases Project, an ongoing effort utilizing students' actual observations within a mental model building framework to improve student understanding of the causes and process of the lunar phases. We implement this project with a sample of undergraduate, nonscience major students enrolled in a midsized public university located…

We present the analysis of oral interviews with 112 undergraduate nonmajor students during the first week of a General Education Introduction to Astronomy class before they had received any instruction. The students were asked questions relating to Kepler's three Laws of Motion, as well as their understanding of what keeps planets in orbit around…

This study (Note 1) investigated the beliefs about stars that students hold when they enter an undergraduate introductory astronomy course for nonscience majors. Students' preinstructional ideas were investigated through the use of several student-supplied-response (SSR) surveys, which asked students to describe their ideas about topics such as…

Members of the Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) and the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) Team at the University of Arizona have conducted a systematic investigation into the use of wireless, electronic personal response systems (PRS), more commonly known as "clickers," to gather research data in the large…

We tested the effectiveness of hands-on nighttime laboratories that challenged student misconceptions, using a new assessment exam to measure learning in a nonmajor introductory astronomy class at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We were able to increase learning at the 8.0 sigma level on one of the Moon phase objectives that was addressed in a…

This article describes a case study of a faculty member who wanted to change his introductory astronomy course for non-science majors to include more learner-centered pedagogy. To help him achieve this goal, he was assisted by an instructional specialist and the author. The professor approached the overhaul of instructional style as a scientific…

This article presents results of the first two years of the introduction of a critical thinking (CT) component to standard freshman astronomy lab exercises for nonmajors. The component consists of a series of probing questions folded into the exercises, plus a formal grading rubric. The grading rubric is adapted from the generalized Washington…

We present results for a decade-long assessment program for an introductory course for non-science majors. This study focuses on student evaluation data and student-supplied information about sex, race, age, academic background, student study time, study habits, and course grade. The results reveal a statistically significant positive relationship…

This project explores the effectiveness of learner-centered education (LCE) principles and practices on student learning and attitudes in an online interactive introductory astronomy course for non-science majors by comparing a high-quality Internet-delivered course with a high-quality on-campus course, both of which are based on the principles of…