A Correspondence Course in Astronomy

Abstract

As do most universities in the United States, the University of New Mexico (UNM) offers a one-semester introductory course in astronomy aimed at the vast audience of non-science majors. UNM is a non-selective, minimally-funded state research university with an undergraduate enrollment of about 20,000 students — with a median age of 26. Many of the students have jobs and families and attend on a part-time basis. The Physics and Astronomy Department usually offers three sections of Astronomy 101 to accommodate students’ schedules: in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Total enrollments per semester range between 400 to 600; the course is also regularly taught during the summer. The class has no prerequisites of any kind, is advertised as “non-mathematical,” and does not have a required lab for observations. (A related lab course, Astronomy 111, is available, and is taken by about 100 students per semester.) The course attempts to cover “all” of astronomy with a special emphasis on the theme of cosmic evolution. Instructors tend to use visual aids (slides, videos, films, laser disks, and microcomputers) heavily. Students usually rate the instructors and the course in the top 10 to 30% of all instructors who choose to use a university-wide class evaluation instrument, compared to a group of other lower-division courses.