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arXiv · 1409.2363

The introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town: probing student perspectives

Vinesh Rajpaul·Saalih Allie·Sarah-Louise Blyth
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Abstract

We report on research carried out to improve teaching and student engagement in the introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town. This course is taken by a diverse range of students, including many from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We describe the development of an instrument, the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ), which we administered as pre- and post-tests to students enrolled in the course. The instrument comprised a small number of questions which probed three areas of interest: student motivation and expectations, astronomy content, and worldview. Amongst our findings were that learning gains were made in several conceptual areas, and that students appeared to develop a more nuanced view of the nature of astronomy. There was some evidence that the course had a positive impact on students' worldviews, particularly their attitudes towards science. We also identified a promising predictor of course success that could in future be used to identify students requiring special teaching intervention.

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Vinesh Rajpaul, Saalih Allie, Sarah-Louise Blyth. 2014-09-08. The introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town: probing student perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevstper.10.020126

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