Modernizing the Introductory Astronomy Laboratory

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Astronomy is the first and only experience in science for many college students. Yet laboratories in introductory astronomy have long suffered because of the difficulty of doing "experiments" with the faint light from the heavens. They are rarely experiential or "hands-on", relying instead on analysis of photographs and data tables provided ahead of time. The available laboratory material today also exemplifies techniques that are increasingly out-of-date and unrepresentative of what astronomers really do. Students rightly regard much of the lab as make-work, rarely reinforcing the concepts presented in class.A series of new exercises are being developed for the introductory lab that addresses these problems. Some will be "hands-on exercises" centered around observations with CCD cameras on small telescopes, of the kind available to many schools. Other exercises will be simulations of observations, which can be extremely realistic, since much astronomical observation is done using computers as front ends for various types of telescopes. Standardized software tools are being developed for all the labs, and data taking and analysis are being integrated with existing spreadsheet programs. The finished labs will consist of software, writeups, and teachers' guides, as well as technical manuals and will be made available to other institutions.The new exercises give students in the course a more satisfying and realistic experience in astronomy, and provide impetus for revitalizing the introductory astronomy labs in similar courses in other colleges and universities.