Systemic Reform in Introductory Astronomy: Meetings for Department Chairs

天文学(11)美国天文学会教育办公室正在进行一项正在进行的计划，旨在促进一门广泛教授的科学课程的系统性改革：面向非科学专业的天文学入门。这门课程服务于大量的本科生，包括许多未来的教师，并具有提高他们的科学技能和影响他们对科学的理解和欣赏的巨大潜力。然而，正如现在所教授的那样，这门课程往往不能发挥其潜力(例如，参见Zeilik，1999或Tobias，1992)。该项目部分支持在相距甚远的地理位置举行两次天文学系主任会议，以方便旅行。在这些会议上，主席将(A)讨论与这些课程的教学有关的问题，(B)与教育专家合作，(C)确定共同目标和有效的成功措施，(D)通过正式决议，提交给美国天文学会和资助机构，然后广泛传播。这些会议是寻求在全国范围内改革天文学入门课程的两部分倡议的一部分。第二阶段是为新教师举办的一系列研讨会，将讨论新学院教师的培训问题。

Astronomy (11) The Education Office of the American Astronomical Society is conducting an ongoing program for stimulating systemic reform in a widely taught science course: introductory astronomy for non-science majors. This course serves a great number of undergraduates, including many future teachers, and has great potential for improving their science skills and influencing their understanding of and appreciation for science. However, as now taught, this course often fails to live up to its potential (see, e.g., Zeilik, 1999 or Tobias, 1992). This project partially supports two meeting of the chairs of astronomy departments to be held in widely separated geographic locations to make travel easier. In these meetings, chairs will (A) discuss issues pertaining to the teaching of these courses, (B) work with education experts, (C) identify common goals and valid measures of success, and (D) adopt formal resolutions, to be presented to the American Astronomical Society and to funding agencies, and then widely disseminated. The meetings form one part of a two-part initiative seeking reform of introductory astronomy courses nationwide. The second phase is a series of workshops for new faculty, which will address the training of new college faculty.