Course Review - Astronomy

Dr. Rico Tyler is a friendly professor, but friendliness doesn't make up for the numerous lectures that made up a majority of the course.  He talks and students are expected to take notes on what he's talking about.  Normally, he has a PowerPoint that he brings up for visual learners, but flips through it so fast that it doesn't benefit many people.  Don't buy the book he asks for, because not once did I even have to open up the thing.  The bookstore also doesn't take the book back because it is a special yearly edition that goes obsolete after sold.  Talk about a waste of $122 dollars!  I ended up having to throw it away in the trash because no one would buy it. If you're looking for an easy A, this class would be the one to take.  The hardest part I found about the class was just trying to stay awake the entire time.  Lectures always tend to have me dozing, and I know I wasn't the only one who used Astronomy as a nap class.  Since the class size was rather big, Dr. Tyler never noticed a sleeping student.  He only gets mad at the sound of cell phones, so be sure to turn those off when you get into the classroom. The most exciting thing about the class was a single night when the entire class was expected to go to class at around 9 P.M.  He didn't tell us why.  Rather, he waited until we were all accounted for, then motioned us up to the top of the building.  Now that was pretty amazing.  On the roof there was a room with a giant telescope.  We took turns looking at the stars and planets with that one, and also used cheaper telescopes while waiting.  We did that and talked about it for about 30 minutes, and that was that.  It was pretty fun though to look at the stars, and much more exciting than the typical lecture.

This was a basic overview of astronomy that I took at New Mexico State University, which has a really good program in astronomy. The course was a really, really broad overview, just touching on basics all the way across the board. It was really interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in astronomy. It was just a bit too basic for me. I was hoping to get into some interesting things, but all I got was things that you learned in elementary school, just a bit more detailed. Like any other subject, you have to get several semesters under your belt before you start doing the cool stuff.

My best friend actually took a course in astronomy his freshman year and told me the coolest stories about the course.  I was always jealous cause my school didn't offer any course in astronomy.  He told me about the day they had a class in a planetarium ( I think that's what it's called, but excuse me if I'm wrong) and how the lights were dimmed, and it looked like they were in outer space. Honestly not that I'm a school junkie or something, but I still think I might end up registering at a school that offers this course just to take that one course, because I think it would be awesomely interesting. I wish more of you will share your thoughts and experiences on this great subject!!

This astronomy course was a summer class that I took online in order to fill a general education requirement. It was set up as a series of readings and online interactive activities. Astronomy was something that I had not previously understood, so I found this class to be very interesting, if only a bit difficult to understand at times. As I said, this class required a good deal of reading, and the grades were based mostly on quizzes and activities. The subject matter of the class discussed the motion of the earth in relation to the sun, and its rotation. We learned about how these things affected what we see on earth in terms of stars and daylight, and we learned about how the axial tilt of the earth causes seasons to shift. We also learned a fair amount of terminology related to the field of astronomy.  Overall, I would definitely rate this as a very interesting class. I also found it very convenient that it was delivered online. In terms of easiness, I would give this class a 7/10. In terms of interest, I would give it an 8/10. If you have some general education requirements to fill, I would certainly recommend putting this class on your summer schedule.

As a freshman making my first collegiate schedule, I tried to load it was classes I actually liked and at times that would not cut into my irregular sleep patterns. However, after a quick review of course suggestion and requirements, I saw that a science would be required if I was to graduate on time. Having sisters who majored in biology and seeing how difficult it seemed to be, I knew I wasn't going to pick that. Plus, my friends had said this surely had to be an easy class. After all, it's just about stars, right? The professor, probably bitter from students looking for an 'easy' class, was not as helpful as one would imagine. While it was nice having someone recognized in this field as a professor, his closeness with the subject did not help those us who knew nothing about it. He spoke in lofty terms that I still can't define and his lecture style was just generally yelling at us in the dark. He didn't require a textbook and offered his Powerpoints online, but they were just full of the same information he'd share during class. I'm sure this class could be fun, with the right professor and set goals. I'm not sure if we were supposed to just appreciate astronomy or if we were supposed to become star-gazing masters.