Jessica C Lair , Jing Wamg
Department of Physics, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky 40475, United States
*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2011-4-16 / Accepted: 2011-6-27 / Published: 2011-6-30
Abstract As a part of the shift to active learning environments in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Eastern Kentucky University, we implemented the use of a clicker system in all the introductory astronomy courses. The clickers were used in class on a daily basis to allow students to actively participate in lectures. Several of the astronomy courses at Eastern Kentucky University also include interactive laboratory sessions. Here we present pre- and post-test data from the solar system astronomy class utilizing the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) from the first semester of clicker use compared to previous semesters. We also compared the differences between the laboratory and non-laboratory sections of the introductory astronomy course by comparing their ADT results. In both cases the students’ normalized gain on the ADT is higher when taught the concepts using the interactive techniques
Research Areas: Learning theory
