An exercise on the effects of flooding that took place in the upper Mississippi River drainage basin in 1993, using before and after satellite images. (Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Material Type: Activity/Lab
This is a problem-based learning (PBL) group jigsaw activity. The scenario is: Students are employees of a unit of the United Nations responsible for coordinating disaster relief after a major disaster (the 2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami) occurs. The agency needs to understand the situation in each country so that it can coordinate the work of various governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in the affected area. Students are divided into Expert Groups (related to academic specialties such as Economics, Medicine, Political Science, Earth Science, etc.) and spend several days researching their topics. Students are then reassigned to one of seven or eight Country Groups, based on the countries most affected by the disaster. Each country group needs someone representing each expert group. In the scenario, these groups correspond to task forces that must determine what the situation is in each country and try to assess the current need for international assistance. Students research their country, using internet resources, especially the CIA World Factbook and ReliefWeb, the information coordination website of the United Nations. At a large-group roundtable discussion, each group presents what it has found about its assigned country. As a final product, each student writes an individual report summarizing findings and making recommendations for disaster assistance. (Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment
In this multi-part activity, students study seismograms from 3 different seismic stations recording the magnitude 9.0 Sumatra earthquake of December 26th, 2004. By comparing the arrival times of the P and S waves on each seismogram, students determine the distance from the epicenter to each station. Using that data, they can accurately map the location of the epicenter and the precise time of the earthquake. After locating the epicenter, students calculate the position of the tsunami generated by the quake at one hour intervals. From those determinations, predictions are made about how much time people had before the tsunami crashed onto their shores. Finally, students investigate some of the ways people can lessen the impact of the next great tsunami. (Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration
This exercise uses the example of the March 28, 2014 M5.1 La Habra earthquake to teach about earthquake risk and resilience in southern California. Students will examine seismic waveforms recording during the earthquake, as well as read reports from scientific agencies and news outlets to answer basic questions regarding earthquake risk and resilience. (Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Short Description: The textbook provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of chemistry and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. The book also includes a number of innovative features, including interactive exercises and real-world applications, designed to enhance student learning. Word Count: 113253 Included H5P activities: 42 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)
Material Type: Textbook
This interactive addresses the question if we can reduce CO2 emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and help avoid dangerous climate change? Users of this interactive can manipulate changes to various sources and uses (supply and demand) of energy with the goal of reducing C02 emissions in Great Britain by 80% in the year 2050.
Material Type: Simulation
The ACS (American Chemical Society) citation style guide uses color-coded citation examples to assist chemistry students in converting MLA and APA citations to the ACS citation style. The MLA and APA citation styles are widely used in college courses, and many students are familiar with those styles. This guide makes citation in chemistry courses simple by giving examples of frequently referenced resources.
Material Type: Student Guide
The coral reefs of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu are the backbone of the island's environmental and economic health. Today they face destruction from a silent predator that can rapidly decimate an entire reef. In this video, students learn about how a starfish is destroying the coral reefs of Vanuatu and how the islanders are adapting.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading
This video begins in the lush deltas of Bangladesh. The host of the video learns how communities are adapting to changing monsoons and dangerous sea-level rise. Floating gardens and floating schools are just the start of some of the country's innovative strategies.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading
Astronomy is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of one- or two-semester introductory astronomy courses. The book begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The Astronomy textbook builds student understanding through the use of relevant analogies, clear and non-technical explanations, and rich illustrations. Mathematics is included in a flexible manner to meet the needs of individual instructors.
Material Type: Textbook
24 In-class lecture worksheets with individual/ small group activities for an introductory astronomy course, particularly with use of the OpenStax Astronomy textbook.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment
Long Description: Welcome to Astronomy, an OpenStax resource. This textbook was written to increase student access to high-quality learning materials, maintaining highest standards of academic rigor at little to no cost. About OpenStax OpenStax is a nonprofit based at Rice University, and it’s our mission to improve student access to education. Our first openly licensed college textbook was published in 2012 and our library has since scaled to over 25 books for college and AP® courses used by hundreds of thousands of students. OpenStax Tutor, our low-cost personalized learning tool, is being used in college courses throughout the country. Through our partnerships with philanthropic foundations and our alliance with other educational resource organizations, OpenStax is breaking down the most common barriers to learning and empowering students and instructors to succeed. About OpenStax resources Customization Astronomy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) license, which means that you can distribute, remix, and build upon the content, as long as you provide attribution to OpenStax and its content contributors. Because our books are openly licensed, you are free to use the entire book or pick and choose the sections that are most relevant to the needs of your course. Feel free to remix the content by assigning your students certain chapters and sections in your syllabus, in the order that you prefer. You can even provide a direct link in your syllabus to the sections in the web view of your book. Instructors also have the option of creating a customized version of their OpenStax book. The custom version can be made available to students in low-cost print or digital form through their campus bookstore. Visit your book page on OpenStax.org for more information. Errata All OpenStax textbooks undergo a rigorous review process. However, like any professional-grade textbook, errors sometimes occur. Since our books are web based, we can make updates periodically when deemed pedagogically necessary. If you have a correction to suggest, submit it through the link on your book page on OpenStax.org. Subject-matter experts review all errata suggestions. OpenStax is committed to remaining transparent about all updates, so you will also find a list of past errata changes on your book page on OpenStax.org. Format You can access this textbook for free in web view or PDF through OpenStax.org, and for a low cost in print. About Astronomy Astronomy is written in clear non-technical language, with the occasional touch of humor and a wide range of clarifying illustrations. It has many analogies drawn from everyday life to help non-science majors appreciate, on their own terms, what our modern exploration of the universe is revealing. The book can be used for either a one-semester or two-semester introductory course (bear in mind, you can customize your version and include only those chapters or sections you will be teaching.) It is made available free of charge in electronic form (and low cost in printed form) to students around the world. If you have ever thrown up your hands in despair over the spiraling cost of astronomy textbooks, you owe your students a good look at this one. Currency and accuracy Astronomy has information and images from the New Horizons exploration of Pluto, the discovery of gravitational waves, the Rosetta Mission to Comet C-G, and many other recent projects in astronomy. The discussion of exoplanets has been updated with recent information—indicating not just individual examples, but trends in what sorts of planets seem to be most common. Black holes receive their own chapter, and the role of supermassive black holes in active galaxies and galaxy evolution is clearly explained. Chapters have been reviewed by subject-matter experts for accuracy and currency. Flexibility Because there are many different ways to teach introductory astronomy, we have made the text as flexible as we could. Math examples are shown in separate sections throughout, so that you can leave out the math or require it as you deem best. Each section of a chapter treats a different aspect of the topic being covered; a number of sections could be omitted in shorter overview courses and can be included where you need more depth. And, as we have already discussed, you can customize the book in a variety of ways that have never been possible in traditional textbooks. Student-centered focus This book is written to help students understand the big picture rather than get lost in random factoids to memorize. The language is accessible and inviting. Helpful diagrams and summary tables review and encapsulate the ideas being covered. Each chapter contains interactive group activities you can assign to help students work in teams and pool their knowledge. Interactive online resources Interesting “Links to Learning” are scattered throughout the chapters, which direct students to online animations, short videos, or enrichment readings to enhance their learning. Also, the resources listed at the end of each chapter include links to websites and other useful educational videos. Feature boxes that help students think outside the box A variety of feature boxes within the chapters connect astronomy to the students’ other subjects and humanize the face of astronomy by highlighting the lives of the men and women who have been key to its progress. Besides the math examples that we’ve already mentioned, the boxes include: Making Connections. This feature connects the chapter topic to students’ experiences with other fields, from poetry to engineering, popular culture, and natural disasters. Voyagers in Astronomy. This feature presents brief and engaging biographies of the people behind historically significant discoveries, as well as emerging research. Astronomy Basics. This feature explains basic science concepts that we often (incorrectly) assume students know from earlier classes. Seeing for Yourself. This feature provides practical ways that students can make astronomical observations on their own. End-of-chapter materials to extend students’ learning Chapter Summaries. Summaries give the gist of each section for easy review. For Further Exploration. This section offers a list of suggested articles, websites, and videos so students can delve into topics of interest, whether for their own learning, for homework, extra credit, or papers. Review Questions. Review questions allow students to show you (or themselves) how well they understood the chapter. Thought Questions. Thought questions help students assess their learning by asking for critical reflection on principles or ideas in the chapter. Figuring For Yourself. Mathematical questions, using only basic algebra and arithmetic, allow students to apply the math principles given in the example boxes throughout the chapter. Collaborative Group Activities. This section suggests ideas for group discussion, research, or reports. Beautiful art program Our comprehensive art program is designed to enhance students’ understanding of concepts through clear and effective illustrations, diagrams, and photographs. Here are a few examples. How a Pulsar Beam Sweeps over Earth. Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy. Two Aspects of Plate Tectonics. Pluto Close Up. Additional resources Student and instructor resources We’ve compiled additional resources for both students and instructors, including Getting Started Guides, PowerPoint slides, and an instructor answer guide. Instructor resources require a verified instructor account, which you can apply for when you log in or create your account on OpenStax.org. Take advantage of these resources to supplement your OpenStax book. Community Hubs OpenStax partners with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) to offer Community Hubs on OER Commons – a platform for instructors to share community-created resources that support OpenStax books, free of charge. Through our Community Hubs, instructors can upload their own materials or download resources to use in their own courses, including additional ancillaries, teaching material, multimedia, and relevant course content. We encourage instructors to join the hubs for the subjects most relevant to your teaching and research as an opportunity both to enrich your courses and to engage with other faculty. To reach the Community Hubs, visit https://www.oercommons.org/hubs/OpenStax. Partner resources OpenStax Partners are our allies in the mission to make high-quality learning materials affordable and accessible to students and instructors everywhere. Their tools integrate seamlessly with our OpenStax titles at a low cost. To access the partner resources for your text, visit your book page on OpenStax.org. About the authors Senior contributing authors Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College Andrew Fraknoi is Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and served as the Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific from 1978–1992. His work with the society included editing Mercury Magazine, Universe in the Classroom, and Astronomy Beat. He’s taught at San Francisco State University, Canada College, and the University of California Extension. He is editor/co-author of The Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0, a collection of teaching activities, and co-author of Solar Science, a book for middle-school teachers. He was co-author of a syndicated newspaper column on astronomy, and appears regularly on local and national radio. With Sidney Wolff, he was founder of Astronomy Education Review. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the SETI Institute and on the Lick Observatory Council. In addition, he has organized six national symposia on teaching introductory astronomy. He received the Klumpke-Roberts Prize of the ASP, the Gemant Award of the American Institute of Physics, and the Faraday Award of the NSTA. David Morrison, National Aeronautics and Space Administration David Morrison is a Senior Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. He received his PhD in astronomy from Harvard, where he was one of Carl Sagan’s graduate students. He is a founder of the field of astrobiology and is known for research on small bodies in the solar system. He spent 17 years at University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He was Director of the IRTF at Mauna Kea Observatory. Morrison has held senior NASA positions including Chief of the Ames Space Science Division and founding Director of the Lunar Science Institute. He’s been on science teams for the Voyager, Galileo, and Kepler missions. Morrison received NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal. He was awarded the AAS Carl Sagan medal and the ASP Klumpke-Roberts prize. Committed to the struggle against pseudoscience, he serves as Contributing Editor of Skeptical Inquirer and on the Advisory Council of the National Center for Science Education. Sidney C. Wolff, National Optical Astronomy Observatories (Emeritus) After receiving her PhD from the UC Berkeley, Dr. Wolff was involved with the astronomical development of Mauna Kea. In 1984, she became the Director of Kitt Peak National Observatory, and was director of National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Most recently, she led the design and development of the 8.4-meter Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Dr. Wolff has published over ninety refereed papers on star formation and stellar atmospheres. She has served as President of the AAS and the ASP. Her recently published book, The Boundless Universe: Astronomy in the New Age of Discovery, won the 2016 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards) Silver Medal in Science. All three senior contributing authors have received the Education Prize of the American Astronomical Society and have had an asteroid named after them by the International Astronomical Union. They have worked together on a series of astronomy textbooks over the past two decades. Contributing authors John Beck, Stanford University Susan D. Benecchi, Planetary Science Institute John Bochanski, Rider University Howard Bond, Pennsylvania State University, Emeritus, Space Telescope Science Institute Jennifer Carson, Occidental College Bryan Dunne, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Martin Elvis, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Debra Fischer, Yale University Heidi Hammel, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Tori Hoehler, NASA Ames Research Center Douglas Ingram, Texas Christian University Steven Kawaler, Iowa State University Lloyd Knox, University of California, Davis Mark Krumholz, Australian National University James Lowenthal, Smith College Siobahn Morgan, University of Northern Iowa Daniel Perley, California Institute of Technology Claire Raftery, National Solar Observatory Deborah Scherrer, retired, Stanford University Phillip Scherrer, Stanford University Sanjoy Som, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, NASA Ames Research Center Wes Tobin, Indiana University East William H. Waller, retired, Tufts University, Rockport (MA) Public Schools Todd Young, Wayne State College Reviewers Elisabeth R. Adams, Planetary Science Institute Alfred N. Alaniz, San Antonio College Charles Allison, Texas A&M University–Kingsville Douglas Arion, Carthage College Timothy Barker, Wheaton College Marshall Bartlett, The Hockaday School Charles Benesh, Wesleyan College Gerald B. Cleaver, Baylor University Kristi Concannon, King’s College Anthony Crider, Elon University Scott Engle, Villanova University Matthew Fillingim, University of California, Berkeley Robert Fisher, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Carrie Fitzgerald, Montgomery College Christopher Fuse, Rollins College Shila Garg, Emeritus, The College of Wooster Richard Gelderman, Western Kentucky University Lee Hartman, University of Michigan Beth Hufnagel, Anne Arundel Community College Francine Jackson, Brown University Joseph Jensen, Utah Valley University John Kielkopf, University of Louisville James C. Lombardi, Jr., Allegheny College Amy Lovell, Agnes Scott College Charles Niederriter, Gustavus Adolphus College Richard Olenick, University of Dallas Matthew Olmstead, King’s College Zoran Pazameta, Eastern Connecticut State University David Quesada, Saint Thomas University Valerie A. Rapson, Dudley Observatory Joseph Ribaudo, Utica College Dean Richardson, Xavier University of Louisiana Andrew Rivers, Northwestern University Marc Sher, College of William & Mary Christopher Sirola, University of Southern Mississippi Ran Sivron, Baker University J. Allyn Smith, Austin Peay State University Jason Smolinski, Calvin College Michele Thornley, Bucknell University Richard Webb, Union College Terry Willis, Chesapeake College David Wood, San Antonio College Jeremy Wood, Hazard Community and Technical College Jared Workman, Colorado Mesa University Kaisa E. Young, Nicholls State University Word Count: 214753 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)
Material Type: Textbook
Open presentation on introductory astronomy.
Material Type: Lesson
A quick resource guide to the use of humor in teaching astronomy, with links to places where astronomy instructors can find cartoons, jokes, and other humorous resources.
Material Type: Homework/Assignment
Full course with supplemental materials based upon the OpenStax Astronomy textbook.
Material Type: Full Course
13 Labs with unique subjects. Does not include quizzes. Also available in Pressbooks (https://fscj.pressbooks.pub/astronomy/).
Material Type: Activity/Lab
These activities cover topics in Stellar Astronomy, aligned with the OpenStax Astronomy textbook. Topics cover chapters 1, 2, 5, 15-23, and sections of chapter 24 concerning black holes. All activities are designed to be done in small groups in the classroom, but most can be adapted for use as homework or projects. Quantitative and Hands-on activities may be used as labs. This is one part of an astronomy resource collection by Lane Community College. This collection was built by Andrea Goering (goeringa@lanecc.edu) and Richard Wagner (wagnerr@lanecc.edu), instructors of physics and astronomy at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Development of these resources was funded through LCC's OER Initiative (https://inside.lanecc.edu/oer). We'd love to hear about your use of these resources! Let us know what you're using, sign up for updates, and submit corrections, suggestions, or comments here: https://forms.gle/un49RUNs55GU3ZNF6 Find the full collection here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/142FgVMDHZ7bu53gihe3kJ_-5PzsnuzfMklJ1ZLMFk2E/edit#gid=315930953
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Full Course, Homework/Assignment
Please note: An updated, expanded version of this guide for 2022 is available at: http://bit.ly/womenastronomers This is a guide for Astronomy 101 instructors (and other educators) on the issues that have faced women in astronomy and the work of some of the women who can serve as role models for the next generation. Written by Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill College), it is part of a series called “Unheard Voices,” sponsored by the Heliophysics Forum of the Space Missions Directorate at NASA. The guide includes written, on-line, and audio-visual materials, many of which can be used directly in the classroom or for student papers. It features sections on: the history of women in astronomy in general, materials on selected women astronomers of the past, issues facing women in astronomy today, and materials on selected contemporary women astronomers.
Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy
Douglas College Custom Edition for Astronomy 1105. Based on Open Stax Astronomy.
Material Type: Textbook
“Distant Nature: Astronomy Exercises” is a basic set of Open Educational Resource based astronomy exercises designed to be used as instructional aids in conjunction with textbooks and/or live observational exercises. These Exercises utilize the free planetarium software Stellarium.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment
