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The University of Iowa has developed an new laboratory curriculum for introductory astronomy students using CCD-based imaging telescopes and networked PCs. The curriculum allows students to choose targets, plan observations, and analyze their own data. Lab exercises are designed to encourage the student to devise their own approach to a given scientific problem using sophisticated but user-friendly software and inquiry-based teaching methods. This past fall, the new curriculum was implemented in half of the laboratories in a large non-majors astronomy survey course. We will present a comparison of student attitudes and knowledge of science using the new versus the traditional curriculum.
