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Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill Coll. \& A.S.P.)
In this overview, we will update some statistics about astronomy courses for non-science majors in the U.S. (and who teaches them) and report on an on-going survey of astronomy instructors at institutions where research is either not required or emphasized. We will summarize the results of a two-day symposium on teaching astronomy to nonscience majors, held at the Summer 1998 meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (in Albuquerque), and attended by about 150 astronomy instructors from around the country. In the process, we will give a quick introduction to some of the innovative ways astronomy instructors are approaching the introductory courses, especially in view of the dramatic changes in the undergraduate student population in this country. We will end by reviewing some of the key resources available to those who want to improve their own teaching and distribute a first draft of a written guide to such resources.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: fraknoi@admin.fhda.edu