ASTR 1210

Matt is a relatively new professor (graduated from UVA with his PhD in the winter of 2020), but I thought overall he did a pretty good job. His lectures (and PowerPoints) contain all the necessary information for the quizzes, so you can get away without reading the textbook. The quizzes aren't designed to trick you, but you really have to study and understand the content throughly to do well. It is very easy to get 100% for in-class participation, and the labs aren't too difficult (they do take a lot of time, so don't start them last minute like me!). The homework is graded on accuracy and often takes a lot longer than Mastering Astronomy predicts. Overall, the workload is reasonable for an intro level course, Matt is clearly passionate about the subject matter and he does a good job at teaching. If you're searching for a relatively easy class to fulfill a science gen-ed, I would say this is a good option. #tCFfall2021

He's definitely very passionate about astronomy and makes lectures pretty interesting, u don't need to read the textbook bc all the info is on powerpoints that he posts, but u do need to have a good understanding of the content to do good on quizzes. Even if u don't do good on quizzes u can still get an A though, my quiz average was an 85 and i ended with a 93 A bc I did good on labs and hw and in class participation

Professor Pryal is super young, but that is what makes him so fun. He does fun tie fridays, and normally goes very in depth about the tie he is wearing. It is also super obvious how passionate he is about astronomy. He goes off on tangents sometimes, but it's just because he loves the subject so much. The quizzes are super straightforward, and the homeworks are super easy. The only thing that isn't super fun are the labs, but there were only 3 of them I think, and none of them took a super long time. I would recommend this class if you need an easy, and kinda interesting class!
#tCFspring2022

Dr. Matt is a great professor who’s passionate about astronomy and teaching. He does Friday-Tie Days where his classes compete to have the most people wearing tie-dye. All of the powerpoints and class recordings are on Collab and attendance is optional. Your grade is based on weekly homeworks (25%), 3 labs (20% total), 3 open-note quizzes (20% total), in-class online questions (15%), a final group project (20%), and lots of extra-credit opportunities. There is a review session in class before each quiz and the quizzes are mostly multiple choice with some short answer. Textbook reading is optional. Intro astro classes are known to be easy, so I expected this class to be an easy A. I ended up with an A- but had to put in more work than I expected. If you review your notes regularly (and don't cram the night before quizzes like me) and get the labs done early then you'll probably get an A. Overall this was a chill class and I learned a lot of interesting facts about the solar system. If you take ASTR 1210 take it with Dr. Matt (or Ed Murphy)! #tCFfall22

Matthew is a good and passionate professor. He does his best to go beyond just teaching the information required for the class, such as starting every class with personal stories about his tie for the day or talking about recent astronomy news. The class is a relatively easy A and won't add stress to your course load. There's one weekly multiple choice HW graded on accuracy (open note), 3 big open-note quizzes (about 7% of grade each), 3 labs (easy and worth majority of grade), and 1 final project (worth a good amount of grade). Make sure to start early on the RRRT telescope lab and if nothing else, put effort into the final project (even though it seems easy) since it's worth a good chunk of your grade. As well, he offers "star stuff" points to boost your final grade. The points are super easy and usually fun to earn, and they bumped my A- to and A at the end of the semester! Overall this class was really nice and I recommend it.

Matt Pryal is, hands down, one of the best Professors at UVA. He deserves the same level of recognition as Elzinga or Stepanic. He is kind, funny, and honest, with examples that make sense in context. This class is not necessarily "easy," but if you put in the standard amount of work for a 3 credit class I can't see someone struggling to get a high B or A. Your grade for the class is split into participation, lab work (they aren't really labs though, just exercises), tests, and a final exam OR group project. Pryal also offers over a dozen options for extra credit which are relatively low effort and can add a full three percentage points to your final grade. I cannot recommend this class enough if you have any interest in astronomy or outer space - or even if you don't and just want to know more about how the world works.

I appreciate Prof Pryal's passion for the subject, but it didn't quite translate in his teaching. His class was on the harder side. He has two major exams that are "open cheat sheet," but anything you put on that cheat sheet won't be on the exam. His class is very participation based, so you can't skip lecture. He did have an online option for people to zoom in when they were sick, but he seemed upset when he realized people started taking advantage of it to skip class.
Overall, the lab and the group project at the end was fun, but the homeworks were so long and took forever, and the exams were atrocious (imo).

Professor Pryal is awesome! He's super engaging and has amazing lectures. He gives opportunities for extra credit, so not a bad idea to take them. While not a cakewalk to get an A in the course, it is definitely possible if you take extra time. The tests are mostly straightforward, and it helps to have knowledge of Physics and Envi Sci before taking the class, although it isn't required to do well. I'm not the biggest stem guy, but I found myself enjoying a lot of the material, and not being too confused. Overall, for most people, definitely worth it!

This course places an unreasonable workload on students for what is advertised as an introductory astronomy class. The time commitment far exceeds expectations for a base-level course and competes heavily with major-specific requirements. Weekly assignments are dense, technical, and often feel disconnected from what is emphasized during lectures. Exams are significantly more difficult than the practice material and do not reflect the level of understanding expected at this stage. Many questions test obscure details rather than core concepts, which makes studying inefficient and frustrating. Expectations are not always communicated clearly, leaving students unsure how to prepare effectively. While astronomy is an interesting subject, the structure of this course turns curiosity into stress. An introductory course should build confidence and foundational understanding, not overwhelm students with excessive difficulty. The content has potential, but the execution makes the class far more punishing than necessary.