ASTR 1210

The course was fine in terms of content, and O'Connell isn't a bad lecturer. Definitely take it if you're looking for an astronomy class that's interesting and not too hard.

Professor O'Connell really loves his craft. He loves teaching astronomy and will gladly answer any question about astronomy just for fun in the middle of class. He also shows lots of cool videos in class. There are also several extra credit opportunities to boost your grade. Enjoyable class on the whole.

O'Connell is a pretty cool guy who really knows his stuff (although I hear that Tolbert knows more). I went into the class thinking it was going to be boring and hard because I wasn't taking it with Tolebrt, but it ended up being pretty interesting and extremely easy. It can be hard to stay awake during lectures because he turns the lights down, but some of the stuff is really interesting. Just read the study guides before the test and you'll act it.

such a boring class, but go for clicker questions. tests are difficult and you should do the reading from the book to study

Such a fun class! The class is pretty laid back and chill. Almost everyone does well. Professor O'Connel is the best! You don't need to read the textbook, just look over the chapter summaries and study his lecture slides.

I took this class because I was interested in astronomy; it didn't fulfill any major requirement. I found this class was very enjoyable and easy. The lectures are interesting, and O'Connell is enthusiastic about the subject.

The grading was a little test heavy - there were two midterms that made up about 1/2 of your grade. iClicker questions and a constellation quiz make up about 1/6 of the grade, and the final exam is 1/3 of your grade.

The constellation quiz is an outside of class commitment where you need to go out during the night and look at stars with a TA. After the session, you take a short quiz. Make sure to do the it early so you don't need to worry about it later.

In terms of work, there is no required homework. The tests consist of material covered in lecture and study guides that he provides online. I personally didn't use the textbook (Bennett, The Cosmic Perspective) very much at all. I would recommend waiting a couple weeks before getting the textbook to see if you can keep up with the clicker questions without it. Questions on the test are very similar to the iClicker questions.

Overall, it was a fun class, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Astronomy.

Don't buy the textbook and don't worry about reading War of the Worlds. O' Connell is a great professor who really cares about his subject. This was a nice introductory class for anyone looking to fulfill the math/sci requirement. His tests can sometimes be tricky, but I did well by cramming, going to class, and doing the extra credit.

No homework. Two midterms & a constellation quiz. Clicker questions. And lots of available extra credit. And of course a final. Haven't taken that yet, but the tests aren't bad if you read the study guides. That's the only time I read anything, And the stuff in lectures is pretty interesting too...when it's not things you learned in high school (30 mins explaining plate tectonics).

This class is really interesting and not very hard. Professor O'Connell makes it feel important and is a good lecturer.

Very easy, just go over the study guides before the tests and you're fine.