ASTR 1210

This class is perfect if you are just looking to complete a hard science credit. The workload is very light and Professor Cleeves gives you plenty of time to complete assignments. The class consists of 4 projects (all short and easy to complete, don't put too much worry on the word project), 2 quizzes and a final (all multiple choice), and a weekly mastering astronomy assigment that is very easy, with all answers in the reading. This class was great to take, especially online during COVID-19. Cleeves is great and does a great job teaching this course.

I didn't realize that I dislike astronomy til halfway through the semester, but that's to no fault of Professor Cleeves- she's a great professor, knowledgable for sure. I really struggled with the quizzes and failed the final lol but I still ended the class with a B+! be prepared to study for a few hours each week if you want to pull an A. my only regret is not having enough time to dedicate to this class. if you're genuinely interested in astronomy, you should really take this w/Cleeves #tCF2020

This is a great introductory course to astronomy - perfect for everything you've wondered about since middle school. I took this class online, but Ilse Cleeves tried her best to engage the class with the material. You don't have to read the textbook, and she even says so. There's a lot of information and work that comes with this class. The material can be complex, but it is fun to learn about things like who to figure out your latitude and longitude, effects of the moon's gravity beyond the changes in tides, etc.
Ilse is extremely caring. If anything beyond your control happens, she gives you a "lifeline" extension. There are two quizzes and a final exam. Homework is a bunch of multiple-choice questions due at the beginning of every week. There also a couple of other smaller assessments that make you engage with the class material. They seem boring and time-consuming, but you'll actually remember the topics they cover better.
Go to office hours because she's a nice person to talk to, and she wants to meet everyone in her class. #tCF2020

I absolutely loved this course! I came in having never learned astronomy, and now I am considering majoring in it. Professor Cleeves is super passionate about the subject and her lectures are really interesting and engaging. The course itself is not very hard, although there is some basic math and physics involved. If you have any interest in astronomy, take this course.

This class was an absolute blast. Professor Cleeves is really passionate about astronomy and really knowledgeable about the subject. She starts each class with the astronomy picture of the day which is a fun way to get us into the lecture and she's always good about answering questions about the content and assignments. The homework is mostly through Mastering Astronomy and it's pretty easy to get through them quickly (there's quizlets for most of them). There are several projects, but they aren't very difficult or time consuming and she gives plenty of time so I recommend you do them early so you don't have to worry about them later. The exams aren't that difficult either, all multiple choice questions and you are allowed to use your notes from class, just make sure you don't spend all your time looking through your notes so it helps to study a little bit. I found this class to be really easy but it depends based on what other classes you take. I know some people were struggling in this class because they took it to get science credits but I was taking organic chemistry and physics at the same time so this class was a breeze in comparison. Overall a fun and easy class to do well in so I definitely recommend. Good Luck!

I didn't really pay attention during lecture, but the homework assignments are really easy to complete, as are the other assignments. There's this thing called Learning Catalytics where you answer in-class questions for participation credit. I spent $60 for this class (which included Mastering Astronomy, Learning Catalytics, and an e-tex which came in a bundle package on the MA website). I didn't do well on the first quiz, so it brought my grade down a lot. Going to her office hours to review said quiz was very helpful, and I would definitely recommend. I was told that not many attended her OHs this semester which is really a shame because I learned so much in one session than I did all the classes prior to the quiz. I would say this class kind of sneaks up on you. The assignments are easy to complete and do well on, but the quizzes and exams are kinda hard. I thought I did well but always got around the 80% mark, never higher. While this isn't that bad, it was frustrating not being able to do better. That being said, I ended up with a B+. This class isn't a big time commitment, but I probably would've done better if I put more effort in.

This was one of the easiest classes I've taken at UVA (although I am a STEM major so these classes come more naturally to me than writing-based stuff). I did not read the textbook or study much more than one day for the exams. It was a lot of fun and Prof. Cleeves (though I never went to office hours) seems like a very kind, approachable person with a passion for the subject matter. I would highly recommend this class.

Professor Cleeves is a very nice person and a good lecturer. However, this class was not the easy A I was expecting. The homework can be frustrating
because if you get one wrong you lose points ( and how well you do on hw matters ). She gave study guides for the quizzes and in order to do well you need to study hard or already know astronomy. The overall grade is made up of Learning Catalytics questions, homework, and short paper, a moon selfie project, two quizzes, and a final. She does offer lots of chances for extra credit.

Prof Cleeves was a pretty enthusiastic professor as well as super nice, and it's an easy A- if you put in the work. You can get Bs on all the tests and still get an A in the class in my opinion. Pretty good option if you're a non-science major and need to fulfill a requirement.