ASTR 1220

This is a very easy class. It is not difficult to get a high A without much work at all. Professor K is very sweet, and she clearly cares about her students a lot. As other comments have said, it is quite boring. The content is interesting (I am not a STEM major) and you do learn a lot about the nature of the universe. Yet, most people do just futz around on their computers the whole class, drifting in and out of note-taking. I would recommend this class for the two labs you do (telescope and constellation), which were really neat and rare opportunities to have if not pursuing an astronomy degree (and easy). This is certainly a grade-booster class, but not something that would inspire you to continue astronomical studies. Tests are all open note.

I thought this class was pretty easy. Your grade consists of participation (through learning catalytics), weekly hw assignments, going to two observing labs, and three non cumulative exams (also through learning catalytics). Professor K is really nice and is knowledgeable but lectures are kind of boring to be honest. You have to go to lectures in order to get the participation grade because she will randomly put questions up on learning catalytics. Overall, if you want a class that you will do well in without having to do a lot of work, this class is a good option.

Prof K is the best! She's super sweet and a great lecturer. She's approachable and makes it easy to ask questions in class. However, I will be honest and say that I still did not really pay attention in class. It was simply too easy to not do anything and still get an easy A-/A (easy to get an A-, but a bit harder to get an A). I took this during covid so everything was online and the quizzes/exam were open note. The HWs were a bit annoying but all the answers are on quizlet anyways. There's a textbook but you don't have to read it as long as you look over the lecture slides. I'd recommend this class if you want to fulfill a gened req, but if you're not interested in the content you might find it a little boring. However, if you're really into astronomy and space stuff you'll probably enjoy the class, especially with Prof K.

This class is mind-numbingly boring. I had originally been very excited to take it because I thought learning about stars and all that would be super cool and a great way to start off my first semester at college. The class itself is really easy, and each of the 3 exams is only worth 10% of your final grade. Lecture is painstakingly boring and everyone (that shows up) is just on their laptops playing games or engaging in other forms of activities that don't include paying attention. Prof. K is super sweet and very knowledgeable, but the actual class content is essentially just physics but in space. Overall, I would say that it is a very easy A-, but not a very easy A, although as long as you put in the tiniest amount of effort, an A is definitely attainable. For me, the GPA boost of this class simply wasn't worth it since I really didn't take anything away from it. I would much rather put in more work toward a subject I found interesting and didn't feel like I was wasting my time/money.

Professor K’s class is very easy, as she makes homework worth 45% of your grade, and each one of the three exams is only worth 10% (two midterms and a final). The great thing is that she allows you to bring one sheet of paper (front and back) to each exam, on which you can write whatever you want. So if you have small handwriting and can cram all the powerpoint material on that sheet of paper, you really don’t need to study much for the exams. Also, the exams (including the final) aren’t cumulative, and they’re very short (20 multiple choice questions and a short answer), and you don’t even need the full class time to take the exams.

Even though professor K is very friendly and approachable, her lectures are very boring and it can be difficult to pay attention in her class. I found myself feeling sleepy during a lot of the lectures, even though I like astronomy. But still you should go to class, because you get participation points for doing the Learning Catalytics questions, regardless of whether you get them correct or not.

Overall, if you like astronomy and are looking to get your natural science/math requirement out of the way, this is a great class to take.

This professor is super sweet and knowledgeable, but her lectures are extremely boring. I couldn't even pay attention if I tried. Also, for the two labs that you have to do throughout the semester, DO THEM EARLY! Not only will you freeze your butt off if you wait until the end, but you also may not get the points due to cancellations for weather.

This lecture is SUPER BORING. The professor tries and is really nice but going to class feels like a waste of time. The slides are posted on collab and you can do the learning catalytics questions from home. Tests are easy because you can bring a full 8x11 cheat sheet in with you. I recommend if you are not a STEM person trying to get your science requirements out of the way

Very boring and useless class but it is very easy and great for passing science requirement

This was one of the easiest classes I've taken this semester. Homework is worth 45% of your grade (which you can use your notes for), only 2 tests + "final". The final wasn't cumulative, and was only worth 15% of your grade. Professor K reads from the powerpoint slides (which are posted on Collab), and there are clicker questions each class, so make sure to attend lecture. Overall, I would highly recommend this course as a GPA booster or as a fun/easy course to take. It was definitely a good break from all the other heavy courses I took, and wasn't too much stress.

This particular professor is a godsend if you're a lowly non-science major trying to plow through your science requirements. The lectures are interesting enough to keep you awake, the content is easy enough, and every test - including the final - is a joke. I mean it. Every single exam was 20 question multiple choice that might as well have been a carbon copy from the textbook and previous homeworks.

A couple of caveats though: first off, two labs are required and are fairly large components of the grade. These labs are easy as hell. Just ignore the people who showed up high, complete the hilariously easy work attached, and look up until your neck starts to hurt. That said, you want to get these labs done sooner rather than later, since you lose points if you do them later in the semester.

Second, Homeworks are 40% OF YOUR GRADE. You will get a problem set to complete online roughly every week. While they're generally easy, they occasionally like to throw bullshit curveballs. Make sure you pay attention while you do these, since it's really easy to bleed points here and the homework composes the majority of your grade.

All in all, the content will not be the biggest obstacle, but instead your time management skills. It might be easy to let the labs or homework slip and cost you a lot of points, so make sure that you get those done as soon as they become available. If you stay on top of those two things its pretty much impossible not to get an A. Just make sure you show up to lectures. The majority of the failing test grades belonged to those clowns who thought they were hot shit and never showed up.

Professor K. is a good professor who cares about this class but the class is not as serious as she makes it seems. Homework is 45% of your grade and there are quizlets for the homework assignments, although some of the problems are not there. For the ones you cannot get, you can go to her office hours for. All the tests, including the final are worth 10% of your grade and she curves all of them. Reading the textbook is very helpful and her powerpoints are helpful . The class can be boring at times but overall, this class is a GPA booster.

Kallivayalil is not super dynamic as a lecturer, but she's nice, approachable, and reasonable. All her exams were curved so even if you practically failed, it would still be curved to at least a B. Because of the curves, easy homework assignments, and (2) pass/fail labs, I easily got an A-. I skipped lectures towards the end of the semester and just read the book before the exams. This class got me interested in astronomy so if you are interested in astronomy or just need a science credit, take this class. This is a fairly easy class.

If you want to take this class, take it with another professor. Prof Kallivayalil is a good person, but she doesn't engage well in class. She goes too fast, talks too low and makes the overall class boring (although the material is actually very interesting). I wouldn't say this class is an easy A, but it is a manageable A if you are willing to do the readings, homework and study (a lot) for the tests.

I would not recommend this class to anyone not truly interested in Astronomy. The class has "intro" in its title, but requires you to have a heavy knowledge of physics. The lecture itself was extremely boring--the longest 50 minutes of your life. The class average on the test was never above a 60. With the help of the curve, answering participation question correctly, and the tedious homework, you can pull at least a B- out of the class.