TY - GEN
T1 - Knowing the Universe
T2 - 26th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, WMSCI 2022
AU - Impey, Chris
N1 - Funding Information: CDI acknowledges the major efforts of his education research group in the preparation and launching of the MOOC, and the assistance of his students in filming the video lectures. He is grateful to his colleagues Matthew Wenger and Tom Fleming for helpful comments on this manuscript. The research on machine learning to improve student writing about science was supported by the National Science Foundation through award 2020784. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 WMSCI.All rights reserved.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Astronomy has a rich and long history, and deep connections to development of the most important concepts in physics. The philosophical implications of the subject are often neglected in publications or in university courses. A framework is presented for teaching the history and philosophy of astronomy in a way that engages students and encourages them to develop writing and reasoning skills. The newly developed class is suitable for non-science majors at universities, and a version of it has been launched as a massive open online class or MOOC for lifelong adult learners. The class is informed by the scholarly literature on the history of physics and astronomy. There are thirteen weekly modules: Ancient Skies, Greek Science, Revolutions, Telescopes, Gravity, Evolution, Mapping, Relativity, Quantum Theory, Stars and Atoms, Galaxies, Big Bang, and Life in the Universe. The early part of the course has interdisciplinary material on the different conceptions of the universe among cultures around the world. The middle part addresses the rise of the scientific method and science as a cultural activity. The latter part presents the dramatic changes in worldview associated with the theories of the big bang, relativity, and quantum mechanics.
AB - Astronomy has a rich and long history, and deep connections to development of the most important concepts in physics. The philosophical implications of the subject are often neglected in publications or in university courses. A framework is presented for teaching the history and philosophy of astronomy in a way that engages students and encourages them to develop writing and reasoning skills. The newly developed class is suitable for non-science majors at universities, and a version of it has been launched as a massive open online class or MOOC for lifelong adult learners. The class is informed by the scholarly literature on the history of physics and astronomy. There are thirteen weekly modules: Ancient Skies, Greek Science, Revolutions, Telescopes, Gravity, Evolution, Mapping, Relativity, Quantum Theory, Stars and Atoms, Galaxies, Big Bang, and Life in the Universe. The early part of the course has interdisciplinary material on the different conceptions of the universe among cultures around the world. The middle part addresses the rise of the scientific method and science as a cultural activity. The latter part presents the dramatic changes in worldview associated with the theories of the big bang, relativity, and quantum mechanics.
KW - Astronomy
KW - Lifelong Learning
KW - Online Teaching
KW - Philosophy
KW - Physics
KW - University Course
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146948286&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85146948286&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.54808/WMSCI2022.03.107
DO - 10.54808/WMSCI2022.03.107
M3 - Conference contribution
T3 - Proceedings of World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, WMSCI
SP - 107
EP - 112
BT - WMSCI 2022 - 26th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, Proceedings
A2 - Callaos, Nagib C.
A2 - Horne, Jeremy
A2 - Sanchez, Belkis
A2 - Savoie, Michael
PB - International Institute of Informatics and Cybernetics
Y2 - 12 July 2022 through 15 July 2022
ER -