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December 2011

Volume 10, Issue 1, Articles (01xxxx)

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Eratosthenes 2009/2010: An Old Experiment in Modern Times

Victoria Bekeris, Flavia Bonomo, Edgardo Bonzi, Beatriz García, Guillermo Mattei, Diego Mazzitelli, Silvina Ponce Dawson, Constanza Sánchez Fernández de la Vega, and Francisco Tamarit

2011, AER, 10 (1), 010201, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2011007 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: 02 June 2011

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We describe the projects “Eratosthenes 2009” and “Eratosthenes 2010 America,” carried out during the International Year of Astronomy (2009) in Argentina and with almost all the countries in North and South America during 2010. More than 15 000 students at more than 200 schools each year determined the radius of the Earth using the method that Eratosthenes employed more than 2000 years ago. The result obtained was 6290 km in 2009 and 6375 km in 2010, in good agreement with tabulated values of 6371 km [McCarthy and Petit, 2004, “IERS Conventions (2003),” IERS Technical Note No. 32, Frankfurt: Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie]. These projects involve history, mathematics, and astronomy to create an exciting activity with accurate scientific results.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.65.+g History of science

The Effect of Animations Within PowerPoint Presentations on Learning Introductory Astronomy

Scott T. Miller and C. Renee James

2011, AER, 10 (1), 010202, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010041

Online Publication Date: 15 July 2011

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We present results of a two-semester study to determine whether the inclusion of basic animation techniques in PowerPoint presentations provides an additional learning aid, inhibits learning, or has no effect on student learning for students in an introductory astronomy course. We found that (1) students perceive that animated slides are substantially more effective; (2) student understanding as measured via in-class exams is largely unaffected by the use of animated slides, but that end-of-semester diagnostic surveys may indicate that animated presentations aid in long-term retention of the material; and (3) the animation of illustrations may provide a greater impact on learning than simply the animation of text.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation

The Lunar Phases Project: A Mental Model-Based Observational Project for Undergraduate Nonscience Majors

Angela Osterman Meyer, Manuel J. Mon, and Susan T. Hibbard

2011, AER, 10 (1), 010203, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2011015

Online Publication Date: 05 December 2011

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We present our Lunar Phases Project, an ongoing effort utilizing students’ actual observations within a mental model building framework to improve student understanding of the causes and process of the lunar phases. We implement this project with a sample of undergraduate, nonscience major students enrolled in a midsized public university located in the southeast part of the United States. To quantitatively assess our activity, we use the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory, a research-validated assessment instrument. We observe significant gains in student understanding of the lunar phases for students who complete the Lunar Phases Project.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
96.20.-n Moon
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