We held our first workshop on undergraduate astronomy teaching and professional development at the AfAS 2025 Conference. Our 2026 workshop will be held at the AfAS 2026 Conference in Botswana (details TBD). The workshops are designed and facilitated by Dr. Linda Strubbe.
Who : This workshop is for any African lecturer or early-career scientist who is currently teaching undergraduate-level astronomy, or intends to teach undergraduate astronomy in the future. This includes teaching full astronomy courses, as well as teaching astronomy topics within physics, mathematics, or other courses. We welcome early-career scientists such as Master’s and Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers who teach or are interested in undergraduate teaching, as well as early-career lecturers.
When & Where : (1) March 22-23, 2025. In person at the AfAS 2025 Conference at UNISA, South Africa. (2) March 2026 (dates TBD). In person at the AfAS 2026 Conference in Botswana.
What : The purpose of this workshop is to support participants in learning and incorporating interactive and inclusive strategies for teaching undergraduate astronomy. The workshop format is interactive and collaborative with many facilitated discussions between participants, and include activity design and/or teaching practice. Discussions will frame astronomy education from an African perspective, for participants’ teaching contexts, and include a focus on building community among participants. The workshop is held in English.
Workshop topics include:
Strategies for interactive teaching in astronomy, including inquiry
Research-based principles of effective teaching from “How Learning Works” (Lovett et al. 2023)
Teaching to promote equity and inclusion
Case studies of teaching scenarios from participants’ experiences
Workshop participants gain familiarity with the fundamental principles of teaching and learning, and experience with several interactive strategies for teaching undergraduate astronomy and readiness to try these in their courses. We hope that participants will also feel increased confidence, motivation, and community around university astronomy teaching.
Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to participate in a semester-long online learning community, to continue teaching discussions, share ideas, deepen understanding, etc.
