Personalizing Observational Astronomy: A Tiered Low-Cost Telescope Approach to Active Learning Across Undergraduate Astronomy Courses

This project aims to serve the national interest by expanding undergraduate students' access to authentic, hands-on observational astronomy and increasing the scientific proficiency, data literacy, and scientific identity of students across institutional contexts. The significance of this work lies in a well-documented gap in astronomy education: traditional observational curricular activities rely on shared, expensive department-owned telescopes that limit participation and exclude students who face scheduling, commuting, or financial barriers. This Level 1 Engaged Student Learning project plans to provide each student with an individually operable, low-cost telescope paired with a smartphone detector, enabling independent astronomical observation from any location and on any schedule. The importance of this approach extends beyond access; by restoring hands-on instrumental proficiency to astronomy curricula, the project addresses the broader national priority of preparing scientifically literate citizens and future STEM professionals through authentic inquiry-based active learning experiences and exposure to emerging technologies, such as semiconductor-based instrument detectors. The project intends to expand participation, especially among commuter students, working students, and students with limited prior STEM exposure, who stand to benefit most from flexible, ownership-based scientific practice. The goals and scope of this project encompass the development, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of a tiered low-cost telescope curriculum across four undergraduate astronomy courses at introductory and advanced levels, reaching approximately 240 students across traditional and intervention conditions using a quasi-experimental design. The project plans to investigate four interconnected research questions addressing measurable improvements in astronomy content knowledge and data literacy, development of instrumental proficiency including troubleshooting, semiconductor detector characterization and error analysis, and changes in scientific identity, sense of belonging, and persistence in STEM. Methods and approaches include a mixed-methods assessment strategy integrating validated concept inventories, validating a newly developed Instrumental Proficiency Assessment, performance-based lab report rubrics, semi-structured student interviews, and focus groups. The project also plans to disseminate the results as open educational resources, including lab manuals, tutorials, and rubrics designed using Universal Design for Learning principles, to advance understanding of how low-cost instrumentation models can be replicated across a range of different types of institutions. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.