UNC Asheville will offer two online science
classes designed for K-8 teachers beginning in February. The
courses, "Stars, Constellations and Deep Sky Objects" and "Earth
Resources and Our Environment," will be conducted entirely via the
Web. Students should expect to spend two hours each week completing
the coursework. Classes will follow the K-8 North Carolina Standard
Course of Study but will expose participants to unique
interdisciplinary ways to teach astronomy, making them appropriate
for high school teachers as well.
"Stars, Constellations and Deep Sky Objects" will cover celestial
latitude and longitude, the major constellations and properties of
stars. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope will be used to
explore deep-sky objects, including black holes, pulsars, nebulae,
galaxies and galactic clusters. The course will also introduce
students to some of Albert Einstein's concepts and how they are
applicable to astronomy.
"Earth Resources and Our Environment" will use NASA images to help
explain geography, multimedia coordinate systems, mapping
technology, weather and geological structure. Environmental issues
such as global climate change and the effects of chlorofluorocarbons
on the ozone layer will be examined.
Both courses will be taught by UNC Asheville Physics Professor
Michael J. Ruiz. Since joining the UNC Asheville faculty in 1978,
Ruiz has received numerous awards, including the 1995 UNC Asheville
Distinguished Teaching Award, the 1997 UNC Asheville Distinguished
Teacher Award in the Natural Sciences and the 2004 UNC Board of
Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ruiz often draws praise
for his innovative teaching methods and ability to convey physics to
non-science majors. He has also developed interactive online
textbooks for his classes, called e-texts, which were featured on
CNN.
Courses will meet February 2-May 15. Teachers who complete a class
will receive a pass/fail academic credit and three continuing
education technology units. Cost is $86.06 plus a $20 application
fee. A limited number of $100 stipends are available. Registration
deadline is January 23.
For more information or to register, visit
www.unca.edu/distedu/
or call UNC Asheville's Extension and Distance Education Office at
828/232-5122.
