Investigating the Efficacy of Experiential Learning Through Observatory Internship for Studying Astronomy

This is a poster presented at the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE, http//astro4edu.org). Title: Investigating the Efficacy of Experiential Learning Through Observatory Internship for Studying Astronomy Presenter:Chandrsekaran, Annal Deva Priya Darshini Astronomy is a course in Madras Christian College for the students of BSc mathematics. The course includes understanding the celestial sphere, the celestial coordinate system, the movement of the sun and the diurnal motion of stars. Students are taught using ICT tools supported by a practical exposure to the actual night sky through observation sessions. Students are allowed to intern at an observatory to gain a first hand experience of setting up telescopes and recording observations. In this paper, we study the effectiveness of night sky observation and training at an observatory as experiential learning tools for the students, the challenges faced, the outcome and impact of the initiative. This study is in line with SDG 4. About the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop:The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop took place:12 - 15 November 2024. The Shaw-IAU workshops focus on astronomy education for primary and secondary school students and teacher training both in universities and in service. This year's workshop featured two special topics: an exploration of the first two years of the James Webb Space Telescope for the scientific topic, and the crucial aspect of evaluation in educational contexts as the non-scientific topic.More details can be found on: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/Keep up to date with future Shaw-IAU Workshops and other opportunities at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education by joining our mailing list https://astro4edu.org/mailing-list/Follow the IAU OAE on Bluesky and Facebook under @astro4edu