Astronomy is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of one- or two-semester introductory astronomy courses. The book begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The Astronomy textbook builds student understanding through the use of relevant analogies, clear and non-technical explanations, and rich illustrations. Mathematics is included in a flexible manner to meet the needs of individual instructors.

Astronomy for Educators provides new and accomplished K-12 instructors with concepts and projects for low-cost, high-impact STEM classroom instruction that is built around the National Academies National Research Council's K-12 Framework for Science Education.

The spring 2017 syllabus for the General Astronomy Course (AST 110), developed as part of the textbook free courseware initiative at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

This course provides an introduction to the universe beyond the Earth. We begin with a study of the night sky and the history of the science of astronomy. We then explore the various objects seen in the cosmos including the solar system, stars, galaxies, and the evolution of the universe itself. As an online course, it is equivalent to 6 lecture hours, and satisfies science requirements for the AA and AS degree. It is designed to be thorough enough to prepare you for more advanced work, while presenting the concepts to non-majors in a way that is meaningful and not overwhelming. We will consider the course a success if you have learned how to think about the universe critically in an organized, logical way, and to have enhanced your appreciation of the sky around us.

The online educational resource Physics For Everyone is the scaffolding for a 3 contact hour, 3 credit general education course that conveys the relevance, beauty, and power of physics as a foundation of science and technology in the public interest.

This slide deck provides the outline for the semester-long course. Each week’s lecture topics, with key points to be covered, are highlighted in two slides, which also list writing prompts, problem-solving exercises, and labs. Also, we have curated a list of high-quality online video resources that students (and instructors) should use to help them learn (and teach) physics ideas and concepts using demonstrations, animations, and humor. Many of those videos are parts of larger series and programs, created by some of the most skilled and popular online presenters in the world; that means some of their content is commercially sponsored, but all the content is free to students and instructors. Finally, we have envisioned this course so that students are assessed with a large set of low-stakes, just-in-time-type assignments and laboratory exercises.

This work has been generously supported by New America’s PIT-UN (Public Interest Technology University Network) challenge grant program, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Ellipse - conic section, foci, major and minor axes, vertices, standard form, eccentricityTMM 002 PRECALCULUS (Revised March 21, 2017)AdditionalOptional Learning Outcomes:2. Geometry: The successful Precalculus student can:2f. Represent conic sections algebraically via equations of two variables and graphically by drawing curves.Sample Tasks:The student can perform the process “completing the square” transforming the equation into a standard form.The student can draw curves representing conic sections.The student can solve systems of equations involving linear and quadratic functions.The student can parametrize conic curves.

Hyperbola - conic section, foci, transverse and conjugate axes, vertices, asymptotes, standard formTMM 002 PRECALCULUS (Revised March 21, 2017)AdditionalOptional Learning Outcomes:2. Geometry: The successful Precalculus student can:2f. Represent conic sections algebraically via equations of two variables and graphically by drawing curves.Sample Tasks:The student can perform the process “completing the square” transforming the equation into a standard form.The student can draw curves representing conic sections.The student can solve systems of equations involving linear and quadratic functions.The student can parametrize conic curves.