Use of the Night-Sky program is required in one meeting of the laboratory. Students are required to spend two hours per week in the laboratory. Laboratory activities include demonstrations, observations, and examinations. Specific grading procedures vary slightly by instructor. However, all sections of astronomy base their grades on the results of regular hourly examinations, the final examination, and the laboratory performance.
Expectations are rigorous but fair and reasonable.
Due to the size of the large lecture classes, frequent multiple-choice exams are administered. Many of the questions are designed so that the student must apply methods of analytical and critical thinking to answer correctly. Data should be presented in tabular or graphical form, identified and labeled with correct units of measure. Typically 11-13 labs are performed during the semester. A lab report is required at the end of each lab period.