Adopting a star improves student interest in astronomy (Journal Article)

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Abstract: I have found that “adopting” a star can increase students’ engagement in introductory astronomy and their interest in learning more about our celestial neighbors. In this Adopt-a-Star activity, students are assigned a star early in the semester, challenged to find out more about their “adopted star,” and asked to share and compare their star adoption with those of their peers. Of course, we are all familiar with companies that sell certificates that dedicate random stars to loved ones, but this activity is free for the student. They find the following activities fun to carry out as they learn the standard information about their star in a way that personalizes the experience. This approach can be used to build on other methods to engage student learning about stars and stellar evolution in astronomy classes.