Answers to the homework are on quizlet if you don't understand what to do. Tests were challenging but extra credit really helps to bring you up. DO the extra credit and keep up with the readings to be prepared for the midterm and final. Professor said some interesting things but went on random tangents sometimes which made it hard to follow.

Professor Rich is just a fun man. I would've totally gotten an A-, but I forgot to do my last homework assignment after my final exam. He is so relaxed and he makes funny jokes throughout the lecture. He increased my interest in learning about the universe. I am an econ major so there really won't be another time I would take this type of class, but I am so glad I did and would take it again. If I remember correctly we had numerous homework assignments, a weekly lab, a midterm, and a final. If you keep up with the material you'll do wonderful in the class.

Pretty easy GE. Rich is a pretty good and helpful professor, and lectures are interesting if you enjoy the content. There's a decent amount of online homework, but most answers are easily found online. Exams were easy as well, especially being open note.

I was not expecting to, but I actually really liked this class. He is not a super engaging lecturer but he just wants everyone to have fun with the material. The textbook reading is good because he is not always clear in lecture. This class actually made me really like astronomy by the end and I would recommend it.

The professor can be messy and unprofessional at times, but it is a challenge to dislike him. He is very passionate about both the material and the students. He wants the student to succeed and will help everyone as much as he can. The worst part of the course is that much of it is essentially reading the textbook to teach yourself and completing the online homework by Pearson. You have to grind out the online assignments, but that is the extent of the workload. The exams are clearly rushed as they are riddled with mistakes, but I believe they were fair. You have few excuses to not get an A in this class if you read the textbook and do the homework which admittedly can be a rough and tedious chunk of work.

Easy G.E with interesting subject matter, professor is enthusiastic and knowledgeable but the lectures are rather boring

Professor Rich was really passionate about the class which made the class really engaging even if he went over time a lot.

This is a pass/no pass fiat lux. Can be interesting/boring depending on your interest in astronomy. I was expecting more astronomy and less HISTORY of astronomy, which is what it ended up being, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Professor Rich is a kind and friendly professor and did a great job of teaching this class.

If you need to knock out your science + lab GE, this is the perfect class for you! The midterm and final exam were definitely doable; there were no curveballs thrown at us. Professor Rich is extremely generous with the curve for the midterm and final exam, and also offers two extra credit assignments (up to 2% EC) as well as extra credit on the homework. The weekly two hour labs aren't extremely difficult, but definitely do take some thinking and effort. I stopped attending lecture early on since the professor posts the lecture slides online, which pretty much have all the information you need to know for the exams. He also provides a practice exam and study guide before the midterm and final, which are very helpful. He literally pulls some of the exact same questions from the practice exams and puts them on the midterm and final.

Important things to consider before taking this class:
- Requires Pearson Online MasteringAstronomy: ~$60
- Course Reader: ~$15
- Professor reads off slides – content may get dull if you weren't interested in Astronomy before coming in
- Class attendance not mandatory, but labs are required. You can only miss one lab section, and will have to do a (slightly more difficult) make-up lab on your own
- Midterm and Final are all Multiple Choice. About 70% of questions are freebies, but the rest are more difficult to answer accurately.
- Offers 2% extra credit if you attend his Astronomy events or go to the Astronomy shows that he lists out