Parallel sessions

Students entering astronomy courses at HE institutions see it being part of physics and thereby offering the skills and knowledge vital to support their future employability in a challenging job market. However, they also state they opted for this specific branch as it engages with exotic objects such as black holes, cosmology and the origins of our Universe, and tries to understand objects imaged in stunning beauty for example by the Hubble Space telescope. But 1st year students find themselves quickly enveloped within complex mathematical formula and abstract concepts without being able to directly engage with their impact upon us and immersing themselves in a direct astronomical experience. The use of experiential and immersive learning methods within astronomy has become important for primary and secondary schools tapping into technology such as planetaria or virtual reality. But such applications are sparse or under analysed in their impact in the setting of higher education. Such learning methods could take place in higher education to support a plethora of concepts including the daily apparent motion of stars. They can also take place either as part of the delivered curriculum within astronomy modules, field trips for a select group of motivated students, or project work to further engage with the observational experience. They could also form part of delivering aspects more linked to astronomy with societies past and present such as archaeoastronomy, light pollution, sustainability, or cultural sensitive sites. This session aims at introducing the potential of experiential and immersive learning of astronomy specifically for undergraduate students by discussing different astronomy curricula, identifying concepts in need of deeper engagement and case studies in which such methods have been applied. It also allows the opportunity to illustrate proposed methods and technologies that would allow such engagement within the constraints of higher education astronomy teaching. We would especially look for speakers engaging with the deeper pedagogical engagement with the methodology and how the learning and teaching could proactively be supported beyond a new gadget to display or simply watching a special effects packed movie in an immersive arena. Our session will allow experienced individuals to share their work with the astronomy community enabling individuals to learn and implement new methods within astronomy Higher Education teaching. It will also offer opportunities to share good practice with likeminded peers.