ASTR 1210

I took this class thinking it would be an easy natural science/math requirement, but it ended up being my hardest class this semester. The lectures are very repetitive and the tests require a lot of studying. Professor Li gives you quite a few opportunities for boosting your grade, but the amount of time and effort I put into the class wasn't worth the mediocre grades I was getting.
Basically memorize every single detail of every single lecture powerpoint, and you might do well. Unless you're actually interested in astronomy, I wouldn't recommend taking this class.

Super easy and offers extra credit!

Professor Li is a really nice professor and teaches the class very well. It does get a bit boring but overall the subject material is very interesting. There is no assigned homework, just one assigned project which is just you going out to look at some stars for an hour and is very easy to pass. The quizzes can be a bit tricky but if you review the PowerPoints ahead of time then you should be fine! You get to drop your lowest quiz grade as well. You have to go to class for iClicker points for your participation grade. He recommends that you do the textbook readings but he only tests you on materials from the PowerPoints so I never did them and did well on the quizzes. I definitely recommend this class.

Good professor & good lecturer; lectures are very informative, & he always tries to keep class engaging & is accepting of questions & willing to go over more difficult concepts. I did not really need to do the readings for this class-- they're a helpful supplement, but the quizzes are based on his PowerPoints, so if you review those and your lecture notes, you should be fine. DO NOT be deceived into thinking this is an easy class; this is NOT. However, I would still recommend this class for students who maybe aren't looking for a science or math major but are still trying to find an interesting class that will fill a math/science requirement. Definitely do the extra credit lab. Plenty of opportunities to boost your grade, and these are IMPORTANT- it is easy to get lost in this class if you aren't careful. Overall, a worthwhile course.

Professor Li is extremely passionate about what he teaches, although it can be difficult not to fall asleep in the lectures. The quizzes he gives can sometimes have very specific questions so there is a lot of memorization needed, but overall it was a decent way to knock out a science requirement.

Prof. Li definitely likes what he does and his lectures can be really interesting, but the quizzes are often very specific and just based on memorization. I definitely recommend reading the textbook to reinforce his lecture, but also go to lecture to get the iClicker points and see the videos/animations because they aren't in the online slides. The constellation lab is super easy, and so is the extra credit telescope lab which you should definitely do to get a grade boost. Overall, a decent way to get a science req out of the way without taking a super confusing and difficult class

There's a plenty of professors for this class but I still recommend Li. His lectures are well organized and the slides are very helpful, which is a plus when it comes to quizzes. He is very approachable too. I'd say the grading is pretty easy: 3 quizzes (drop lowest grade), clicker points, and a constellation lab. There's a telescope lab for extra credit which is pretty chill too, and it gives you 3% boost on final grade. The quizzes can get into details, but all the information is in the slides so just try memorize them all. I bombed my first quiz (75ish) but did pretty well in the other two (95ish), though the difficulty is consistent/slightly increasing. It's a totally doable class, and probably an easy A if you study.

If you're looking for an easy A, take ASTR 1210 with Li. Although his lectures can be a bit dry, he's a nice and accommodating prof. If you study the powerpoints well, you'll be fine for the tests (which he drops your lowest). There are daily REEF participation questions that account for a good percentage of your grade, so best to attend all the classes and answer all the questions (although need not get all questions right to fulfill full points for that portion of the grade). Overall, it's an easy class if you pay attention.
#tCF2020

I took this class to satisfy the general education requirement and it did require some work if I'm going to be honest.
This professor has an obvious passion for astronomy but as someone who just wanted to get through the class, it was pretty difficult. There were 3 tests and a cumulative final, all of which were a combination of true/false, mult. choice, and short answer.
He structured the test so that it was linear, meaning we couldn't go back to a question after answering it, and that was frustrating. I passed the class CR and I know I could have done better if I had put more effort in (reading the textbook, paying more attention in lectures, etc) but to be honest, my priorities were elsewhere, so if you are looking to fulfill a requirement, this course may not be the easiest.

* a note: i took this class during COVID-19 and it was taught all online synchronous.

#tCFspring2021

I would recommend this class mostly just for those who are interested in astronomy; otherwise, it's a 5050 recommendation for people who just want a science credit done. Most of the folks who are commenting here finished with A's in this class, and I would say that most of these comments are NOT representative of how the average student would perform in this class. Unless you're very interested in this topic or are just very intelligent with comprehending a lot of material both easily and quickly, this class is most definitely not an easy A. At least for Li, your grade will be determined very heavily by your exam scores (3 midterms + final; lowest of the midterms is dropped). There is no (mandatory) homework in Li's class, but it doesn't matter since you're going to have to try hard to earn an A regardless. If you essentially memorize the 85 pages of notes you'll have at the end of the semester, you'll do well. Otherwise, you won't. He does not make the exams easy in any regard, and you will not come remotely close to acing them unless you're verrrryyyy well versed in the subject areas. An A is possible in this class but only after studying extremely hard for the exams or otherwise just knowing everything very very well. The lectures/powerpoints tell you everything you need to know; however, you won't really take in any information from them if you're taking thorough notes simultaneously, which is very necessary to do. Memorizing my notes while studying is how I learned anything in this class. At least for me, attending lectures was for clicker points and getting good notes down and rarely actually allowed me to take in the material he's teaching since he goes extremely fast. There are easier classes to take for a science requirement. Bottom line, you should probably find something else.