CHOICE in Astronomy

CHOICE is a new initiative of the AAVSO. It is a collection of informal, online short courses on topics chosen to help members of the AAVSO contribute more to science. It has two main goals towards this end. First, we hope to train our members to be better observers, analysts, researchers, writers and advocates. Second, by improving the quality of our data products and making them easier to use, it will help astronomers and researchers best utilize AAVSO data.

At a Glance

CHOICE courses tend to run about one month long. They are mostly run via the AAVSO web site using private forums and e-mail at a self directed pace. We have planned a variety of topics, from introductory to very advanced, aimed at a wide range of participants, including digital, visual and non-observers. The courses are assessed on a pass/fail basis. Those who successfully complete a course will be provided with a certficate and it will also be mentioned on their web site's user profile page (click here for an example of a past graduate). Eventually, all data submitted to the AID will be flagged with an identifier listing all the courses an observer has completed as of the date that observation was submitted. This provides researchers with added information they can use when analyzing and assessing that data.

One of the unique aspects of this program is that courses will be peer taught. That is, graduates of one course will have the opportunity to lead the next iteration of that course. Those who take this opportunity will be rewarded with an extra level of certification (another certificate, flag on their data, etc.). This is to reflect both that learning occurs best when done collaboratively and that, for many, the best way to learn is to teach. Those who agree to lead a course will also have the registration fee waived for one subsequent CHOICE course that they elect to take. So if a member takes a course and later teaches it, they will get two certificates and two flags on their data.

For example: A group of members takes a course about photometry. When it is done, AAVSO staff will ask selected volunteers to teach the next iteration of that course. Once a student instructor is identified, they will lead the next course. When that particular course is over, a new volunteer leader will be solicited from that course's graduates. All course leaders will have access to AAVSO staff for assistance and guidance as well as access to the course syllabus, PDFs and any other materials developed for the course. In short, AAVSO staff will take care of the technical issues (registration, course materials, etc.) while the leaders are responsible for guiding the students through the course and performing any assessments.

We have also started a discussion in our online forums about CHOICE. Feel free to comment and/or ask questions there. You can also e-mail aavso@aavso.org.

Course Topics

The AAVSO has identified a number of possible course topics that fall along one of three strands: visual observing, digital observing and variable star science. Specific courses offered will be based on demand and the availability of instructors. 

Below is our current course schedule. Click the course title for a description of the course.

Registration

Course registration is limited to AAVSO members and costs $30 per course. Course size is limited to 20 students per course on a first-come, first-serve basis. When there are open courses registration is handled through our online store.

About Carolyn Hurless

Carolyn J. Hurless was the most active and prolific female observer in the history of the AAVSO, with a total of 78,876 observations in the AAVSO International Database. But that only scratches the surface of this remarkable woman’s life and career as an AAVSO observer, councilor, officer, mentor and ambassador. For more about this amazing woman's life, click here for her bio.