Microcomputers in the Teaching of Astronomy

There are many ways to use computers in teaching. This paper discusses one of those ways: as an adjunct to the introductory astronomy course as taught in the United States.The computer allows the demonstration of phenomena in a graphic dynamic manner, so its use can enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the material than they might when they passively listen to a lecture, look at slides, or study a textbook. In a very real sense, material presented in a computer is similar to that presented by film or video, but with one major difference: viewing movies is essentially a passive experience while interacting with a computer is an active one. Using computer simulations, the user can vary initial conditions and observe the effect of changes. This ability is the case whether the person doing the interacting is the instructor during a lecture or the student during a lab or while independently executing a homework exercise.