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Imagine that as you walk into your freshman year introductory scienceÌýlecture hall, you hearÌýyour professorÌýplaying music.Ìý Dr. David Brain of the Astrophysics Department at Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Boulder says that before each Astronomy 1000ÌýThe Solar System class session, he plays, "Snippets of three songs."Ìý Brain says that the snippets must have, "Some indirect relationship with the material."ÌýÌýHe says that he might use Blondie's, "The Tide is High," during a class about the tides on Mars, or play "Toxic" by Britney Spears before a lecture investigatingÌývarious elementsÌýin the Solar System.Ìý When the day's playlist ends,Ìýstudents know that it isÌýtime for class to start.Ìý Brain doesn't hog the role ofÌýDJ, either.Ìý He invites students to postÌýsuggestionsÌýto the D2L discussion board page thatÌýBrain dedicates to class music ideas - and they do!Ìý InÌýa typical semester, studentsÌýsuggest almostÌý100 tracks.Ìý Additionally, the music provides a token to remember the class.ÌýÌýAt the end of the semester, students can access the entire semester's playlist on Grooveshark.

But there's more to remember fromÌýBrain's Introductory Astronomy course than just the music.Ìý First, "... We are all scientists ..."Ìýgreets students at the top ofÌýthe classÌýsyllabus.Ìý Perhaps because of this high standard that Brain holds for his students, complemented with his efforts toÌýrelate classÌýmaterial toÌýtheir personal interests,Ìýstudents nominatedÌýBrain for an ASSETT Teaching with Technology Award last year for thatÌýclass.Ìý In their nominations, studentsÌýexpressed appreciation of Brain's use of D2L.Ìý Brain andÌýhis TAs make sure to keep the courseÌýD2L page full ofÌýrelevant current events and extra information about topics covered in class.

Brain also reserves nights at the Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Boulder Sommers Bausch Observatory for his Introductory Astronomy students to observe the night sky.Ìý As an optional replacement for a homework assignment, students may attend and sketch their observations.ÌýÌýAdditionally, "Professor Brain also uses the newly renovated [Fiske]ÌýPlanetarium to supplement class lectures and make the class more exciting," a student wrote in Brain's nomination for the ASSETT Teaching with Technology Award.Ìý BrainÌýsays that heÌýtries to host about five classÌýsessionsÌýin the Fiske PlanetariumÌýbecause there, studentsÌýcan, "Look at the night sky ... without being hampered byÌýclouds," orÌýevenÌýtravel further out of Earth's atmosphere andÌývirtually, "Fly through the canyons on Mars."

Brain also makes use ofÌýClickers in class.Ìý He may ask students to answer a question first on their own, without the opportunity to discuss with neighbors.Ìý After students have submitted a Clicker answer on their own, Brain gives time to students to further discuss the question with their neighbors, and then answer the Clicker question again once more after having had the opportunity to discussÌýthe questionÌýwith their peers.

BrainÌýhas just finished his third year of teaching at Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Boulder, and he explains how much he collaborates with hisÌýcolleagues and howÌýtheyÌýmeet regularly to discuss best teaching practices.Ìý "Everyone is extremely supportive,"Ìýsays Brain of his department.

For the future, Brain considers presentingÌýPowerPoint lectures with headers, images, and blank spaces instead of bullet points.Ìý Then, he wouldÌýspend class timeÌýfilling inÌýnotes with a stylus pen on a tablet deviceÌýwhile he lectures, just as his students write down theirÌýown notes whileÌýlistening toÌýlecture.Ìý Further, Brain also explains that he feels that PowerPoint is ultimately too linear in nature when it comes toÌýthe human dynamics of a live lecture - what if a student asks a relevant question thatÌýanswering would throw his lecture out of sequence?ÌýÌýBrain says that he wouldÌýlike to be able to explore students' questions in the middle of the lecture without forgettingÌýto cover important topics before he finishes.

Ultimately, Brain says his goal in teaching is: "I want [students] to realize that everyone has scientific capability," and to underscore, "... [Students'Ìýabilities] toÌýreason things out for themselves."

When Brain is not teaching, he consults for NASA'sÌýongoing MAVEN mission to Mars.