Abstract

The field of astronomy education has grown significantly over the last few decades, with an increasing number of research articles having been published by a growing number of academic and practitioner groups. Despite this, there has been no regular international conference place for astronomy education researchers and practitioners around the world to convene and discuss their work in the field. Hence this meeting is intended to be the first of a regular, biennial, IAU Commission C1 Astronomy Education Conference with an aim to increase the quality, quantity, community and impact of astronomy education research and practice. This conference aims to bring together astronomers, astronomy education researchers and education practitioners to communicate, discuss and tackle common issues. The three key topics span traditional and practical research exploring the purely theoretical to issues encountered attempting to embed research results into practical situations, usually mediated by standards, curriculum and instruction. The conference will also provide an opportunity for the community to discuss the results in astronomy education stemming from the IAU Strategic Plan 2010-2020 and discuss the requirements for meeting the next IAU Strategic Plan goals regarding astronomy education.