Backward-Design Model for an Astronomy Course Using RSpec

The new normal imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the traditional ways we would teach high school students who are eager to participate in introductory astronomy projects on our university campus. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we were forced to come up with creative ways to get around this obstacle. The outcome is an outline of a pedagogically sound and even more robust instructional plan for an astronomy course using RSpec in conjunction with freely available databases. In addition to the traditional topics, the new model will allow an instructor to explore emission lines of variable Be stars like Gamma Cas and the classification of supernovae by an interpretation of their spectra. We argue that this new model should be used even if we return to the old normal.