Economic stability and success are becoming increasingly tied to the successful acquisition of basic academic skills, with the emergence of a computer and data-oriented society. The recent doubling of the statewide requirement for laboratory science courses at the college level thus represents both an opportunity to further aid in the development of math and science skills in our general population, and an added barrier to degree completion. Couple this to a geographically dispersed population of non-traditional students, with work force and family responsibilities which compete directly for time with academics, and we have a compelling need for alternate methods of teaching science in New Mexico. We will present a set of NASA- and NSF-sponsored resources under development to aid in teaching astronomy as a laboratory science at the college level. with usage results for a pilot group of students. Primary components include a self-review database of 10,000+ questions, an instructor review interface, a set of laboratory exercises suitable for students working alone at a distance, and interviews with diverse STEM individuals to help combat stereotype threat. We will discuss learning strategies often employed by students without substantial scientific training, and ways to incorporate these strategies into a conceptual framework which is based on the scientific method and basic techniques for data analysis.