81 research outputs found
Addressing the challenges of a quarter century of giscience education: A flexible higher education curriculum framework
A wide range of geographic information science (GIScience) educational programs currently exist, the oldest now over 25 years. Offerings vary from those specifically focussed on geographic information science, to those that utilise geographic information systems in various applications and disciplines. Over the past two decades, there have been a number of initiatives to design curricula for GIScience, including the NCGIA Core Curriculum, GIS&T Body of Knowledge and the Geospatial Technology Competency Model developments. The rapid developments in geospatial technology, applications and organisations have added to the challenges that higher educational institutions face in order to ensure that GIScience education is relevant and responsive to the changing needs of students and industry. This paper discusses some of the challenges being faced in higher education in general, and GIScience education in particular, and outlines a flexible higher education curriculum framework for GIScience
GI-education: the impact of EduMapping
The creation of a European Higher Education Area during the last 20 years has resulted in a considerable degree of harmonization when it comes to the structure of higher education in the European countries. With regard to geoinformation (GI) education, less progress has been made. Formats for course and curriculum descriptions vary per organization and languages vary per country. For the described content a central reference on domain level seems absent. The reference documents published in the United States (2006: the Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge, 2010: Geospatial Technology Competency Model) have not yet been widely accepted in Europe, but seem useful. The EduMapping method aims at concisely characterizing GI course or curriculum content in a label, to be added to existing descriptions. This paper points at a role for EduMapping as a connection between the European multinational and multilingual situation and the American reference potential. Application of EduMapping might help Europe to achieve the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy
A Comparison of Geographical Information Science Competency Requirements
Because universities often provide training in geographical information science (GISc) as part of geography, surveying as well as environmental and computer science programmes, the content, outcomes, extent and quality of training can vary significantly. Very little research has been done on how the existing sets of competency requirements for GISc overlap or differ. No literature exists that identifies commonalities and inconsistencies (gaps) at detail level that could assist with developing a framework that incorporates both South African and international GISc curricula guidelines.Three sets of competency guidelines, namely the U.S.-developed Geographic Information Science and Technology (GI S&T) Body of Knowledge (BoK) developed by the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the South African Unit Standards-Based Qualifications (USBQ) and the South African Council for Professional and Technical Surveyors (PLATO) model, are compared qualitatively and quantitatively to identify commonalities and inconsistencies. The exercise identified duplication among the three models and highlighted themes that the South African GISc community deems to be important. The study further identifies topics in the GI S&T BoK that the GISc community in the U.S. considers to be essential knowledge for anyone wishing to practice in the GISc field. The BoK offers the most comprehensive and detailed set of GI competencies, but lacks generic competencies such as physics. Some competencies are unique to a specific set, for example physics and geographical science in the PLATO model, while training is unique to the USBQ. The authors conclude that a new competency set based on the findings of the research is needed to best serve the GISc industry and academia. Recommendations for further research are made.Keywords: Curriculum design, data acquisition, geographical information science (GISc), knowledge and skills requirements, mathematics, photogrammetry, physics, professional body, unit standards-based qualification (USBQ), remote sensing, statistics
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A STUDY OF PROVISION, PEDAGOGY AND EMPLOYABILITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND TURKEY
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are computer-based systems designed to store, organize, analyse and present spatial data. They can be used to help understand and answer a wide variety of problems in fields such as environmental management, resource planning and retail location and development. This thesis aims to explore the GIS education provided within university Geography departments (or units) in both the UK and Turkey. The main topics for investigation are the nature and scale of the GIS provision, the principal characteristic of the teaching, learning and assessment processes and also graduate employability – how far the courses and their students satisfied employer needs.
Although there is a substantial literature on GIS education, this thesis is different for two reasons. First, because it takes a more holistic approach to examining many aspects of GIS education within a number of case study departments. Second, because it covers two different countries, which can then be compared.
With reference to the research methods, this PhD examined ten case study departments, six from the UK and four from Turkey. The data collected were derived from a combination of student questionnaires, staff interviews, teaching observations and reading course documents. Both qualitative and quantitative were used to examine the data.
In the UK the main types of provision were found to be some 90 GIS named modules within Geography undergraduate programmes, 22 GIS Masters degrees and 7 UG GIS programmes. In Turkey, where engineering is the leading GIS discipline, there were 61 modules in undergraduate Geography, two Geography-based Masters programmes and no GIS undergraduate degrees. In the UK the great majority of GIS
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provision in Geography degrees takes the form of modules which are optional, with the result that most Geographers obtain only a very limited understanding of GIS and its applications. By contrast, in Turkey, the GIS modules are typically compulsory and the subject therefore occupies a more central and prominent position in the curriculum.
In both countries, more than 70 percent of students said they were satisfied with their GIS teaching (with no statistically difference in satisfaction levels related to the gender or year of study). Although this is a positive finding, there were some weakness and disappointments. With respect to curriculum design and delivery, insufficient attention was given to use of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and in both countries students complained about too much theory and about teaching which was too heavily based on lectures and not sufficiently active and student centred (especially in Turkey). GIS staff rarely took part in teaching related CPD and GIS was little used outside the formally designated modules. GIS employer opinions were varied on the quality of graduates but common criticisms were that they lacked the business awareness and in Turkey had often poor standards of English. The links between academia and the GIS profession were patchy.
The thesis ends with over 20 recommendations, the most important of which is for Geography as a discipline to give more priority to GIS. Particularly in the UK (though less so in Turkey), many Geographers graduate with little knowledge or experience of GIS. In the age of the information economy, this is a significant missed opportunity.The Higher Education Council of Turkey (HECoT
GIS w polskiej edukacji wyższej – dyskusja
Norvay Grants FSS/2014/HEI/W/0114/U/001
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Developing a plan for the national coordination of geospatial technology education : a community college perspective
Geospatial technology is a rapidly growing and changing field. The term geospatial technology (GST) refers to geographical information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing (RS), all emerging technologies that assist the user in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data. The speed at which new fields are adopting GST, along with the speed at which equipment and software are being modified and updated, precludes many industries, much less the educational system, from keeping up to date. The issue is further complicated at the community college level because national coordination of workforce information and educational resources within the community college network is fairly poor.
Developing a Plan for the National Coordination of Geospatial Technology Education: A Community College Perspective was an effort to document the needs and concerns of community college educators and to use this information to produce recommendations for the development and operation of a National Geospatial Technology Center (NGTC).
The following ten issues were identified by community college educators as critical to GST education: 1) workforce needs; 2) core competencies[1]; 3) professional certification; 4) curriculum development; 5) educational pathways; 6) professional development; 7) communication; 8) awareness and reaching underserved audiences; 9) the role of GST education in supporting college administrative tasks and entrepreneurialism; and 10) future trends in GST.
From the recommendations put forth in this study, it is clear that community college educators want a NGTC that will: represent their interests in national education and workforce initiatives, act as a clearinghouse to provide easy access to existing curricula and workforce information, and provide access to professional development opportunities, among other activities described in this report.
Additionally, it is imperative that a NGTC works with existing competency-related efforts (University Consortium for Geographic Information Science’s (UCGIS) Body of Knowledge; GeoSpatial Workforce Development Center’s (GeoWDC) Geospatial Technologies Competency Model; Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) / Association of American Geographers (AAG) study, Defining and Communicating Geospatial Industry Workforce Demand, Phase I report recommendations, and existing DACUMs) to bring them closer together so that core competencies, and in turn a core curriculum, that supports many entry-level positions, can be established and agreed upon by a wide range of stakeholders. The consequences of not coming to an agreement will certainly contribute to greater gaps between what the workforce needs and what the educational system is producing
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