Increasing Student and Faculty Participation in GIS Education: Envisioning Spatial Data

Stockton University, Galloway NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Interdisciplinary (99) This project increases awareness of, interest in and competence at applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) across a range of disciplines at Richard Stockton College. It addresses a growing need for college graduates who can apply GIS technology to diverse fields. To bring more students to GIS education, we are: 1) increasing awareness among faculty and students of the general and discipline-specific capabilities of GIS and the opportunities in their fields, 2) training faculty to use GIS in their own teaching and 3) teaching students basic geographic and spatial concepts needed to understand GIS and its applications in their particular fields. We are educating the college community about GIS via a demonstration-workshop series to introduce students and faculty at the College to the ways in which spatial data and information contribute to understanding the world and to diverse academic disciplines. We are training faculty via faculty workshops which include a basic introduction to GIS, followed by an individual project in the faculty member's discipline. GIS-trained student mentors assist faculty with projects. Students from many disciplines need an introduction to basic spatial and geographic concepts before beginning GIS. We are developing a laboratory-based, self-paced gateway course in Stockton's General Studies program adapting courses from other institutions and from Stockton, following guidelines of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA). Evaluation and dissemination are key at each stage of the project, highlighted by several visits by outside consultants and by development of the demonstration- workshops as a distance-learning course. This project addresses diversity issues by appealing to non-traditional students. It includes teacher education as one of the key disciplinary areas. Close ties to Stockton's GIS center allows students to become involved in research and independent projects and to pursue advanced certification in GIS.