Geospatial Technical Education: Bridging Classroom to GIS Technician Careers

Central Wyoming College, Riverton WY

Investigators

Abstract

Geospatial Information Science (GIS) is a rapidly growing field of employment for which a significant workforce gap exists in Central Wyoming. There are not enough workforce-ready geospatial employees trained at the technician level to satisfy employment needs in the region. The goal of this project is to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students in GIS at Central Wyoming College (CWC). The project will place specific emphasis on increasing the participation of students from groups underrepresented in GIS with a focus on American Indian students. An overall increase in the number of students participating in the GIS program, combined with innovative scheduling and course formatting will increase student completion rates and help CWC to graduate more workforce-ready GIS technicians. The resulting GIS program will include opportunities for field-based research, internships, and work experience that will enhance student learning and provide economic support to help with program retention and completion. The project has three key objectives: the expansion of recruitment and retention efforts to increase the number of students graduating from GIS programs; the modification of existing GIS programs to create an innovative industry-appropriate curriculum; and the development of partnerships to better include hands-on GIS experiences for students. The project will leverage CWC’s American Indian Services Coordinator and CWC’s partnership with the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes to increase recruitment, retention, diversity, and overall program completion. Long-standing professional, government and academic relationships will be engaged to create more paid internship opportunities, ensure program quality, and facilitate student transfer into the workforce and to 4-year institutions. Project evaluation will use mixed methods, primarily descriptive and qualitative, supplemented by interrupted-time series (ITS) models. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.