GIS Education Weekly: Why Did I Get that GIS Master's Degree?

Education News

EdWeek: State Grades on Chance for Success: Map and Rankings - "Examine the grades and scores that states and the nation earned on the Chance for Success Index in Quality Counts 2018, along with how they scored on a host of socioeconomic and other indicators that go into those rankings. For a description of what these education indicators mean, view the grading scale and methodology." Related article.

GIS Education Weekly: UCLA Extension's One Year Certificate, U-Spatial Grows, Nat Geo Fellow Inspires Lab Schoolers

Programs, Degrees and Courses

UCLA

UCLA Extension offers a one year GIS certificate (22 Mb PDF brochure). The estimated cost: $8,475.00. I asked some questions of Nick Burkhart, the Academic Coordinator, Geospatial @ UCLA.

1. "Coursework is grounded in the structure of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Geospatial Technology Competency model, which is required for most GIS and geospatial technology industry employees." How is the program related to the GTCM?

...our program was designed with the GTCM in mind, and ... we are continually making a concerted effort to ensure that our courses train students in the core geospatial abilities and knowledge specified in the GTCM and other relevant standards documents.  

He shared a table showing which of the courses are most closely related to core competencies outlined in the GIS Body of Knowledge.

2. Does the program uses both proprietary and open source software?

...we emphasize training in ArcGIS given that it is the industry standard commercial desktop GIS platform, though we do (particularly beginning in our Intermediate GIS course) introduce QGIS and encourage students to develop experience with ArcGIS as well as free and open source alternatives like QGIS.

3. What makes the UCLA Extension GIS certificate program different from other online programs? What is unique?

Several key characteristics distinguish UCLA Extension's online GIS certificate program from other online programs: (1) our program is primarily designed to serve students with little to no prior GIS experience, and (2) our instructional design deviates from the standard step-by-step ArcGIS tutorial-based training model that is so common in university-level GIS education.  The weekly practical exercises in all five of our courses provide students with scaffolded learning experiences wherein students are given the responsibility of thinking critically about process and outcomes.  This form of instructional design encourages development of true mastery of GIS techniques as students are thinking less about which buttons need to be pushed and more about the broader sequence of steps necessary to meet a given objective.  While we are relatively young as a professional certificate program, our certificate program courses are built upon the established GIS curriculum that we use here in the Department of Geography at UCLA.

NEARC Educators Day 2011: A Day of Questions

This year marked the fourth GIS Educators Day in the northeast. As usual, it was held the Sunday before the New England Arc Users (NEARC) Group Conference. This year we met at the Saratoga Springs, NY Hilton.

Kicking Off

I heard we had 55 educators registered, with a nice mix of K-12, community college and university representatives. I even saw a 4-H student and a 4-H leader in their now well-known blue polo shirts. I had the privilege of giving the opening remarks where I basically pondered a series of questions but provided no answers (pdf of my presentation slides)! I asked:

• How might the flipped classroom be applied to geography/GIS eduction?
• How can we teach geographic intuition so GPS-following 17-year olds don't crash their cars into trees?
• What are the options for students not spending money on geography/GIS textbooks?
• How should organizations like the federal government, National Geographic and Oracle best spend their dollars on geography/GIS education?
• How might we apply gamification to geography/GIS education?

I had a great time and was pleased with the energy in the room. I was also pleased to note that about half of the attendees confirmed they had "Spoken Up for Geography." I was very disappointed that only about five knew of Mission Explore, perhaps the best Geography Awareness Week activity set ever produced (Kudos to the folks behind it: The Workshop from the UK).

Morning Sessions

Panel on "Indispensable Geospatial Professionals"

The opening panel I attended had a great title: "Educating Indispensable Geospatial Professionals for the 21st Century." The three person panel focused on different methods to create those professionals. Lara Bryant, Keene State College, described her course which serves both GIS majors and education majors. Eaach student's final project is a GIS lesson for a real client (a teacher/school). 

Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias explained how the number of traditional geography/GIS/cartography majors is way down at her school, but participation in the school's certificate and associate programs is way up. The certificate/associate programs are serving "incumbent" populations, people who already have jobs (typically older people). The most important asset her students take into the GIS working world is problem solving. She actually teaches it in her class (and did a paper on it at the AAG). When her students find themselves in a typical Maine GIS job, that is, as the only tech person in a rural setting, they are tapped to, and apparently can, solve all kinds of problems. 

Tao Tang, Buffalo State College summarized some of his students final projects which typically relate to their current employment and are essentially service learning. 

The list of things that can make a student "indispensable" in the workforce that I jotted down during the discussion include:

• problem solving skills
• service learning/internships
• a portfolio (for example a GIS lesson produced as a pre-service teacher)
• networking 
• basic GIS skills
• ability to teach oneself

I felt that these ideas matched up well to those I identified on a recent article/podcast on the topic. The one skill that employers in Maine need that is not yet met by GIS students, per Tora Johnson: data management, data processing and data stewardship. I suspect the demand for such skills reaches far beyond Maine.

John Van Hoesen, Green Mountain College

I moderated a session that began with many questions from John Van Hoesen, Green Mountain College. He asked, "Does FOSS GIS Offer More Opportunities for Developing Strong Foundational GIS Skills?" He also pondered if the goals of a course or the acquisition of specific skills was driving the teaching and learning of GIS. He was quick to point out that there was no need to toss out ArcInfo, but wanted to explore how teaching was different with FOSS. He based his exploration on The GIS 20: Essential Skills book and highlighted the differences in practicing those skills in ArcGIS and open source packages.

I'd summarize his findings as indicating the skills were "easier" and "quicker" to learn and do in ArcGIS. In one case, creating a general reference map, it took him four times as long to make it in QGIS (with which he is very familiar) than in ArcInfo. In part, I'd suggest, based on his discussion, that's because ArcInfo "does more" for you. For example, it assumes the next dataset you add is in the same projection as the last one. QGIS does not. Which leads to the question: Does convenience imply higher quality maps? Higher quality learning? Like me, he didn't have specific answers, but I think these are important questions. (If you missed Kurt Menke's article in Directions Magazine on teaching with open source, it also sheds light on teaching with open source GIS.)

In the same session, Wendy Stout, NASA Virginia Space Grant told the success story of teaching teachers about GIS via hands-on workshops. Educator awareness about GIS was definitely raised and several new courses and programs are launching across the state. The real question (and it's too soon to know the answer) is how these efforts will fare in five or ten years.

In the final session before lunch, Sharron Macklin, Williams College argued that introducing "spatial literacy" in a gentle fashion to her liberal arts college faculty is far more likely to succeed that trying to teach scary "GIS." She's developed a matrix of short to longer lesson visions for bringing that spatial literacy to the different disciplines. The sessions range from five minutes (locate areas of interest on a Web map) to hours (more in depth work with desktop GIS doing analysis).  

Afternoon Sessions

Glenn Hazelton, Northeastern University, offered a panel titled "Teaching GIS: It's More than Buttonology." The panelists (Jeffrey Dunn, U Conn Northeastern University, me, Keith Ratner, Salem State) struggled to find a path that acknowledged that some "recipe following" was required in the early GIS courses, while independent thinking and problem solving was also required. We came to no conclusion, but there was a strong sentiment that educators want students leaving GIS classes or graduating with GIS degrees, to know more than how to push buttons.

I organized a panel that aimed to show how three educators teach. Instead of talking about how we teach, the vision was to actually do a mini-lesson for the attendees. I kicked off with one of my favorite lessons on user interface design. After a very quick rundown of the principles, the attendees helped critique three different Web maps in the context of those principles. I was very pleased how well they did with only a three-minute introduction! (pdf of my slides) Alex Chaucer, Skidmore College, focused on broad ideas of finding ways to teach. Among his suggestions: taking students outside, using virtual tours or photographs to explore the landscape while indoors, and changing the mode (group work, lecture, hands-on, etc.) Jon Caris, Smith College walked the attendees through what could be a very stressful, but rewarding lesson. First groups use pen, paper, maps, acetates and a list of requirements to determine where to look for ancient artifacts. Then after some sweating and pain, they work through the analysis using mostly pre-built models in ArcGIS. Smith does not have "GIS courses" but instead tries to inject GIS into its existing courses. Caris might visit a class for a two hours and this is the type of activity he might do. I found it very appealing because it used different modes (groups, hands on, computer), was very interactive, was very focused on the problem solving process, and was less focused on pushing buttons. 

The last session of the day for me included discussion of the Cooperative Extension program and how educators in Connecticut are using Web Maps for student engagement. The name Shane Brandt, NH Extension, is a well-known in New England and I was pleased to hear from him about his mandate to serve the people of the state with geotechnology. Who takes advantage of that offer? Policemen, teachers, farmers, businessmen... To serve them (and sometimes to serve those from other states, like Massachusetts) he (NH page) and his colleagues in Rhode Island and Connecticut (national page) teach courses and share all kinds of materials. The Connecticut team addressed Google Earth, Fusion Tables and ArcGIS Online along with more focused apps (such as Historypin) that help engage students.  

Other Sessions

There were a whole set of sessions I could not attend since three full tracks were running simultaneously. A room was set aside for hands-on workshops throughout the day. Esri's Charlie Fitzpatrick was busy in there introducing educational opportunities with browser-based solutions like ArcGIS Online and presentation tools like ArcGIS Explorer. There were also workshops on ArcGIS Desktop and LiDAR aimed at educators. There was a well-plugged presentation on Aligning Your Geospatial Curriculum with the GTCM presented by the GeoTech Center.

Conclusion

I certainly left the event with more questions than answers, but I think that reflects the state of GIS and geography education. All of the educators in attendance, and their administrators back home, need to ponder how to best serve their students, their local community and their local businesses/employers. It's a good time to ask a lot of questions.

Special thanks to Lyn Malone, World View and Alex Chaucer, Skidmore College for making this outstanding event come together.

The Geospatial Technology Competency Model in Plain English

I’ve gone to conference presentations and I’ve stared at the multi-colored pyramid on the Dept of Labor website, but when pigeon-holed at a conference (Thanks, Neil!) I could not recall the name, nature, or purpose of the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM). So, I did some homework. Here, in plain English is what you need to  know about the GTCM. 

1. The GTCM is one of many competency models.

The Dept of Labor has a whole bunch of models for different industries. I count 19 as write this; they range from Advanced Manufacturing (there is no basic manufacturing) to Water Sector. They all have that same pyramidal shape.

2. The GTCM defines GIS Technician workers' skills and competencies in the US.                  

Industry experts helped build it. Here’s the corresponding job description (which seems a bit dated to me based on the software products listed, but is a fine start).

3. The GTCM can be used by educators and trainers to develop course outlines and degrees/certificate programs that match these competencies.

It’s vendor and technology agnostic; that is, it's about skills, not specific software or hardware. There are some course outlines (including an open source software based one) from workshops done in 2011 by the GeoTech Center. You need a login/password to access them via a Moodle server.

4. There is a GTCM Assessment Tool.

The assessment tool is big spreadsheet that those with existing courses can use to see how their courses match the competencies. The assessment can then be used to enhance the course where there are weaknesses or confirm that topics missing in that course are covered in another course in a program.

5. The GTCM can ideally make it easier for business to hire qualified workers.

Since industry helps define the model, the argument is that schools (and other education providers) will address competencies in the model and thus graduate students who can tackle available jobs.

6. The GTCM can help in the creation of articulation agreements (agreements whereby schools accept each others credits).

For example, students who study GIS in high school may be able to transfer credit when joining a community college GIS certificate or degree program.

7. Industry organizations are beginning to use the GTCM as a basis for a variety of activities.

USGIF will be using the GTCM in its accreditation program for GEOINT (for schools, not for individuals) and GISCI is considering the addition of a competency-based examination aligned with the GTCM for its updated certification program. The GeoTech Center uses the model for a competition and URISA is looking into a management version of the model. (Source: Career One-Stop pdf)

What Geospatial Practitioners Need to Know About the New SPACE Certification

On Tuesday the title of this press release prompted a few articles and tweets: "Digital Quest Announces New National, Industry-Backed Geospatial Certification." I want to unpack this for those who are thinking "Oh no! Not another certification!" This is really in yet another category than the GISP from GISCI, the Esri Technical Certification from Esri, and the the very technical certifications from ASPRS.

First off, who is Digital Quest?
It's a company that develops GIS teaching tools. "Digital Quest is a Mississippi-based development- and training-oriented company enabling educational institutions to provide their students with skill-based training in the growing, vital field of geospatial technology."

Digital Quest already implements a certification program, called Spatial Technology And Remote Sensing aka STARS, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. About 300 people are STARS certified; ideally they are prepared for entry level geospatial work after completing a four semester program and an exam. The STARS certification course set is offered, for example at Atlantic Cape Community College (certification Q&A). The program is aligned with the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM). The courses are taught with Esri software; Esri is a Digital Quest partner.

So, what the new SPACE certification?
Spatial Projects And Community Exchange, aka SPACE, "applies geospatial technology to real, local, community-based projects." The educational program can be taken in a classroom, at work or at home. The twist? "The SPACE series teaches GIS through the eyes of the businesses and government agencies that protect, and increase the efficiency of, citizens’ everyday lives." Students tackle GIS in economic development, homeland security, law enforcement and other areas. Like its sibling, it aligns with the GTCM. The progression, per the press release, suggests this certification precedes the tougher STARS certification, which itself can precede professional certification.

What industry backing?
The Enterprise for Geospatial Solutions (EIGS), Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MsET), and the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA) back the certifications. (On the Digital Quest website the term "sponsored" is used.) Those are regionally focused groups, so its possible those in outside the southeast are not familiar with them.

How does this certification impact someone working toward a GIS or geotechnology certificate or degree?
Both of Digital Quest's certification have their own curricula. Most schools currently offer their own certificates or degrees, based on their own curricula (and in time perhaps, these programs will align with the GTCM). Digital Quest notes the difference between its certification and GIS certificate programs here.

How does this certification impact schools looking to teach geotechnology?
It's certainly one way to implement a new geospatial program in a high school or community college, especially one with instructors who are new to geospatial technology. The tagline of Digital Quest is "creating teacher friendly curriculum for the geospatial industry."