Developing Web-based GIS CAREER awareness modules for high school students

Developing Web-based GIS CAREER awareness modules for high school students Paper Session : Developing Resources Ming-Hsiang Ming Tsou, Ph.D.. NSF- ATE Advanced Technological Education

Developing Web-based GIS CAREER awareness modules

for high school students

Paper Session : Developing Resources

Ming-Hsiang (Ming) Tsou, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Geography, San Diego State University

E-mail: mtsou@mail.sdsu.edu

San Diego State

University 2007 ESRI Education User Conference

June 19, 2007 10:15am -11:30am.

NSF- ATE ( Advanced Technological

Education) Program) 2004 Award – 3 years +

one year extension

http://geoinfo.sdsu.edu/hightech/

• Provide on-line, Web-based GIS learning modules

for high school students and teachers.

• Help high school students assess their interest in

and aptitude for GIS-related careers ,

• Form an on-line community and portal for

GIS-education research and related projects.

San Diego State University

Mesa College (Community College) San Diego School District (High School)

Develop a Web-based GIS Career Awareness

Program for High School Students

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the learning modules, the

student will be able to:

1 Understand the value of GIS skills and the potential of GIS

career (module 4).

2 Explain the fundamental GIS concepts , coordinate

systems, and the idea of Digital Globe (module 1).

3 Describe at least two GIS applications in various

industries and careers (module 2).

4 Identify at least two new directions of future GIS research

(such as mobile GIS, multimedia, visualization, and

participatory GIS (module 3).

Complete Four Learning Modules 

Issue the Certificates to Students

• The learning module ONE: The Digital Earth - Virtual Globes and

Computerized Maps (create interests and funs for high school students by using Google Earth and Google Maps Introduce

latitudes/longitudes and coordinate systems). 

• The learning module TWO: How Can GIS Help Us? - GIS

Applications in Various Fields (criminal justice, business and

marketing, environmental protection, etc.)

• The learning module THREE: The Cutting Edge and Future of GIS

Including Mobile GIS, Multimedia GIS Visualization, and

Participatory (Collaborative) GIS applications (Mapping Where You Want to Visit in the World in Web-Based Community Maps)

• The learning module FOUR: Putting It All Together: Our Future

with GIS Submit an GIS Career essay (three pages around 500 words) about their learning results from three modules and their future GIS career plan

Version 1.0 (October 2006) and

Version 2.0 (March, 2007)

Difference between 1.0 and 2.0

Version 1.0 included Geofusion for 3D virtual Globe exercises (but the

Plug-In is incompatible with Mac OS) Replaced by Google Map Exercise in Version 2.0.

Version 1.0 used Google Earth 3.0 Version 2.0 upgrade to Google

Earth 4.0 with new Sketch-up functions and new user interfaces.

Version 1.0 instructions have both answer sheets and instructions in a

single document (Documents are too long) Version 2.0 separated answer sheets from the exercise instruction (Easier for teacher to use and print-out).

Version 2.0 corrected errors and mistakes founded in version 1.0.

Version 2.0 add components for getting students’ feedback about the

learning modules.

Learning Module ONE: The Digital Earth - Virtual Globes and Computerized Maps (2.5 hours)

Learning Module TWO: How Can GIS Help Us? - GIS Applications in Various Fields (1.5 hours)

Learning Module THREE: The Cutting Edge and Future of GIS (1.5 hours) (Collaborative GIS works)

Learning Module FOUR: Putting It All Together:

Our Future with GIS (1 hour) Submit an GIS Career Essay

Web-based GIS Learning Module Advantages

for high school teachers and students

• Avoid the complicated (and often expensive)

software installation in traditional GIS

• Students can utilize a Web browser to access

maps and GIS from anywhere (schools, homes, or libraries)

• Combine with Multimedia (sounds, animation, and 3D) in an integrated Web environment.

• Helix High School (adopted full modules in their GIS course) in Fall 2006 and Spring 2007.

• Hoover High School started to adopt partial

modules (collaborative GIS works) in Fall 2006

and Spring 2007.

Implementation and Adoption

• High School Teacher Workshop

(San Diego Region) hold on

November 3nd, 2006 (12 teachers

attended the workshop to learn

the new modules) at San Diego

State University, GIS lab.

•After the workshop, some

teachers expressed their interests

of adopting the modules

(San Diego High School)

• Tracking how many users (computer accounts)

and certificate awardees

• Weblog analysis (How many copies has been

downloaded ?)

and teachers’ feedbacks (from teachers

workshops)

San Diego State

University

• Helix High School (Eight students completed the four

modules and got the certificates) – first year since

October 2006.

• http://geoinfo.sdsu.edu/hightech/CertificateAwardees.htm

• The Collaborative GIS modules has been used significantly

203 Users (students) have been granted to access the GIS modules.

Accomplishment

The San Diego City School District is

considering the potential for the module

adoption

• Weblog analysis (How many copies has been

downloaded?)

San Diego State

University

GEOG 104

(General Education Level GIS course) (http://map.sdsu.edu/geog104 )

•On-line lecture notes

• Web-based GIS

exercises (modified from the learning

modules

•On-line Quiz

•Introduction to Cartography,

Remote sensing, GPS, GIS and

spatial analysis

NEXT STEP?

• Create a stronger connection to current High School

Education Goals and Content Standards

– National Geography Standards

– Content Standards for California State Board of Education

– Goals of Advanced Placement Program (AP) Human Geography

Course

• Encourage more high schools to adopt the GIS modules

(continue the GIS workshops for high school teachers with different levels of topics).

• Stream-line process for issuing the certificates ( Paper

version ).

San Diego State

University

• Web-based GIS Learning modules are

effective and easy to adopt in high schools

• The change of Web technologies and

websites are the major obstacles for the

development of learning modules

• It is important to develop the modules

connected to High School Education Goals and Content Standards (Teachers will be more encouraged to adopt these GIS modules).

San Diego State

University

Thank You

Q & A

Download the learning modules:

Contact:

Ming-Hsiang Tsou, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Department of Geography, San Diego State University

E-mail: mtsou@mail.sdsu.edu