Development of an Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Geographic Information Analysis (GIA) Program at Montclair State University

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The project objective is the integration of geographic information analysis (GIA) methods and techniques into the undergraduate environmental studies curriculum in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University. The rationale for the project is that GIA will facilitate the restructuring of selected courses around a more active-learning, hand-on approach to interdisciplinary environmental study. The interdisciplinary framework to be developed is defined as the examination of phenomena and systems from a holistic perspective including an analysis of de character and integration of the scientific and societal dimensions of contemporary environmental issues and problems. It can be argued that although many academic programs and curricula have been developed in recent years which either explicitly or implicitly address environmental issues and problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, a significant deficiency in the standard methods and techniques available for interdisciplinary instruction has been identified. The project proposes that GIA is a central tool in the development of a truly interdisciplinary curriculum. GIA allows for the intensive investigation of the spatial relationship among variables. GIA enables one to display spatial environmental data, such as land use, and geology, and to ask questions about how and why these phenomena interact. The integration of GIA will foster interdisciplinary study among the department's students in three ways: 1) changing environmental issue and problem identification as a consequence of enhancing overall understanding and conceptualization of environmental issues; 2) strengthening analytical thought by encouraging alliterative problem-solving approaches which recognize key interactions between natural systems and societal systems; and 3) focusing on differing perspectives in addressing and evaluating environmental issues that emerge from student/group dynamics. The acquisition of the requested equipment a nd resulting development of the department's enlarged GIA laboratory will allow the reworking of three sets of traditional lecture and lab courses: 1) courses for non-majors; 2) methods and techniques courses for majors; and 3) interdisciplinary courses for majors. The project results will be assessed by a new departmental outcome assessment committee which will evaluate student success through a review of their portfolios and exit interviews. The results of the project will be disseminated to the academic community through publications in journals focusing on environmental studies, geology and geography education. The project results should be of significant interest and impact given that Montclair State University is defined as a teaching university with a large number of students involved in teacher-training and that a significant portion of the students in the restructured courses (approximately 1000 per year) will be non-science majors.