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

该项目的目标是将地理信息分析方法和技术纳入州立大学蒙特克莱尔地球与环境研究系的本科环境研究课程。该项目的理由是，GIA将促进围绕更积极的学习，动手的跨学科环境研究的方法选定的课程的结构调整。将制定的跨学科框架被定义为从整体角度审查现象和系统，包括分析当代环境问题的科学和社会层面的特征和整合。可以说，虽然许多学术课程和课程已经开发，在最近几年，无论是明确或隐含地解决环境问题和问题，从跨学科的角度来看，一个显着的缺陷，在标准的方法和技术，可用于跨学科教学已被确定。 该项目提出，GIA是一个真正的跨学科课程开发的核心工具。GIA允许深入调查变量之间的空间关系。GIA使人们能够显示空间环境数据，如土地使用和地质，并询问这些现象如何以及为什么相互作用。 GIA的整合将从三个方面促进本系学生的跨学科研究：1）通过提高对环境问题的整体理解和概念化，改变环境问题和问题识别; 2）通过鼓励识别自然系统和社会系统之间关键相互作用的头韵解决问题的方法，加强分析思维;和3）在处理和评估学生/团体动态中出现的环境问题时，注重不同的观点。 所要求的设备和部门的扩大GIA实验室的发展的收购将允许三套传统的讲座和实验室课程的改造：1）非专业课程; 2）专业的方法和技术课程;和3）专业的跨学科课程。项目结果将由一个新的部门成果评估委员会进行评估，该委员会将通过审查学生的投资组合和离职面谈来评估学生的成功。该项目的成果将通过在以环境研究、地质学和地理教育为重点的期刊上发表的出版物传播给学术界。鉴于蒙特克莱尔州立大学被定义为一所教学型大学，有大量学生参与教师培训，而且重组课程中的大部分学生（每年约1 000名）将是非理科专业，因此该项目的结果应具有重大意义和影响。

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.