Improving Reasoning and Technological Competency Across the Curriculum through Targeted Applications of GIS

纪律:该项目将地理信息系统（GIS）技术整合到专业研究学院的五(5)门课程（商业、刑事司法/安全、消防科学、护理和公共卫生）中，作为促进新泽西城市大学整个课程中批判性思维、定量推理和技术能力提高的一种手段。这是一个位于纽约市中心的西班牙裔服务机构。五个新的、1学分的、特定学科的练习模块正在开发中，以增加目前3学分的核心课程，创建一个单一的4学分（3+1）序列，适用于所有五个学位课程。具体学科的练习源自由学科专家讲授的地理信息系统课程，目前正在进行调整和实施，以适应新泽西州北部的经济气候、人口分布和城市环境。这项活动的智力价值在于通过将令人兴奋的相关练习纳入介绍性课程，将通才和专家方法的优势结合到地理信息系统训练中。学生们立即看到了这些练习的相关性，并掌握了他们的学习经验。这就产生了很高的动机，从而提高了持久性和留存率。克服与地理信息系统有关的挑战所增加的动机和自尊反映在其他领域，特别是技术、批判性思维和数量推理能力的提高上。这些领域的能力的提高正在通过NJCU从国家模型中得出的标准来确定和衡量。该项目的更广泛影响是，核心竞争力的提高，加上动力、留任和毕业坚持的提高，使NJCU的学生（其中许多是代表性不足的少数民族）能够在21世纪的劳动力市场中成功竞争。

Discipline: Interdisciplinary (99)This project is integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology into five (5) courses of study (business, criminal justice/security, fire science, nursing, and public health) in the College of Professional Studies, as a means of facilitating the improvement of critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and technological competencies across the curriculum at New Jersey City University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the heart of the New York City metropolitan area. Five new, 1-credit, discipline-specific exercise modules are being developed to augment a current 3-credit core course, creating a single 4-credit (3+1) sequence that will serve all five degree programs. The discipline-specific exercises originate from GIS courses taught by disciplinary experts, and are being adapted and implemented to fit the economic climate, demographic distribution, and urban environment of northern New Jersey.The intellectual merit of this activity is in marrying the strengths of generalist and specialist approaches to GIS training by integrating exciting, relevant exercises into an introductory course. Students immediately see relevance in these exercises and take ownership of their learning experience. This produces high motivation, which results in improved persistence and retention. The increased motivation and self-esteem that result from surmounting GIS-related challenges are reflected in improved competency in other areas, especially technology, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning. Improved competency in these areas is being identified and measured with NJCU rubrics derived from national models. The broader impacts of this project are that improvements in core competencies, coupled with improved motivation, retention, and persistence to graduation, enable NJCU students, many of them members of under-represented minorities, to compete successfully in the 21st century workforce.