Geospatial Technical Education: Bridging Classroom to GIS Technician Careers

地理空间信息科学（GIS）是一个快速增长的就业领域，其中一个显着的劳动力缺口存在于中央怀俄明州。该区域没有足够的经过技术员培训的地理空间从业人员，无法满足就业需求。这个项目的目标是增加在中央怀俄明州学院（CWC）的地理信息系统的学生的招聘，保留和毕业率。该项目将特别强调增加地理信息系统代表性不足群体的学生的参与，重点是美洲印第安学生。参加GIS课程的学生人数的总体增加，加上创新的时间安排和课程格式，将提高学生的完成率，并帮助CWC毕业更多的劳动力准备GIS技术人员。由此产生的GIS计划将包括实地研究，实习和工作经验的机会，这将提高学生的学习，并提供经济支持，以帮助程序保留和完成。该项目有三个关键目标：扩大招聘和保留工作，以增加学生从GIS程序毕业的人数;修改现有的GIS程序，以创建一个创新的行业适当的课程;和合作伙伴关系的发展，以更好地包括动手GIS的经验，为学生。该项目将利用CWC的美国印第安人服务协调员和CWC与东部肖肖尼和北方阿拉帕霍部落的部落历史保护办公室的伙伴关系，以增加招聘，保留，多样性和整体方案的完成。长期的专业，政府和学术关系将参与创造更多的带薪实习机会，确保计划质量，并促进学生转移到劳动力和4年制院校。项目评价将采用混合方法，主要是描述性和定性方法，并辅之以中断时间序列模型。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于推动国家经济的先进技术领域的技术人员的教育。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Geospatial Information Science (GIS) is a rapidly growing field of employment for which a significant workforce gap exists in Central Wyoming. There are not enough workforce-ready geospatial employees trained at the technician level to satisfy employment needs in the region. The goal of this project is to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students in GIS at Central Wyoming College (CWC). The project will place specific emphasis on increasing the participation of students from groups underrepresented in GIS with a focus on American Indian students. An overall increase in the number of students participating in the GIS program, combined with innovative scheduling and course formatting will increase student completion rates and help CWC to graduate more workforce-ready GIS technicians. The resulting GIS program will include opportunities for field-based research, internships, and work experience that will enhance student learning and provide economic support to help with program retention and completion.The project has three key objectives: the expansion of recruitment and retention efforts to increase the number of students graduating from GIS programs; the modification of existing GIS programs to create an innovative industry-appropriate curriculum; and the development of partnerships to better include hands-on GIS experiences for students. The project will leverage CWC’s American Indian Services Coordinator and CWC’s partnership with the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes to increase recruitment, retention, diversity, and overall program completion. Long-standing professional, government and academic relationships will be engaged to create more paid internship opportunities, ensure program quality, and facilitate student transfer into the workforce and to 4-year institutions. Project evaluation will use mixed methods, primarily descriptive and qualitative, supplemented by interrupted-time series (ITS) models. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.