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，怀俄明州中部存在着显著的劳动力缺口。没有足够的经过技术员一级培训的劳动力准备就绪的地理空间雇员来满足该区域的就业需求。该项目的目标是提高中央怀俄明学院(CWC)地理信息系统专业学生的招生率、保留率和毕业率。该项目将特别强调增加在地理信息系统中任职人数不足的群体的学生的参与，重点是美洲印第安人学生。全面增加参加地理信息系统课程的学生人数，结合创新的日程安排和课程格式，将提高学生毕业率，并帮助CWC毕业更多随时准备工作的地理信息系统技术人员。由此产生的地理信息系统计划将包括实地研究、实习和工作经验的机会，这些机会将促进学生的学习并提供经济支持，以帮助保留和完成计划。该计划有三个主要目标：扩大招聘和保留工作，以增加从地理信息系统计划毕业的学生人数；修改现有的地理信息系统计划，以创建创新的适合行业的课程；以及发展合作伙伴关系，更好地包括学生的实践地理信息系统经验。该项目将利用CWC的美洲印第安人服务协调员以及CWC与East Shoshone和Northern Arapaho部落的部落历史保护办公室的合作伙伴关系，以增加招募、保留、多样性和整体计划的完成。长期的专业、政府和学术关系将被用来创造更多的带薪实习机会，确保项目质量，并促进学生进入劳动力大军和四年制院校。项目评估将使用混合方法，主要是描述性和定性方法，辅之以中断时间序列(ITS)模型。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.