A Virtual GIS Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Education

这个项目采用了1995年第一届全国地理信息系统教育应用会议在实施我们的虚拟地理信息系统实验室时提出的四项建议，具体改进了课程材料、公平获取数据、教师培训和跨学科合作。通过在地理系内引入四门课程的顺序，将地理信息系统纳入课堂，课程修订和技术改进得以实现。通过适应最近的教学创新，这将焦点转移到GIS问题解决应用的跨学科发展，包括：1)由Kenneth E. Foote和Anthony P. Kirvan概念化的WEBGIS， 2)由德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校开发的虚拟地理学系所说明的虚拟教室，3)NCGIA主页构成修订核心课程的一部分，以及4)以项目为导向的GIS。与ESRI公司新建立的全州网站许可证保证所有学生和教师都可以轻松访问GIS软件。在这个项目中提出的教师研讨会帮助整个校园的教师将GIS技术和虚拟GIS实验室产品纳入他们的课程。该设备用于改造地理系现有的GIS实验室，为虚拟GIS实验室主页提供网络服务器，并使GIS学生能够使用ARC/INFO和ArcView软件提供可用的数据集。从虚拟地理信息系统实验室主页上，用户可以要求(1)以成品的形式收集和分析先进的地理信息系统数据，以供课堂使用；(2)为那些已经在从事自己的地理信息系统项目的人提供GIS数据访问和咨询支持。主页还包括额外的本地数据集、适合大学关注的常见问题解答、讨论列表和示例GIS演示。一个GIS咨询小组监督虚拟GIS实验室的管理、使用和评估。本项目是适合全国区域性综合性大学的跨学科GIS教学模式。

Geology (42) This project adapts four recommendations by the 1995 First National Conference on the Education Applications of GIS in the implementation of our Virtual GIS Laboratory by making specific improvements in curriculum materials, equitable access to data, teacher training, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Curriculum revisions and technological improvements have occurred through the integration of GIS into the classroom by introducing a four-course sequence within the Geography Department. This shifts the focus toward the interdisciplinary development of GIS problem-solving applications by adapting recent pedagogical innovations including: 1) WEBGIS as conceptualized by Kenneth E. Foote and Anthony P. Kirvan, 2) the virtual classrooms illustrated by the Virtual Geography Department developed by the University of Texas at Austin, 3) the NCGIA home page that forms part of the revised Core Curriculum, and 4) project-oriented GIS. A newly instituted state-wide site license with the ESRI Corporation guarantees all students and faculty easy access to GIS software. Faculty workshops presented in this project aid faculty across campus in incorporating GIS technology and Virtual GIS Laboratory products into their curricula. The equipment is used to adapt the existing GIS laboratory, housed in the Geography Department, to host a web server for a Virtual GIS Laboratory home page and to enable GIS students to make available data sets using ARC/INFO and ArcView software. From the Virtual GIS Laboratory home page, users can request (1) advanced GIS data collection and analysis in the form of a finished product ready for classroom use and (2) GIS data access and consulting support for those already working on their own GIS projects. The home page also includes additional local data sets, a FAQ appropriate to university concerns, a discussion list, and sample GIS demonstrations. A GIS Advisory Panel oversees management, use, and assessment of the Virtual GIS Laboratory. This project is a pedagogical model for interdisciplinary GIS education adaptable at regional comprehensive universities nationally.