The primary reason that I want to participate in the workshop is to learn more about interoperability for GIS education and to share with other participants my thoughts and experience in distance learning. The workshop will help me directly with my planned activities at UI. I am also interested in the possibility of being involved in an international cooperative project. The lists of workshop co-leaders and steering committee members suggest that the planning of the workshop at this point is heavily oriented toward users in North America and Europe. If results of the workshop do lead to an international project, the project will in fact greatly benefit users in Asia and other continents. I hope my familiarity with GIS development in East Asia will be useful to such an international project.
What I can contribute to the workshop basically falls into two areas. I recently co-authored a book with Dave Verbyla of the University of Alaska on processing digital images in GIS (Santa Fe, New Mexico: OnWord Press, 1997). The book is essentially a tutorial designed for GIS professionals who need to learn up-to-date materials. The format of our book provides a workable example for distance learning.
The second area that I can contribute relates to my plan for offering
UI GIS courses on the Internet and for establishing a post-baccalaureate
program in spatial information science. I will discuss my plan in my position
statement.
I support modular GIS courses as the basis for collaboration in GIS education. The materials for each course are organized around a specific GIS topic, which offers something new, either conceptually or technologically, to potential students. I will illustrate my position with two courses that I plan to offer through the proposed UI GIS center.
Example 1: Data Conversion
This modular course emphasizes scanning as a preferred method for spatial data entry. The student will learn tracing algorithms, use of ArcScan for tracing, and other background information related to data conversion. Specifically, this modular course includes the following materials:
This modular course emphasizes the integration of GIS and image data for such tasks as hotlinks and data editing. Use of image data in GIS has increased remarkably in recent years, mainly due to technological changes and the increased availability of image data, such as satellite images, digital orthophotos, digital raster graphics, scanned files, and graphic files. Specifically, the modular course includes the following materials:
Modular courses have several advantages. The student knows exactly what he will get from the course and how the course can help him. Students on the UI campus regularly inquire what I intend to cover before they sign up for my GIS classes. Often this is because students need to learn specific aspects of GIS for their work or research projects. The need to learn specific GIS topics is even greater for GIS professionals who have to take refresher courses to keep up with constant changes in GIS knowledge and technology.
From the educator's point of view, modular GIS courses can be developed from his or her teaching and research activities. In my case, I delved into the data conversion topic because of soil mapping projects that I have contracted with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the past two years. Modular courses can be easily maintained and shared between educators. After a mechanism for exchanging resources is established, it would not take many educators to work together to keep their learning materials up-to-date.
Issues in Course Preparation
Care must be paid to data sets, lecture notes, exercises, and course credit while designing a GIS course for distance learning. It is sometimes difficult to gather data that make sense to everybody taking the course. Another question is to use either real-world data or fictitious data. I prefer to use real-world data whenever possible, not because they are real but because they often present additional challenges to students.
Lecture notes and exercises for distance learning should be detailed and self-explanatory. A small mistake in instructions can be disastrous as far as the student is concerned. Publishers such as OnWord Press are experienced in producing professionally designed tutorials. These tutorials offer good examples for modular course preparation.
Because it takes a lot of time and effort to put together data sets, lecture notes, and exercises, the course materials represent intellectual properties. How to protect these intellectual properties is important to GIS educators. I do not have to worry about the copyright protection for my two proposed courses because most materials have already been published in my book.
A typical semester course at UI carries three credits. The above two GIS courses are designed for one-credit each. The courses can, however, be supplemented with independent studies, meaning that students can use what they have learned and apply the knowledge to a case study to earn additional one or two credits.
Delivery of GIS Courses
Delivery of modular GIS courses will be via a combination of Web resources,
handouts or books, CDs, e-mail, and video conferences. A Web site will
be set up for each course and used for announcements and general communication.
The format is similar to the Web sites we have set up for the GIS classes
that I team-teach (http://geogstu2.mines.uidaho.edu/geog475,
and http://geogstu2.mines.uidaho.edu/geog385).
Handouts or books cover lecture notes and exercises. CDs contain data sets
to be used for exercises. E-mail is an effective mechanism for questions
and answers. UI has video outreach linkups with other state universities
in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, and Pocatello. Video conferences are useful for
"face-to-face" discussions. Students will use computer facilities in near-by
universities for GIS exercises. State universities in Idaho all use ESRI
products and are in the process of establishing a statewide license agreement
with ESRI.
Education:
B.S. in Geography, National Taiwan University
M.A. in Geography, Clark University
Ph.D. in Geography, Clark University
Professional Experience:
Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge, 1971-74.
Assistant Professor, Clark University, 1974-76.
Associate Professor, University of North Dakota, 1976-81.
Visiting Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, 2 Quarters,
1979-80.
Professor, University of North Dakota, 1982-86.
Department Chairman, University of North Dakota, 1981-84.
Visiting Research Professor, National Taiwan University, Spring 1985.
Professor, University of Idaho, 1986-.
Visiting Professor, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, May-June 1987.
Relevant Publications:
David L. Verbyla and Kang-tsung Chang. 1997. Processing Digital Images in GIS: A Tutorial Featuring ArcView and ARC/INFO (Santa Fe, New Mexico: OnWord Press).
David L. Verbyla and Kang-tsung Chang. 1997. Map Projection and Coordinate Systems: Spheroids and Planes. http://www.arcmag.com/