Leading an Exploration
by Nicholas Chrisman
an Instructor's Manual for Exploring Geographic
Information Systems
© Copyright 1997, John Wiley and Sons, all rights reserved
This resource provides discusses the use of Exploring GIS in various classroom
situations. It has been implemented as a hypertext web resource, instead
of a traditional paper document. As a hypertext document, it should be explored,
not just dumped to a printer!
Full Table of Contents |
Introduction
This Instructor's Manual provides resources to assist in teaching an introductory
course about Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This manual is based
on my experience in teaching GIS in different organizational situations.
I have some experience in teaching intensive workshops to GIS professionals.
I have taught university courses in semesters and in quarters, aimed at
juniors and seniors and aimed at graduate students. Of course, there are
as many ways to teach a GIS course as there are commands in ARC/INFO [a
number seemingly unconstrained by any natural force]. This manual cannot
cover all the possibilities, but it will try to offer some alternatives.
This manual is intended to supplement the textbook Exploring Geographic
Information Systems. Just as the textbook takes a particular viewpoint,
this manual challenges the instructor to lead the students in their exploration.
Exploration might sound like a demanding theme, requiring immense teacher
preparation and copious resources. Fortunately, there are many paths to
leadership. I believe that the most effective teachers succeed by energizing
students to take charge of their own exploration. The purpose of teaching
is not to demonstrate the virtuosity of the teacher, but to make students
assimilate a collection of material: ranging from abstract theory to specific
practical skills. This manual is based on assuming that students differ
in their interests and in their learning style. The instructor must often
offer a number of different paths to the intended goals. Although GIS courses
may use many resources, learning does not flow necessarily from the most
advanced equipment or the most complete database.
Organization of this manual
A successful introduction to GIS must have a few ingredients. There are
some basic concepts to cover, plus a range of technical topics to explore.
Probably the most common course organization divides lectures from exercises,
with weekly meetings to fit inside the regularity of academic scheduling.
In any particular situation, the components will have to be organized to
fit the resources available.
This manual first discusses possible organizational
schemes for the class, and how these might connect to the textbook.
The next chapter provides lecture outlines that
can be used in different sequence. The third chapter covers the practical
component of the class, typically a series of exercises leading up to
a project. The fourth chapter presents another kind of event that I will
call a 'case study'. The next chapter deals with various techniques to evaluate
student accomplishments. A set of study questions
for each chapter provide some further ideas for exercises or thought experiments.
Finally, there is a discussion of resources that can support these various
components.
The materials in each section should be treated in an intertwined sequence
(hence the hypertext presentation). For example, the exercises should be
organized in some progression from simple to more complex. The lectures
should follow a progression as well. The tricky part involves weaving these
sequences together so the students can construct the connections.
Index from here: Back to Exploring GIS
| Contents of Instructor's Manual | Glossary
|
Version of 5 January 1997