Creating and Implementing a Concept Inventory-Based Diagnostic Tool to Improve Undergraduate GIS Education

Information

• NSF Award
• 0837259

Owner

• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE

• Award Id

  0837259

• Award Effective Date

  1/1/2009 - 15 years ago

• Award Expiration Date

  9/30/2014 - 10 years ago

• Award Amount

  $ 150,000.00

• Award Instrument

  Standard Grant

Geology (42) This project is improving GIS education by uncovering student misconceptions. Drawing on the notions of concept inventories first developed in the Force Concept Inventory, and using techniques developed by education researchers in other STEM disciplines, a concept-based diagnostic tool is being developed to measure student learning across the wide array of disciplines in which GIS is taught. The instrument is being used to identify the misconceptions preventing students from attaining geospatial literacy as defined in the Geospatial Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge (BOK). Project activities include: 1) mapping the BOK concept inventory to the existing statewide GIS curriculum; 2) developing an assessment instrument to identify misconceptions impairing students' understanding of these concepts; 3) identifying successful strategies for overcoming the misconception; and 4) integrating the successful strategies in classrooms and laboratories to improve and update existing GIS curriculum materials. This project is responsive to a call to action by the National Research Council and numerous professional bodies including the University Consortium for GIS and the Association of American Geographers. The project findings are enabling GIS educators to address the problem of student underperformance and positively impact teaching in the ever widening array of fields in which GIS is now regarded as indispensable.

• Program Officer

  Gul Kremer

• Min Amd Letter Date

  9/9/2008 - 16 years ago

• Max Amd Letter Date

  2/7/2014 - 10 years ago

• ARRA Amount

• Name

  University of Southern Maine

• City

  Portland

• State

  ME

• Country

  United States

• Address

  96 Falmouth St

• Postal Code

  041049300

• Phone Number

  2072288536

• First Name

  Matthew

• Last Name

  Bampton

• Email Address

  bampton@usm.maine.edu

• Start Date

  9/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

• First Name

  Joseph

• Last Name

  Szakas

• Email Address

  szakas@maine.edu

• Start Date

  9/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

• First Name

  Tora

• Last Name

  Johnson

• Email Address

  tjohnson@maine.edu

• Start Date

  9/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

• Name

  Human Subjects

• Code

  116000