Survey for a National Assessment of GIS&T in Higher Education
Professor David Cowen is leading a survey to assess the current status of GIS instruction across the higher education system. This project is being undertaken with the support of the AAG, UCGIS, and Esri. According to David, anyone who teaches courses in GIS&T is invited to complete the survey. This includes courses in cartography, remote sensing,…
Undergraduate Education: Let’s Pay Attention
I think the best part about being president of the AAG is attending the regional meetings. I have traveled to East Lakes at Kent State University; West Lakes at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; and the Pacific Coast Geographers in Palm Springs, Calif. Thanks to all of you involved in these meetings for your hospitality…
AAG at the Forefront of Geography Education Change
I will keep this column relatively brief because I want you to read a companion piece by Michael Solem, Director of Educational Research and Programs for AAG. In my August column I identified eight actions that I see as key to healthy geography departments: teach, promote, build, innovate, nurture, manage, reflect, and envision. In my…
Do The Right Thing
It is that time of the year again. I hear the scurry of my colleagues sorting through old folders, re-organizing class notes. The copy machine is chugging along, spewing syllabi. The line outside the IT staff office is long with instructors seeking assistance in posting to their websites or the campus learning management system. The…
Survival in a Time of Disruption in Higher Education
This is a challenging time to be engaged in scholarship in higher education. Shrinking state budgets and rising tuition raise concerns about the affordability—and importance—of college. Support for scholarly organizations such as the Illinois State Museum are threatened in budget battles (and the update). Skepticism by some members of Congress about the value of social…
Learning Progressions Handbook Is Now Available
AAG and Cambridge Scholars Publishing announce the release of "Learning Progressions for Maps, Geospatial Technology, and Spatial Thinking—A Research Handbook" by Michael N. Solem, Niem Tu Huynh, Richard G. Boehm. As an approach to educational research, learning progressions offer considerable potential for investigating how children develop an understanding of geographic concepts and practices across grade bands…
The Not-So-Silent Majority
The numbers are staggering: the majority (according to the AAUP, 56 percent) of academics teaching in American universities and colleges are contingent faculty, defined as either full-time non-tenure-track (NTT) or part-time faculty; adding graduate student teachers into the mix increases the percentage to 76 percent. The impact on higher education and on peoples’ lives is also staggering.…