Special session on:
** GIScience and Geomatics Education **

Organized by:
Shivanand Balram; McGill University, Simon Fraser University, Geography Suzana Dragicevic; Simon Fraser University, Geography

Sponsored by:
The GIScience and The Education Study Groups, CAG

Description:
An important goal of any GIScience and Geomatics education program is to develop and sustain geographic information literacy skills in learners. Geographic information literacy is defined as the individual or collective ability to learn about and identify what kinds of geographic information are necessary, and to locate and evaluate this information for knowledge creation and spatial problem-solving. As such, a broad range of curriculum designs, teaching and learning philosophies, administration practices, pedagogies, and instructional technologies are required to facilitate geographic information literacy skills. However, this range of components and the diverse learner backgrounds that they attract present special challenges for teaching, learning and administration in GIScience and Geomatics.

The session will bring together researchers and practitioners to exchange experiences in order to consolidate best-practice solutions and strategies. Papers dealing with either the theory or the practice of pre-university and university teaching, learning and administration in GIScience and Geomatics are welcome.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

- diverse student backgrounds and course expectations
- the need for field-based methods and practices
- teaching quantitative skills to reluctant learners
- issues in designing programs and courses
- cookbook or project based computer labs? What is appropriate?
- assessing teaching and learning skills
- implementing effective problem-based learning
- using blended, distance, and online learning for life-long learning
- the role of geolibraries, geoportals and information services

Timelines:
- submit (contact detail below) a paper title before Dec. 8th 2004
- notification of presentation in the session after Dec. 15th 2004
- abstracts due Feb. 15th 2005. See <http://geography.ssc.uwo.ca/cag>

Please submit paper titles and queries for this session to:

Shivanand Balram < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > or
Suzana Dragicevic < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >