Paper #5044
Equipping
Tomorrow’s GIS Technicians – Competency Based Training
Dan Harms, Instructor, Jo Daviess Carroll Area Vocational Technical Center
Abstact:
As GIS becomes a tool used in more and more disciplines and becomes more prevalent in business and government offices the need for competent technicians increases. Vocational technical training provides opportunities for students to develop GIS literacy, adapt the technology to solve problems, and provides the springboard to use GIS to transform how GIS is used to view and analyze data. Competency based technical training identifies essential skills, insures a sound foundation in the technology, art, and science of GIS and gives tomorrow’s technicians experience in applying GIS skills in the classroom, laboratories, and through work-based learning. This presentation will look at developing a competency checklist for GIS technicians, and using these competencies to develop skills needed in GIS in education K-12 and beyond.
GIS in Education, emerging, changing, challenging.
Geographic information systems are rapidly becoming a tool used in more and more classrooms. The inclusion of GIS in geography, computer science, environmental studies, social studies, the sciences, mathematics and other classes is evidence of the power and adaptability of this amazing technology. Students are captivated by GIS’s unique combination of high end computing, graphics, design, databases, and inquiry based learning. Many of these students are beginning to inquire about career opportunities and training that will allow them to stay involved in this dynamic emerging field.
GIS
has become a tool used across a number of disciplines. Instead of a unique
science, geographic information systems have become a tool used to analyze,
illustrate, and manage the data important to businesses, governmental agencies,
and researchers though out many industries. This has led to an increased demand
for technicians trained in GIS and for GIS training as part of background for
employees in many industries.
Typically,
GIS in K-12 education has been a tool used to research, illustrate, and analyze
principles of other subject areas. Data has been collected or obtained from a
number of sources and manipulated with a GIS to provide maps, charts, tables
and other outputs. The GIS software used in these classrooms is taught at a
level necessary to solve the immediate problems. Although this use of GIS enhances the subject areas where it is
used, it often falls short of equipping students to enter employment or further
training as GIS technicians or analysts.
Vocational/technical
training has traditionally provided opportunities for students to gain skills
leading to meaningful employment or further training in technical fields.
Vocational technical training excels in equipping students to select and
efficiently apply technology as a tool to use in their selected field. As GIS becomes more prevalent in industries
and institutions, the need of training in the art and science of GIS becomes
more acute.
The
state of GIS vocational/technical skill training currently can be compared to
that of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) twenty years ago. When CAD first appeared
it was hailed as the tool of engineers and architects, and the attitude was
that complex, expensive software and computer hardware was to be operated by
highly trained, highly paid (read engineers and architects) personnel. As a
result, many CAD stations sat in the corner gathering dust. Engineers and
architects found that their time was too valuable to spend learning a new
system. Now, engineers and architects oversee CAD technicians and operators who
are technically trained, generally in vocational or technical training
facilities. The engineers and architects who have CAD skills most probably
received their training as high school students or undergraduates.
Currently
there are GIS stations setting in the corner gathering dust due to a lack of
personnel trained to operate the system.
The managers, engineers, scientists and analysts involved in solving
problems are so busy using existing tools to find solutions that they seldom
have the resources to learn to efficiently use a new tool. Just as CAD technicians turn out drawings
and illustrations to drive manufacturing, construction, and engineering, GIS
technicians must become available to create the maps, tables, charts, and data
from which analysts can derive trends, map locations, and manage resources.
GIS
as a tool will not change problems, but it will enhance the way problems are
viewed, analyzed and ultimately solved. To apply this tool, users must be
trained in its efficient use. They must know it’s capacities and limitations,
they must understand the basics of the components of a very large and complex
system, and they must learn to accept the responsibility of ethically
controlling and manipulating data that can have an impact on populations,
resources and the future. GIS is a highly complex, very powerful tool, and like
any tool, it can be used improperly, inefficiently, and unethically. Any
attempt to train GIS technicians must take into account all of these factors.
A number of questions must be asked when developing a GIS technician training plan. Is there a place for technical GIS training in high schools? Where should it be placed in the curriculum? What resources will be necessary to provide the training? How should the training be delivered? What are the expected outcomes for the students? What will the students do with the training they receive?
Is
there a place for technical GIS training in high schools?
Again, the CAD model can be used as an example of the potential for GIS training. Computer Aided Drafting was once a part of a traditional drafting class, however the increased power, availability, and industry acceptance of CAD has changed many of the classes so that they have become classes in the applications of Computer Aided Drafting. One of the applications of CAD is the production of traditional drafting products such as orthographic views. The technology has forced a change in the class structure from a drawing class to a computer applications class. High school students have come to view CAD not as an end unto itself but as a tool used by engineers, architects, designers, and builders. GIS has the ability to attract students for the same reasons, it can produce impressive displays, solve real world problems, and enhance their futures.
Where
should GIS technical training be placed in the curriculum?
GIS
can be considered a “cap-stone” program in computer applications. GIS’s level
of complexity and the integration of skills and knowledge from a number of
disciplines compares with computer networking, computer aided drafting, and
database management. To benefit from and efficiently learn GIS the student
needs a background in mathematics, geography, problem solving, computer science
and spatial analysis. Junior and senior students are better equipped to apply
the ancillary skills necessary for successful GIS training.
What
resources will be necessary to provide the training?
Meaningful
technical GIS training must be linked to the real world, students should
experience situations, equipment, and resources they are likely to find when
they leave school. This places heavy demands on schools. The software is
expensive despite very favorable educational pricing from companies like Esri.
Data must be purchased or downloaded. If downloaded data is to be used, fast,
reliable Internet connections are a must.
Full-scale GIS applications require powerful, fast, reliable computers,
and the experience is enhanced if network resources and capabilities are
available to the students.
Complete
experience in GIS also requires large format printers, scanners, digitizers,
and possibly a web server. When considering high school technical training, one
must realize that most of the students are probably 2 to 6 years from career
track employment. Training on software that is already “legacy” may further
handicap the students unless they are very well rounded in the basics. Another
consideration is the instructors to staff the positions. They must be well
grounded in geography, database management, computer sciences, and GIS. Team
teaching may be a viable alternative to the staffing problems.
How
should GIS training be delivered?
One way to deliver the GIS training is competency or skill based training. Competency based training is typically delivered as individualized instruction, each students progresses through a task list moving to the next step when they prove mastery of the preceding step. The advantage of individualized instruction is that it allows students access to materials and training that may not interest a large enough group to warrant a separate class in the subject. Competency based training is based upon industry verified skill lists and if properly implemented is very responsive to the needs of industry and in the case of technology to the skills students will need to succeed in post secondary training.
Competency
based training can also create problems; it can become so narrow and focused
that it limits the student’s initiative.
Most GIS educators stress the importance of “real-world’ or work based
learning as part of the GIS experience. Rigid competency based delivery systems
seldom have room for the uncertainty and spontaneity of real – world problem
based experiences. Instructors using
skill based or competency based learning plans with work based or problem
solving situations must be creative in matching skills required to become
competent with those needed to meet the demands of the problem.
One
of the most pressing issues in developing competency based training plans is
the development of skill or task lists for the students to experience, practice
and ultimately master. Some techniques
for developing these lists and applying them will be discussed later in this
paper.
What
are the expected outcomes for the students?
In
considering the expected student outcomes, one must have some understanding of
the expectations of employers and in the expectations of post secondary training
institutions. Professor Duane F. Marble published a model for GIS activities in
Urgent Need for GIS Technical Education: Rebuilding the Top of The Pyramid. This model, shows a division of GIS
activities which can be used to analyze the role of different levels of GIS
training.
Professor
Marble’s model divides GIS skill levels or competencies into a six levels of
increasing complexity:
It is not unreasonable to expect K-12 programs to equip students with the skills and knowledge required for the first two levels. Students exposed to GIS data and viewers in elementary and middle school grades can begin to develop the computer skills and spatial understanding necessary to efficiently use GIS. Most state education plans include components of technology literacy which begin in the elementary grades. These skills are transferable to advanced computer applications such as GIS. Including GIS applications as part of advanced vocational/technical training can further refine the skills of students so that they can be considered “routine users of basic GIS technology”. In some cases students working with GIS and experiencing “real-world” problems can begin to work with some of the skills necessary for the third level of competence.
What will the students do with the training they
receive?
This
last question may be the most important of the set. The use students intend to
make of their training can often be a major driving force in determining how
and what is taught. Essentially,
equipping students with advanced technical training may impact them in a number
of ways;
1.
Students
may use the technology for personal use.
2.
Students
may find employment using their skills immediately upon leaving high school.
3.
Students
may continue their training in the specific technology.
4.
Students
may use the technology skills learned to enhance their opportunities in other
fields.
Of the four uses, the second is the least likely when dealing with advanced technology. The majority of opportunities in technical fields require at least two years of post-secondary training.
The
first use of the technology is always a component of high school vocational
training. This is a valuable part of the training in that students are given an
opportunity to test their interests and capabilities before investing time and
money in advanced training. Students who experiment with GIS in high school may
not actively use the technology, but as citizens aware of the capacity and
having an understanding of spatial qualities they will be better equipped to
deal with many of societies problems.
The
third and fourth uses are the most likely for students exposed to GIS in high
school. Some will continue working in the science, possibly achieving the
highest level in Professor Marble’s model.
Many other students will find themselves using GIS to solve problems as
they pursue more advanced studies. Ideally, GIS technology will become a tool
that is transparent to the user as the user attempts to analyze situations
spatially. Many professions, such as land-use planning, conservation and
environmental studies, and utility management may use GIS as commonly and
easily as this word processor composes this paper.
Identifying
GIS skills for technical training.
Regardless of the role GIS training will have in a student’s future, Vocational/Technical training in the area must meet certain basic requirements.
Identifying
the skills necessary for a GIS technician is a major component of building a
competency or skills based curriculum. A number of competency lists exist,
particularly for post secondary training. These can provide important guidance
in developing skill lists for secondary students. Workforce Development
Models for Geospatial Technology (Gaudet) and Environmental/Natural
Resource Technology Skills Standards (Northwest Natural Resource
Technologies Consortium) are two of the
skills lists which can provide invaluable guidance. These references were
developed for post secondary training and may make some assumptions that cannot
be assumed in the K-12 environment.
Interviews
and observations of GIS technicians at work provide examples and illustrations
of the skills used day to day at a GIS workstation. Observing the technician in
the workplace allows the instructor to see many of the daily skills that a GIS
technician takes for granted. Many times essential basic skills are so
automatic to a technician that they are not mentioned in an interview setting.
Another
invaluable guide to the skills desired by employers seeking GIS enabled
personnel are career postings. By constantly monitoring postings an instructor
can get a feel for the skills currently desired in the marketplace. In What
Skills Does A GIS Analyst Require?, Glenn Letham does an excellent
job of summarizing qualities and skills employers find desirable.
Work-based
or community based projects are another excellent source of identifying the
skills necessary to use GIS. When faced with “real-world” problems, students
are forced to find the skills and resources to overcome the problems. The steps
necessary to solve the problem should
be documented and used to enhance skill lists. Recently a community based
project tackled by students required using DOQs which were in two UTM zones. As
the students worked on creating displays showing all of photographs, a number
of skills and basic learning needs were identified.
Once
the skills necessary have been identified, they must be transferred into
teachable competencies that the student must master. To qualify as a competency
the skill must meet several criteria:
A career posting may list as a required area: “Upload and download information from other systems, and convert data received to GIS”. Although this may be considered essential to the occupation, it is not a measurable competency in this form. The statement could be divided into a number of tasks with several skills essential to mastering the task. Some of the skills that might be necessary to meet just one part of this requirement may include:
§
Access
and download data from Internet via a web browser
§
Access
and download data via ftp
§
Recognize
file types and extensions
§
Apply
data decompression utilities
§
Control
destination of decompressed data
Each of these specific skills can be incorporated into the training program so that the student learns to recognize, experience, practice, and finally master the skill.
The
Jo Daviess Carroll Area Vocational Technical Center has implemented GIS
technician training as part of the Computer Aided Drafting program at the
Center. The school uses competency based individualized training to deliver
training in a number of skill areas. The CAD area was chosen for the GIS
implementation for a number of reasons.
§
The
currant instructor has a background in cartography, surveying and land-use
planning and an interest in GIS
§
The
classroom is equipped with powerful computers that are networked.
§
Large
format printers, digitizers, and high-resolution scanners are already in place
as part of the CAD program.
Students
interested in GIS are required to spend a semester mastering basic CAD skills.
The drafting experience gives the students an opportunity to master skills of
“thinking spatially”. Many of the skills that are necessary to successful
operation of a CAD station rapidly transfer to the GIS environment. Near the
end of the semester students are making blocks and attaching attributes to
them. A typical project tackled by the students involves mapping a computer
lab, placing symbols for the computer hardware in the appropriate location.
Students then develop tables of the specifications of the hardware using a
database. Since linking tables to symbols is a basic ability of most computer
aided drafting software students learn to set relationships between tabular
data and graphic images. This project is then moved into a full scale GIS such
as ArcView 3.2 or ArcMap.
The
skills used in GIS have divided into a number of categories, students may have
gained the skills in previous computer training and are only required to verify
that they have mastered the skill to be able to advance in the GIS training.
Verification is done be example, students are given problems where many skills
are necessary for timely completion, if a student has not mastered a basic
skill it will soon become obvious to the instructor and to the student.
Skill
categories include:
Under each of these categories specific skills are identified. The complete skill list is available in the GIS Skill Survey located at http://avc.jodavs.k12.il.us. The list is dynamic responding to changes dictated by industry response to the survey.
The competency or skill lists are not necessarily taught in any order, nor are lessons developed for each individual skill. Students use three avenues to recognize, experience, practice, and master the skills. Industry tutorials are used to familiarize the student with the software interface. Tutorials are excellent tools for taking students through the steps of creating a beautiful functional map, but explaining the “how and why” of cartography is beyond the scope of software tutorials.
To provide the motivation of the how and why, students are challenged with localized projects. These projects, presented in the form of study guides use data that the students can locally identify with. Rubrics outlining the expectations of the project are used to guide the student through the learning project. The students are given the skill lists and asked to keep track of the skills they apply each day that they work on the project. A typical project in this category has the student develop a local neighborhood or county map using Tiger® data. A number of study guides are used in this project, and many skills are introduced, practiced and repeated throughout the project.
The final component of the training is work-based or community based projects. Students are encouraged to solicit projects from their community or their other classes for developing a GIS. As the word spreads, the community often approaches the class to work on projects. Some of the projects are of short duration, while others are on going and require several years to develop and maintain. Teams of students made up of beginning and advanced students almost always work these on projects. Typical projects include county snowmobile maps, county school district mapping, working with conservation foundation and other non-profits. This type of experience gives students opportunities to interview clients, work with multiple disciplines, obtain and combine data, and generally experience all of the challenges and problems typical to GIS development and implementation.
Summary
GIS has been providing exciting opportunities in a number of classes throughout the United States and the world. Students become enthused about the power of this technology and see more and more applications. Many of the students will have opportunities in their careers to use GIS as a tool. Vocational education has the opportunity to provide students with the basic skills that will allow them to expand and utilize the tools they have already used in other classes. By laying a good basic groundwork in secondary education, schools can enhance the opportunities available to their students. Due to the complex nature of GIS, the high technology demands of the science, and the supporting skills and knowledge needed GIS technical training should be offered to upperclassmen. Many schools already have the technical facilities in a Computer Aided Drafting lab, and students in these classes are already to the way to developing spatial thinking and computer graphics skills essential to successful GIS training. Competency based individualized training is one method of delivering the necessary experiences to the students.
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Clarke, Keith C. Getting Started With Geographic Information Systems, 3rd ed.
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River NJ, 2001
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