Abstract
 Improving Undergraduate Geographic and Information Literacy by Using GIS Track: Using GIS in Libraries & Museums Author(s): Michael Howser Americans aged 18 to 24 came in next to last among nine countries surveyed by the National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey. This trend can be altered by including geographic literacy components in a multi-disciplinary approach not only through print maps but also by utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. GIS software enables undergraduate students to develop an understanding of past, present and future patterns and events by visualizing historical and current events. Utilizing Esri's ArcGIS and ArcIMS software, Miami University (of Ohio) Libraries are promoting active learning, improving geographic literacy, enhancing information literacy and critical thinking among undergraduates by instructing and assisting students with creating maps from numeric and geospatial datasets. Through map creation students further enhance their knowledge of a topic by visualizing events and critically evaluating information in a spatial context to discover fallacies in their own geospatial perception of events. Michael Howser Miami University King Library 210 King Library Oxford , OH 45056 US Phone: 513-529-8494 E-mail: howserm@muohio.edu |
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