Abstract
GIS at a Liberal Arts College: Community-Inspired Projects
Track: Teaching with GIS in Higher Education
Author(s): Wendy Miller
College-level education provides students with a background in the theory, applications, and potential uses of GIS. Too often students are given hypothetical projects to work on with data that does not relate to their local area. Once the class is over, many students do not follow up with projects in their local area using GIS. The GIS program at Washington College, a small liberal arts college on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, strives to change that. The GIS Laboratory has developed an internship program for students who have completed the introductory GIS course and are well-versed in using Esri’s ArcGIS 9 software. These students work on projects for various departments within the college as well as community groups including local governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies. This real-world experience provides students with a meaningful learning opportunity.
Wendy Miller
Washington College
Center for the Environment and Society
300 Washington Ave
Chestertown, MD 21620
US
Phone: 410-810-7177
E-mail: wmiller3@washcoll.edu