AbstractThree Practical Models for Inserting GIS into Existing Courses Track: Teaching with GIS in Higher Education Author(s): William Miller, Tom Connley Maps, like pictures, communicate complex ideas better than thousands of words. At first glance, adding the making of maps to an existing course appears nearly impossible. However, by incorporating a proven model that encourages the substitution of local data and facilitates the process, the impossible becomes possible. We present three step-by-step GIS models for hands-on interactive projects (data collection, database building, data importation, justification, layer management, and report generation) that allow instructors in diverse disciplines to easily integrate a map-making project into their existing courses. Examples presented include: (1) Biology: the distributional patterns of trees on a university campus, (2) Business: the relationship of businesses in a small city, and (3) Sociology: the accuracy of a tourist map of the pyramids in Egypt. These projects are generally suited to a laboratory or class project and are designed for student participation, interpretation, creativity, and success. William Miller Baker University Biology Department of Biology Baldwin City, KS 66006 US Phone: 785-594-8379 E-mail: William.Miller@BakerU.edu Tom Connley Baker University Computer Science Baker University Baldwin City 66006 US Phone: 785-594-4511 E-mail: Tom.Conley@BakerU.edu |