AbstractThe Importance of Inquiry-Based GIS Education Track: Teaching with GIS in Higher Education Author(s): Catherine Hansen The Geography Department's mission at the University of St Thomas is to provide the highest quality liberal arts education utilizing applied, career-oriented work. Our goals are for students to integrate broad knowledge of geography and have the depth of expertise that prepares them for professional life and/or graduate school. Our Applied project-based GIS course was redesigned to exclude stepped-exercise instructions to encourage students to perform real-world community-based problem solving. This pedagogical strategy promotes student investigation and inquiry, enabling them to think for themselves. Students ultimately learn how to solve real problems by utilizing their existing skills in GIS, while furthering their data management, cartographic and analytical skills. This presentation will delve into the role of the inquiry-based education and how the applied GIS course in a geography program is the perfect place for such pedagogy. Catherine Hansen University St Thomas Geography JRC 432, 2115 Summit Avenue St Paul , MN 55105 US Phone: 651 962 5969 E-mail: clhansen@stthomas.edu |