Abstract
GTEVCC: Forging a Professional Development Model for Geospatial Technicians
Track: Teaching About GIS for Future Professionals
Authors: John McGee, David Webb, Chris Carter, William Wyatt, George McLeod
To support the burgeoning employment demands of Virginia's industry, a statewide partnership, consisting of nonprofit organizations, 4-year universities, community colleges, the precollege community, administrators, and other organizations have been providing geospatial technician level development opportunities to educators across Virginia. The project, Geospatial Technician Education Through Virginia's Community Colleges (GTEVCC), is funded through the NSF/ATE and supports the broader efforts of the National GeoTech Center. This model is applicable to other states.
To date, GTEVCC has provided high school and community college faculty with intensive, 7-day workshops, extensive custom curriculum, faculty mentoring, other educational resources, and a geospatial portal, one mechanism by which participants and other stakeholders can share and leverage resources. Through this effort, 3 new certificate programs have been started and 11 community colleges are integrating geospatial technologies into courses for the first time. The first GTEVCCS cohort reported reaching an estimated 2,770 additional individuals in 2011.