Abstract
Adding Service-Learning into Geo-Spatial Related Courses
Track: Teaching with GIS Across the Curriculum
Authors: Yu Zhou
A recent trend in higher education is the establishment of service-learning courses in response to the growing conviction that universities have a responsibility to engage with their communities. In a service-learning course, students "engage in community service activities with intentional academic and learning goals and opportunities for reflections that connect to their academic disciplines." Such courses exist in many university departments, but are notably lacking in Geography. Since GIS is a powerful tool for most, if not all, location-based fields, geo-spatial related courses do have a strong community connection. With careful design, students in geo-spatial classes can participate in organized service activities that meet identified community needs, and gain further understanding of academic contents. Students with such experience appreciate more about their GIS learning and can enhance their personal values and civic responsibility. In this presentation, the author will share his experience in design and implementation of a service-learning course.