It is evident along the Front Range of Colorado, the Rockies, and elsewhere that Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is growing in popularity and acceptance. GIS technology has permeated every enterprise charged with managing or analyzing spatial data in one form or another. This popularity is also evidenced by the number of people seeking traditional and continuing GIS education opportunities. These people are trying to enhance their future employment prospects or gain an understanding of a technology that has become an integral part of the way they do business.
The University of Denver is responding to the need for GIS education along the Front Range of Colorado. Both traditional and continuing education programs are available at the University. The most recent avenue for providing GIS education is being achieved with a Certificate of Advanced Study Program in GIS from Denver University's University College. The purpose of this paper and presentation is to inform GIS practitioners about Denver University's program to meet the growing GIS educational needs for traditional and nontraditional students in the Rockies.
The Front Range of Colorado is the scene of many opportunities for students and practitioners of GIS. There are a host of vendors in the GIS industry as well as a healthy GIS user community. There are 44 firms in Colorado specializing in GIS products and services that responded to the GIS World survey last year. This does not account for the numerous corporations, like Esri, that maintain regional or branch offices in the area. The GIS user community along the front range includes federal, state, county and local governments, and a rapidly growing number of private corporations and firms.
The Department of Geography at the University of Denver is proud of its state-of-the-art Spatial Analysis and GIS Laboratory. The Department of Geography has been conducting research and teaching in GIS for more than twelve years. In September 1993, a new lab facility was opened with Digital Equipment Corporation (Digital) hardware and Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) software providing the foundation for research and education. The Department of Geography has established partnership relationships with these two vendors. Representatives from Digital and Esri sit on a board that oversees policies and direction of the lab. A member of the Esri staff fills an adjunct faculty role with the department and one Department Graduate Research Assistant is assigned to Esri on a permanent basis.
The GIS lab has two Digital Alpha UNIX workstations and 14 Digital Pentium and 486 PCs. Additional input and output devices (digitizers and plotters) round out the GIS Lab system configuration.
Because of the partnership arrangement with Esri, the GIS lab has access to all Esri products and as new releases are made available, they are installed in the lab. For more information on Esri products and services, please consult Esri. The lab has three workstation ArcInfo licenses, PC ARC/INFO, ArcCAD, and AutoCAD. Finally, all lab computers have ArcView installed.
All computers in the GIS Lab have complete Internet access. Students are able to log into the university computer cluster, Telnet to remote sites, ftp files, and surf the World Wide Web with Netscape browser software.
The GIS Lab is not a data warehouse, but the Department's proximity and close working relationship with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) makes access to USGS quad sheets and Digital Line Graph (DLG) data convenient. The Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) and the USGS National Mapping Division are only a few miles from the University of Denver campus. The Department has also developed a working relationship with the Colorado Department of Transportation. The Department of Transportation has always been supportive providing data when and where available when requested by the Department of Geography.
Federal, state, and local governments are an obvious employment sector for students. The front range of Colorado is home to several large federal land agencies including the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The State of Colorado has its complement of departments responsible for various aspects of the physical environment as well. Counties, special districts, and city governments round out the government GIS market.
A huge market is opening up as engineering and environmental consulting firms enter the GIS arena. We field more and more calls from small firms seeking qualified GIS professionals to take on GIS contract requirements.
Retail outlets are the other burgeoning sector in the GIS economy. Real estate divisions and marketing departments in corporations like US West, Boston Market, and Coors use GIS as part of their day to day operations. Private corporations, large and small, are utilizing GIS and seek GIS professionals.
The University enrolls more than 8,500 students from all 50 states and 90 countries. But the community feels more intimate than those numbers imply. Our undergraduate program enrolls about 2,800 students; the graduate program, about 2,900 students, and the continuing education (evening and special programs) about 2,800 students.
Traditional learners need motivation. They are not always sure why they are in school and they often change majors two or three times before graduating. This group is usually characterized as the 18 to 22 year old group just out of high school. Traditional learners want to know "THE" answer and tend to see things as black and white; right or wrong. They accept information they are given in class and seldom question the authority of the instructor. Their lack of "real world" reference and job skills limit their ability to check data they are given. Initiating class discussion can be difficult as traditional students seldom raise questions in class.
Non-traditional learners are highly motivated adults with careers and families. They know why they are back in school. Their reasons usually include job enhancement and personal growth. Time is of the utmost importance to non-traditional learners. They have a low tolerance for bureaucracy, they want to participate in class discussion, are concerned with immediate problems and solutions, and they are primarily interested in content. Non-traditional learners can and will verify information provided in the classroom or lab. They usually have a network of professionals or contacts through which they can bounce ideas and check facts. Class discussions tend to center on personal or professional experiences as they relate to class content.
The non-traditional student market grows rapidly. The population of the greater Denver area grows daily. Douglas County, one of six metropolitan Denver counties, is the fastest growing county in the country. More important than outright population grown is the growth in the recognition of GIS and its application to spatial data. Though we may not use the word "spatial" with police departments or marketers, more people are realizing that their corporate databases contain addresses, zip codes, or other georeferenced information making mapping and spatial analysis of their data possible and useful.
The University of Denver has long offered graduate degrees in geography. In the mid 1980's a Geotechnical track was added to the degree program at the master's degree level. The Geotechnical program affords students the opportunity to specialize in a technical area of geography and apply the technology to solving a spatial problem. Most "tech track" students employ GIS, but others pursue interests in remote sensing.
The Department of Geography is currently engaged in the preparation of a proposal to create an additional master's degree. The new degree will be in GIS, not geography. However, administration of the degree will remain in the geography department. The new degree is aimed at the growing market in the community that seeks specialized education in GIS theory and application without the overhead associated with the history and philosophy of geography. Students will be given the opportunity to focus on one of several topical areas or GIS applications. The following have been identified as "topical areas" for the new degree:
These topical areas coincide with existing areas of expertise in the Department of Geography and other departments on campus. The master's degree in GIS will be multidisciplinary in nature as we bring together adjunct fields to GIS.
University College at the University of Denver was founded in 1983 on the premise that education for adults should be immediately applicable, career-oriented and guided by the industries served. Each degree or certificate program has an advisory group of working professionals, all recognized experts in their field. These groups continually guide program development, assuring relevance and applicability of the curriculum. In short, University College asks industry what they want their employees to know, then creates the programs that ensure students a relevant, career-oriented education.
The Certificate of Advanced Study in GIS program was inaugurated in January 1994. Since that time, over 300 students have started the program. At present, enrollments stand at approximately 100-plus students per quarter with limits placed on class size due to GIS Lab space constraints. There are a limited number of seats in the lab and a limited number of nights in the week to offer classes.
GIS certificate classes are offered at night with occasional weekend courses. Courses are short in duration, but intense in outcome. Typical classes run for five weeks meeting one night per week. We believe in a strong hands-on component to learning and understanding GIS. Therefore, virtually every class meets in the GIS lab and has a lab component. Most classes conclude with students preparing independent projects integrating what they have learned in previous, "scripted" lab exercises.
Following is a list of courses currently offered in the GIS certificate program.
| GIS 2000 Introduction to PCs, DOS, Windows, & the GIS Lab | |
| GIS 2010 Introduction to PC ARC/INFO | |
| GIS 2020 Introduction to AutoCAD | |
| GIS 2030 Introduction to ArcCAD | |
| GIS 2040 Introduction to ArcView | |
| GIS 2050 Introduction to Avenue | |
| Total |
| GIS 4501 Basic Geographic, Spatial and GIS Concepts | |
| GIS 4502 Fundamental Vector GIS Concepts | |
| GIS 4503 GIS Project Design and Implementation | |
| GIS 4504 Cartographic Design and Map Production | |
| Total |
| GIS 4550 Technology Integration | |
| GIS 4560 Comparing GIS Systems | |
| GIS 4600 Designing GIS Databases | |
| GIS 4610 Implementing GIS Databases | |
| GIS 4630 Public Domain Data for GIS | |
| GIS 4640 Basics of Desktop Mapping | |
| GIS 4650 U.S. Census Data and Desktop Mapping | |
| GIS 4660 Desktop Mapping Applications in City Govt. | |
| GIS 4670 GIS and the Law | |
| GIS 4680 GIS Applications in Environmental Assessment | |
| GIS 4690 GPS for GIS | |
| GIS 4710 Introduction to Remote Sensing & Image Processing | |
| GIS 4720 Aerial Data Collection, Interpretation & Rectification | |
| GIS 4730 Satellite Remote Sensing | |
| GIS 4740 Digital Image Processing | |
| GIS 4800 Applied GIS with UNIX ArcInfo | |
| GIS 4991 Independent Study |
Popularity of the GIS program, running out of physical lab space, and a timely desire by university administrators to locate university science departments in reasonable proximity to each other has prompted us to plan for a relocation sometime in the next university fiscal year. New lab plans call for expanded seating capacity, backup labs for overflow and student work, and the addition of special project and research rooms.
Work continues on preparing a masters degree in GIS. Pending approval by the university in the next academic year, recruiting will begin for the Fall 1998 academic quarter. GIS certificate students have long expressed interest in extending their education towards a master's degree in GIS. Approval and implementation of this degree will meet those needs.
The University of Denver is home to one of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) regional law enforcement centers. The GIS program is now home to one of two national NIJ Crime Mapping Research Centers. Preparation is underway with activities in the Center beginning in January 1998. The GIS Lab will be the site of crime mapping and analysis research to support law enforcement officials nationwide.
The creation of the Crime Mapping Research Center will provide the opportunity to expand course offerings focusing on crime mapping and analysis. We anticipate offering general interest courses in crime mapping and analysis as well as specialized courses, training and programs for law enforcement officials.
As the GIS program and student body continue to evolve, formalized internships and research collaborations will be pursued. Efforts are currently underway to expand research relationships with the National Park Service and local government agencies to place interns and establish ongoing research agendas.
For additional information concerning the Department of Geography master's degree program, please contact:
Dr. Andrew Goetz
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Geography
University of Denver
Denver, CO 80208
agoetz@du.edu
For more information about University College programs,
call (303)871-3155, ext. 407, or e-mail at ucolinfo@circe.cair.du.edu.