Workshop Program

This workshop has already happened. The program archives the screencasts and presentations from the synchronous sessions of the event.


Jump down to: Virtual kick-off: Sun, March 13 | Face-to-face kick-off: Sat, March 19 | homework following kick-off | Virtual session: Sat, April 9 |Virtual session: Sat, May 7 | Virtual Wrap-up Session: March 1, 2012

Please note: all times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time.

Virtual kick-off: Sunday, March 13

Watch the Screencast (Flash Video 344.1MB Mar16 11)

2:00-2:20 Workshop introduction

  • Barb Tewksbury: Welcome and introductions (PowerPoint 1.2MB Mar13 11)
  • John McDaris, SERC: Getting started with Elluminate
  • David McConnell: Icebreaker
  • Barb Tewksbury: Workshop overview (PowerPoint 240kB Mar13 11)

2:20-3:10 Introduction to effective course design

Ideal student outcomes from a GIS or remote sensing course, developed by participants at the August 2010 Cutting Edge workshop on Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Teach Geoscience in the 21st Century

3:10-3:45 Individual work - first draft of course goals

  • Go to the Participants Page and click on the link to goals next to your name.
  • John McDaris: How to edit workspace pages
  • Complete the first draft of your course goals and add them to your workspace page by 3:45, and call back in at 3:45.

3:45-4:15 Commentary on other participants' overarching goals

  • Short discussion of questions that arose during individual work
  • For the people in your group: access other participants' goals pages via the Participants Page, and provide feedback on each participant's goals draft by entering comments in the "Add to the Discussion" box at the bottom of each person's goals draft workspace page. Only those participating in the virtual kickoff will have live links.
    • Do the goals meet the criteria, and do they address some aspect(s) of the "ideal outcomes"?
    • What suggestions do you have for improving wording or focus?
    • What do you particularly like about the goals?
  • Call back in at 4:15.

4:15-4:45 Small-group brainstorming of geo-themed case studies

  • Your assignment is to brainstorm geo-themed case studies.
  • Keep Elluminate on, but hang up the phone; call back in to 1-800-704-9804 using the access code for your group listed below:
    • Group 1 Access Code: 22235699 (Abdelfattah, Beck, Blevins, Boger, Brame, Brown, Fatima)
    • Group 2 Access Code: 55442755 (Burbanck, Carlson, Centrella-Vita, Dodge, Buchanan, Gilbertson, Gillespie)
    • Group 3 Access Code: 65846187 (Goldsberry, Henderson, Lowrey, Mobasher, Montgomery, Sharif)
    • Group 4 Access Code: 24386965 (Miller, Robinson, Sarmiento, Tranel, Williams, Wyatt)
  • Appoint someone in your group to be the record keeper, and record all of your ideas on your group's workspace page, which you can get to from the Workspace Pages Index.
  • Groups should hang up from group discussion at 4:45.

4:50 Call back in to main access code at 4:50.

4:50-5:50 More to think about

5:50-6:00 Wrap-up and homework assignment

Homework between now and the next session on April 9:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • If you have not yet finished providing feedback to everyone in your group on their course goals, please provide that feedback by Wednesday, March 16 at close of business.
  • Read the feedback from the conveners and other participants on the first draft of your course goals.
  • Revise your course goals, and enter the revisions in the second part of your course goals workspace page. Please do not delete the original version.
  • You may find the section on setting goals in our Online Course Design Tutorial useful. You might also find the Goals/Syllabus Database useful as well. Just recognize that not all of the course goals that have been submitted to this database over the years meet the very specific criteria that we are asking you to meet in this workshop!
  • Add to your course goals two strategies that you could use to enhance student motivation.
  • Read and respond to discussion threads; start discussion threads, if you wish.
  • If you want to have a phone or Skype consultation with Barb, David, or Brian, please send an email.
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Face-to-face kick-off: Saturday, March 19, Pittsburgh, PA

Omni William Penn Hotel, Frick Room, Conference Level


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8:30-9:15 Workshop introduction

9:15-10:00 Introduction to effective course design

Ideal student outcomes from a GIS or remote sensing course, developed by participants at the August 2010 Cutting Edge workshop on Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Teach Geoscience in the 21st Century

10:00-11:00 Individual work - first draft of course goals

11:00-12:00 Feedback on other participants' overarching goals and discussion of questions that arose

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:00 Small group discussion of goals; individual work on revising goals

2:00-2:45 Small-group brainstorming of geo-themed case studies

2:45-3:00 Break

3:00-4:00 More to think about

4:00-4:45 Discussion of implementing ideas to improve student motivation

4:45-5:00 Wrap-up

Homework between now and the next session on April 9:

  • If you have not yet finished providing feedback to everyone in your group on their course goals, please provide that feedback by Wednesday, March 23 at close of business.
  • Read the feedback from the conveners and other participants on the first draft of your course goals.
  • Revise your course goals, and enter the revisions in the second part of your course goals workspace page. Please do not delete the original version.
  • You may find the section on setting goals in our Online Course Design Tutorial useful. You might also find the Goals/Syllabus Database useful as well. Just recognize that not all of the course goals that have been submitted to this database over the years meet the very specific criteria that we are asking you to meet in this workshop!
  • Add to your course goals two strategies that you could use to enhance student motivation.
  • Read and respond to discussion threads; start discussion threads, if you wish.
  • If you want to have a phone or Skype consultation with Barb, David, or Brian, please send an email.

Please note: all times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time.

Virtual session: Saturday, April 9

Watch the Screencast (Quicktime Video 642.3MB Apr11 11)

2:00-2:20 Introduction

2:20-3:20 Presentation

3:20-3:30 Short bathroom and coffee break

  • Call back in by 3:30.

3:30-4:00 Presentation

4:00-4:20 Individual work on assignment and activity design ideas

  • Call back in by 4:20
4:20-5:15 Small group discussion on designing, implementing, and assessing GIS and RS assignments
  • Your assignment is detailed on your group workspace page.
  • Keep Elluminate on, but hang up the phone; call back in to using the phone # and access code for your group listed below:
    • Group 1: Impact of ground truthing data on remote sensing imagery analysis (Robinson, Abdelfattah, Centrella-Vitale, Allen, Blevins, Dodge, Fatima): call in to 1-800-766-1337 with Access Code 94465872
    • Group 2: Incorporating independence - learning GIS "on the job" (A. Schmidt, Gilbertson, Montgomery, Buchanan): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 22235699
    • Group 3: Framing a course around GIS case examples involving current events/risk (Mueller, Whitmeyer, Lowery, Tranel): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 55442755
    • Group 4: Threading critical analysis of maps and data throughout a course (Miller, Boger, Sharif, Farnsworth, LaBlanc): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 65846187
    • Group 5: Using thought experiments/workflow charts to plan and to extend analyses (Williams, Carlson, de Wet, Gillespie): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 24386965
    • Group 6: Threading GIS/RS aspects throughout a geo course that has only one main module in GIS or RS (Grigg, Hluchy, Hartshorn, Goeke, Londono, Mobasher): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 62232764
    • Group 7: Threading reflection and metacognitive assignments throughout a course (Goldsberry, Henderson, Lazrus, Beck, Wyatt, M. Schmidt): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 42272884
  • Appoint someone in your group to be the record keeper, and record all of your ideas on your group's workspace page, which you can get to from the Workspace Pages Index. Your facilitator will also be responsible for making a short (4 minutes or less) presentation that gives the rest of us the most useful outcomes of what your group discussed.
  • Groups should hang up from group discussion at 5:15.

5:15 Call back in to main access code at 5:15.

5:15-5:50 Small group reports and session wrap-up

5:50-6:00 Wrap-up and homework assignment

Homework between now and the next session on May 7:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • Read the Assignment/Activity Design pages, and add your comments to the group pages that you didn't work on on Saturday. Do this before you start working on your own assignment/activity assignment for the May session.
  • Outline at least one assignment/activity for your course, and enter the information on your activity workspace page (which can be linked from the Participant Workspaces Index. Your workspace page draft must be be completed by Friday, April 28.
  • Add to the Discussion thread on what is different about the kinds of spatial analyses that geoscientists do and the kinds of data sets they use.
  • Read and comment on the the activity/assignment ideas of at least the people in your main group by Wednesday, May 4.
  • Revise your activity workspace page by Friday, May 6.
  • Read and respond to discussion threads; start discussion threads, if you wish.
  • If you want to have a phone or Skype consultation with Barb, Brian, or David, please send an email.
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Please note: all times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time.

Virtual session: Saturday, May 7

Watch the Screencast (MP4 Video 273.4MB May24 11)

2:00-2:15 Introduction

2:15-2:30 Highlights from participant assignment/activity design drafts

  • Brian Hynek and Barb Tewksbury

2:30-3:30 Presentation

3:30-3:55 Individual work on assessment and assignments/activities

  • Call back in to the main access code by 3:55
4:00-4:25 Small group discussions on several topics
  • Topics will include:
    • Structuring and assessing GIS projects including final projects and term projects
    • The pros and cons of working with open source software
    • Strategies for preparing students to handle changes in the future
    • What is the best preparation for students who want to become GIS professionals?
    • Strategies for effectively integrating GPS and GIS through field activities
  • Participants will sign up for discussion groups at the beginning of the Elluminate session, and we will post groups and their topics below before 3:45 pm.
  • Group discussion assignments are detailed on your group discussion workspace page.
  • Keep Elluminate on, but hang up the phone; call back in to using the phone # and access code for your group listed below:
    • Group 1: Strategies for effectively integrating GPS and GIS through field activities (Abdelfattah, Whitmeyer, Lowrey, Boger): call in to 1-800-766-1337 with Access Code 94465872
    • Group 2: Strategies for effectively integrating GPS and GIS through field activities (Grigg, Wyatt, A. Schmidt, Londono): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 22235699
    • Group 3: The pros and cons of working with open source software (Buchanan, Lazrus): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 55442755
    • Group 4: What is the best preparation for students who want to become GIS professionals? (Montgomery, Miller): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 65846187
    • Group 5: Structuring and assessing GIS projects including final projects and term projects (Henderson, Farnsworth, Tranel, Robinson): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 24386965
    • Group 6: Structuring and assessing GIS projects including final projects and term projects (Mobasher, LaBlanc, Carlson, Goeke, Allen): call in to 1-800-704-9804, with Access Code 62232764
  • Appoint someone in your group to be the record keeper, and record all of your ideas on your group's workspace page, which you can get to from the May 7 Discussion Topics Index. Your facilitator will also be responsible for making a short (4 minutes or less) presentation that gives the rest of us the most useful outcomes of what your group discussed.
  • Groups should hang up from group discussion at 4:25.

4:30 Call back in to main access code at 4:30.

4:30-5:00 Reports from group discussions

5:00-6:00 Optional presentation

6:00 Sign-off.

Homework between now and the next session on August 27:

  • Complete the road check to let us know how the workshop is going for you.
  • Complete a short review assignment of several activities in the current Cutting Edge collection. More info on that coming via email.
  • Work on your course, assignments, and activities over the summer.
  • Prepare a "poster" for the online poster session to be held on Saturday, August 27. We will send an email to you when a template is ready.
  • We hope you will also submit an abstract for GSA Topical Session T170 Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Teach Geoscience in the 21st Century"
  • Read and respond to discussion threads; start discussion threads, if you wish.
  • If you want to have a phone or Skype consultation with Barb, Brian, or David, please send an email.
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Virtual Wrap-up Session: Thursday, March 1, 2012

Watch the Screencast (MP4 Video 138.6MB Mar5 12)

  • Twice "around the table"
    • What epiphany you had during the goals-setting and design process
    • Single best thing that you changed or implemented
  • Short PowerPoint presentations:
    George Buchanan (Acrobat (PDF) PRIVATE FILE 145kB Jul14 10) | Rebecca Dodge (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 3.6MB Mar5 12) | Bryan Hynek (PowerPoint 598kB Mar5 12) | Paula Kay Lazrus (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 903kB Mar5 12) | Amanda Schmidt (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 62kB Mar5 12) | Martin Schmidt (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 78kB Mar5 12) | Lisa Tranel (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 1.8MB Mar5 12) | Shelley Whitemeyer (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 3.3MB Mar5 12)
    • Description of activity/assignment
    • How it helped students make progress toward goal(s)
    • Evaluation strategy and analysis of how well it worked
  • Discussion Topics
    • How to frame an activity to get students rolling on their own; strategies to address paralyzing fear of "being wrong"
    • How to keep the out-of-class workload reasonable
    • Helping students understand the GIS/RS component during lecture when they are not at the computer