A Geospatial Online Instruction Model

Abstract

The objective of this study is to present a pedagogical model for teaching geospatial courses through an online format and to critique the model’s effectiveness. Offering geospatial courses through an online format provides avenues to a wider student population, many of whom are not able to take traditional on-campus courses. Yet internet-based teaching effectiveness has not yet been clearly demonstrated for geospatial courses. The pedagogical model implemented in this study heavily utilizes virtual classroom software. Short lecture video segments coupled with lecture presentation files and textbook readings are effective tools for teaching geospatial theory. Detailed laboratory instructions, video clips and screen captures of important laboratory exercise steps, and discussion board posts about laboratory steps can substitute face-to-face interactions that occur in an on-campus geospatial course laboratory environment and can help the online student understand complex geospatial analyses. Analysis of student tracking on the virtual classroom suggests that the proposed pedagogical model is an effective, satisfying, and rewarding learning strategy. The distance learning model is disadvantageous to the instructor because more work is needed up front. However, once the course has begun the instructor benefits by having a more flexible teaching schedule.