Using ArcGIS Online to FacilitateTeaching in Higher Education

Patrick Rickles

Research Associate & PhD Student

Interdisciplinary Research-Sapelli-Geokey and Community Maps-Challenging RISK-Citizen Cyberlab-Student Research

www.ucl.ac.uk/excites

Collaborating with and Teaching GIS to Anthropologists, Archaeologists, Architects, Computer Scientists, Digital Humanities

Students, Disaster Management Planners, Fine Artists, Historians, Human-Computer Interaction Experts, Political Scientists,

Psychologists and more!

GIS

IDR EDU

GIS+

IDR + EDU

PhD Research

How does Non-Formalcompare to Informallearning when Interdisciplinary Students wish to learn GIS?

“Identifying Important Concepts in GIS in Interdisciplinary Research” (Rickles & Ellul, 2014)

Challenges“Collaborating with Different Disciplines”

Solutions“Training” (literature)

“Building Relationships” (practice)

GIS

IDR EDU

GIS+

IDR + EDU

www.patrickrickles.com/PhD/Work/Common Challenges and Suggested Solutions in IDR.htm

GIS&T BoKKnowledge Areas

Geospatial Data

Data Quality

Digitisation

Cartography & Visualization

Map Design

Symbology

GIS

IDR EDU

GIS+

IDR + EDU

“Identifying Important Concepts in GIS in Interdisciplinary Research” (Rickles & Ellul, 2014)

www.aag.org/bok

Educational TheoriesVirtual Situated Learning Environment (people, tool, activity, environment)

Disciplinary Epistemologies (contextual relevance)

Challenges of Real Life and Online Education

Micro-lessons

GIS

IDR EDU

GIS+

IDR + EDU

Can a contextually relevant, collaborative, online learning environment be effective in teaching GIS concepts to Interdisciplinary Students?

GIS

IDR EDU

GIS+

IDR + EDU

• Lessons structured as Micro-lessons for short, asynchronous learning for concepts

• Text and Images in Lessons change based on the Context

• Ability to comment and reply, facilitating student communication

• Register interest in a new context; quick and easy creation

Why?

• Free Accounts with Adequate Storage and Functionality

• Ability to Easily Store and Share Information

• Continually Growing Repository of Layers

• Web App Builder for quick apps and Story Maps

• Extremely User Friendly Interface

• Support and Accessibility across Esri Suite of Products

Case Study: Institute of Education

Case Study: Development Planning Unit

Online vs. Face-to-Face

Online• Ability to start / stop lesson as

needed• Difficulties in asynchronous

questions and answers• Ease of Online tech for learning

and applying to lessons

Face-to-Face• Students want more practical

time• Ability to gauge enthusiasm

and adjust• Real-time mobile data

gathering and online visualising well received

Structure and

Interest

GIS

fostering Interdisciplinarity

Feedback and Improvement