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Virginia Space Grant ConsortiumGeospatial Education Projects

Chris Carter, Assistant Director

July 12, 2008

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About VSGC

Part of National Space Grant Network of 52 (one in each state) 500+ colleges and 300+ other members

Focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, workforce development, and NASA-related research

Serve as umbrella organization for partnerships Old Dominion University Research Foundation

(ODURF) is fiscal agent http://va.spacegrant.org

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VSGC Member InstitutionsCollege of William and Mary

Hampton UniversityOld Dominion University

University of VirginiaVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

NASA Langley Research CenterNASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility

State Council of Higher Education for VirginiaVirginia Community College System

Virginia Department of EducationMathematics and Science Center

Science Museum of VirginiaVirginia Air and Space Center

Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology

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Space Grant Program Areas

Workforce Pipeline for NASA, Aerospace, and STEM SectorsScholarships/Fellowships/InternshipsStudent Research and Mission OpportunitiesHigher Education Partnerships Building Research Capabilities/Research

PartnershipsPrecollege – Teacher Professional Development Public Science Literacy/Informal Science

Education

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Why is VSGC Interested in Geospatial Technology?

President’s High Growth Training Initiative – 1 of 12 priority sectors

U.S. DOL – Geospatial Technology 1 of 3 most important emerging technologies (nano and bio technologies)

Workplace tool that supports aerospace, STEM employment and NASA’s mission

Workforce Development

NASA Data UseSpatial Awareness Skills

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Virginia Geospatial Extension Program

Dr. John McGee, Virginia Geospatial Extension Agent at Virginia Tech

Partnership with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and Virginia Cooperative Extension Serve as hub for Geospatial education activities in the

State Workshops, presentations, symposia and training

Training to more than 1,500 constituents in Virginia Provides assistance for data resources, applications and

curricula development

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/gep/

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NASA Langley-VSGC GIS Internship Program

Manage the NASA Langley GIS Internship Program NASA GIS Team provides geospatial data management solutions

for Langley, ALL Centers and other customers Most advanced GIS of any NASA Center Leader in GIS within NASA and the Federal Government

GIS Internships With NASA GIS Team High school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate students Majors in geography, technology, civil engineering, and others Interest in developing skills in spatial data technology in support of NASA’s

mission

12 students placed in 11-week summer internships Fall and spring placements too!

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Primary Duties Include: Support development, maintenance and data input in GIS Updates to building floor plans and space utilization,

environmental data, and center infrastructure. Modifications of center spatial data and web interface

Part-time and full-time positions Students will earn a stipend relative to their academic level

(~$8 to $15/hr) Prior experience not required—training will be provided

NASA Langley-VSGC GIS Internship Program

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OVERspace Program

Offering Virginia Educators Resources in Spatial Practices Across the Curriculum for Excellence

Mission --- teach teachers how to utilize geospatial technologies such as GIS and GPS in the classroom

Teachers teaching teachers Customized hands-on workshops

On-site in partnership with school divisions Open enrollment workshops Low cost or no cost (depending on external funding)

Over 400 teachers trained since 2001

To bring a workshop to your school or division, contact

Nick Koltun (nkoltun@odu.edu) 757-766-5210

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Recently updated and redesigned OVERspace program (work in progress)

20 teachers trained at WHRO-May 30 Pilot workshop in June for 16 teachers Workshop for Chesterfield Public School

teachers in August

OVERspace Workshops

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OVERspace Teachers of all disciplines and grade levels (typically 4-12)

Skills and resources needed to use geospatial technology as a teaching tool

Administrators, coordinators, counselors Introductory level/awareness level training Will expand into intermediate level follow-up training 1-5 day customized workshops Review/adapt/adopt existing lessons Assist teachers through the ‘resource overload’ Teacher support from NASA GIS interns

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OVERspace – 7E Model ELICIT - Pose the problem. Anticipatory Set/Prior understanding/background ENGAGE - Stimulate thinking and raise questions EXPLORE - Learners form hypothesis, complete activities, explore possibilities EXPLAIN - Learners communicate understanding of concept

presentation/sharing in teams/comparing to own understanding ELABORATE - Learners apply knowledge to new domains/transfer of learning EVALUATE - Formative and summative/final project is compared to

guidelines. How will you assess the lesson’s effectiveness and know when the student has met

the objectives. EXTEND - Practice the transfer of learning/not simple elaboration

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Other Geospatial Educational Efforts

Statewide GIS Software License with ESRI Middle School to Higher Education

CTE 8423 Geospatial Technology I (II in progress) Virginia Western CC

Specialization in GIS, GIS Certificate and Career Exploration Certificate in GIS

Northern Virginia CC – GIS Certificate program Mountain Empire CC

Online GIS Certificate program NSF project to integrate geospatial across curriculum

Geospatial courses at: BRCC, DSLCC, DCC, NVCC, PDCC, SWVCC, PVCC, TCC

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Geospatial Technician Education Through Virginia’s Community Colleges (GTEVCC)

National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE)Planning Grant awarded in May 2007 Full ATE project proposal will be submitted in

October 2008 (3 yr award) Vision

Establish sustainable academic pathways in geospatial technology to provide business/industry/public sector agencies with larger pool of skilled geospatial technicians. These pathways will serve as models for other community colleges.

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Partners and GTEVCC Steering Committee

Tidewater Community College (TCC) Rodney Clayton and George McLeod

Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) David Webb

John Tyler Community College (JTCC) Dr. William Wyatt

Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Elizabeth Creamer and Dr. Gretchen Schmidt

Geospatial Extension Program at Virginia Tech Dr. John McGee

Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC)

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GTEVCC Goals

1. Model Academic and Workforce Training Pathways Update and Add Courses, Create Certificate and

Specialization programs in GIS

2. Faculty Training

3. Pre-college Initiatives and Teacher Training

4. Increase awareness of careers in geospatial technologies among students, faculty, and parents

GIS Day

5. Resource-rich Web Resource Tool

6. Trained Geospatial Technicians Ready to Work!

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GTEVCC Advisory Committee Members

Brad Ball NASA Langley Research Center

Dr. Lynn Basham Virginia Department of Education

Dr. William Dugger

International Technology Education Association

Dr. Inez Farrell Virginia Community College System

Lyle Hornbaker Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN)

Dr. Bill Hightower Virginia Community College System

Dr. Ann Johnson ESRI, Higher Education

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Dr. Bob Kolvoord James Madison University

Russell Minich Timmons, Inc.

Dr. Richard Phillips Mountain Empire Community College

Dr. Marical Quintana-Baker

State Council of Higher Education

Bob Rike ESRI-Virginia Account Rep

Jonathan Soulen Michael Baker Jr. Inc.

Dr. James Wilson James Madison University

Carolyn McLellan Tidewater Community College

GTEVCC Advisory Committee Members

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GTEVCC Working Groups

Workforce Needs Curriculum and Formal Education Professional Development for Faculty and Teachers Web Resources Career Awareness Diversity/Recruitment Sustainability Linkage to ATE Centers and Projects Evaluation

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Workforce Needs Working Group

1. Identify demand for GIS Technicians in Virginia (online survey)

2. Identify essential competencies needed (DACUM survey and interviews)

Virginia’s geospatial industry expanding (210 responses)

Anticipate more than 230 new hires over the next 2 years

Staffing issues are the primary challenge (59% ) Do the tasks listed in DACUM match your employment

needs? Of the 33 employers surveyed, 29 (88%) answered

“yes” – Virginia DACUM drafted

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Geospatial Technician Skills

Create/Acquire Data Determine data

compatibility Perform data conversions

(e.g. between formats) Populate GIS feature

attributes Query data Create metadata Collect field location data

via GPS Collect field attribute data

Geocode data Create maps Create analysis reports Create tables Generate mailing labels Create graphic items (e.g.

logos, headers, posters, exhibits)

Distribute digital products

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GTEVCC Project Updates

Faculty Workshop Conducted by VGEP 12 faculty from TCC, VWCC, JTCC, JSRCC, and TNCC

trained Pilot workshop for teachers June 23-25 in Chesterfield

Teachers from regions of VWCC, JTCC, TCC Workshops Include:

Local Data (Virginia County Data Series) associated with each Community College region

Exercises based on Virginia Data Presentations, software, and other resources ArcGIS Software Installation CD + License Codes

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GTEVCC Project Updates

TCC is creating a Career Studies Certificate Program in GIS Offered through the Information Technology Division

Multidisciplinary Graduates prepared for entry-level GIS

Technician positions in variety of fields: Information TechnologyEnvironmental SciencesCivil EngineeringBusiness Logistics

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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate Program Plan

Requirements for Certification:Core Courses (16 credits)

GIS 200 Geographical Information Systems I GIS 201 Geographical Information Systems II GIS 210 Understanding Geographic Data GIS 215 GIS Software Platforms and

Applications

Elective Courses (10-13 credits)

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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate Program Plan

Elective CoursesInformation Technology

ITD 132 Structured Query Language (4) ITE 150 Desktop Database Software (4) ITP 100 Software Design (4)

Environmental Sciences GOL 105 Physical Geology (or) GOL 110 Earth Science

(4) GOL 225 Environmental Geology (4) GIS 230 GIS Applications in Environmental Science (3)

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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate Program Plan

Elective Courses Civil Engineering

CIV 116 Topographic Drafting (3) CIV 171 Surveying I (3) CIV 256 GPS for Land Surveying (3) CIV 258 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (1) CIV 259 Virginia Coordinate Systems (1)

Business Logistics BUS 223 Distribution and Transportation (3) BUS 234 Supply Chain Management (3) GIS 220 Intro to Urban and Regional Planning (4)

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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate Program Plan

Elective Courses ( ) credits

Concentrations: GIS Generalist

GOL 105 Physical Geology (or) GOL 110 Earth Science (4)

GIS 220 Intro to Urban and Regional Planning (4) CIV 258 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (1) ITE 150 Desktop Database Software (4)

Course-specific GIS activities or modules in elective courses

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JTCC developed an enrichment presentation for architectural draftingUsing GIS to study land contours

VWCC articulation agreement with ODU Geospatial Technologies will be a featured

career on VCCS career website Report with recommendations for design

and hosting of the web resource complete

GTEVCC Project Updates