Chabot College
Fall 2007
Course Outline for Geography 96
WORK EXPERIENCE SEMINAR
Catalog Description
Geography 96 – Work Experience Seminar
(May be repeated 3 times)
1 unit
Discussion and analysis of experiences on-the-job in applying Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) techniques and methodologies to projects in a business or governmental
agencies. Review of essential skills and management issues in using GIS to analyze realworld spatial problems and aid in decision-making. Discussion of ways to broaden
experience with GIS tools and functionality in many professional endeavors, with
emphasis on building strong working relationships with supervisors and co-workers.
Corequisite: Geography 95. 1 hour.
[Typical contact hours: 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
describe techniques for good time management in GIS project development;
relate better and with more confidence with work supervisors and co-workers in a
professional environment;
write better project documentation and interoffice memoranda;
describe the effects of interpersonal relations on job performance and project
success;
itemize new or significantly refined skills acquired using GIS techniques at the
worksite.
Course Content
1.
2.
3.
Techniques in GIS project management
a.
Identifying appropriateness of GIS techniques to project objectives
b.
Defining scope, timelines, and milestones in GIS project development
c.
Evaluating data quality for processing in GIS
Professional standards, norms, and relationships in GIS application areas
a.
Resources for seeking employment in GIS
b.
GIS analyst series in government organizations
c.
Roles in GIS systems organization
d.
Communicating with technical support personnel
e.
Working with the end-users on map production and presentation materials
GIS project documentation
a.
Organization of metadata for GIS themes and databases
b.
Explaining GIS data and database organization to end-users
Chabot College
Course Outline for Geography 96, page 2
Fall 2007
Course Content (Cont’d):
c.
4.
Organization and management of presentable map and graphics
documents
d.
Effective communication with project team members
Organizational and technical skills important in GIS applications projects
a.
How to identify learning opportunities in a work experience
b.
Decision management in meeting project goals and creating output for
presentation, analysis, and documentation
c.
Roles of project team members
d.
Steps in designing, developing, editing, and documenting GIS products
e.
Applying basic cartographic design principles
f.
Communicating intended meaning in maps and graphics
Methods of Presentation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Short lectures on guidelines for GIS project organization, database management,
and good cartographic design
Discussion of case studies of GIS applications projects
Guest speakers from organizations utilizing GIS technologies
Field trips (some instructors may have field trips to government and commercial
sites so students can experience “GIS at work”)
Discussions comparing workplace experiences with supervisors and co-workers
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
1.
2.
Typical Assignments
a.
Develop a work experience journal, including entries for:
1)
description of project team members and roles
2)
primary GIS user interfaces used
3)
new analytical and mapping tools encountered
4)
problems experienced in data handling, data accuracy, and output
products design
5)
hardware and software used in particular project stages
b.
Present to class participants examples of GIS product under development
in the work project
c.
Write an outline of project stages in development of a GIS database
d.
Prepare a professional resume
e.
Read and evaluate case studies from GIS applications
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a.
Class participation
b.
Graded written assignments
c.
Instructor review of the completed work experience journal
d.
Final exam
Chabot College
Course Outline for Geography 96, page 3
Fall 2007
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Managing Geographic Information Systems, Nancy Obermeyer and Jeffrey Pinto, The
Guilford Press, 1994, or latest edition
Special Student Materials:
None.
dp:\currculm\g96outlin.doc
New: 11-28-06