Assessment of Soft and Hard Skills
Jochen Albrecht
Computational and Theoretical Geography
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Overview
□ Developing a curriculum
□ Knowledge, skills and abilities
□ Student learning and GenEd outcomes
□ Assessment tools
□ Closing-the-loop
□ Online versus face-to-face
□ Asynchronous online teaching
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Introduction
□ Revamp of (under)graduate instruction of GIS
aka Geographic Information Systems & Science
□ DACUM – Developing a Curriculum
□ NSF Grant for GeoTech Center to develop a
DACUM for GIS & Remote Sensing
□ Survey (bi-annual) among employers in Metro NY
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Hard Skills of the GIS DACUM
□ Duties
Cluster of related tasks; large area of work
described in performance terms
□ Tasks
Job activity with meaningful outcome; results in
product, service or decision; can be measured
□ Steps
Specific activities required to perform a task
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Duties
□ Manage data
□ Generate data
□ Process data
□ Analyze data
□ Manage software & hardware
□ Manage projects
□ Generate products and services
□ Professional development
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Tasks (examples)
Under Manage Data
□ Research data sources
□ Acquire data
□Organize data
□ Backup and restore data
□ Convert / reformat data
□ Design and edit databases
□ Validate data
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Knowledge
□ Coordinate systems, projections
□ GPS, surveying, geotagging
□ Mathematics
□ Photogrammetry, remote sensing
□ Programming, scripting
□ Statistics
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Skills – mostly soft
□ Cartography
□ Communication
□ Critical thinking
□ Organizational
□ Presentation, communication
□ Problem solving
□ Team Player, interpersonal skills
□ Time management
□ Writing
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Translated into GTECH 201
Student Learning Outcomes
• Use specialized geospatial software to transform ellipsoid, datum, and/or map projection to
georegister one set of geospatial data to another
• Understand cartographic symbolization
• Know how to create thematic maps: classification, choropleth maps, dot density maps, and
multivariate displays
• Understand the basic operations of GIS for data input and secondary data
• Employ simple spatial reasoning techniques to make inferences about space, spatial
patterns, and spatial relationships
• Understand the basic theory and applications of remote sensing, aerial imagery and global
position system, including
(a) Differences in sensor technologies
(b) Different types of “resolution” used in remote sensing
(c) Capabilities and limitations of sensor types
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Translated into GTECH 201
General Education Outcomes
Computer Literacy:
Demonstrate proficiency in using a computer and computer
applications to accomplish geospatial technology tasks
Information and Technology Literacy:
Students will be able to collect, evaluate, and interpret information and
effectively use information technologies
Scientific Method:
Formulating a research question, collecting data, and developing and
testing of a hypothesis
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Translated into GTECH 361
Student Learning Outcomes
• Understand GIS concepts, technical issues, and applications, such as metadata, spatial data
quality, spatial data models
• Understand the data creation process and create simple data sets and/or add to existing
data, including but not limited to
(a) Geocode a list of address-referenced locations to map data encoded with geographic coordinates
and attributed with address ranges
(b) Design a questionnaire and interview protocol for acquiring georeferenced socio-economic data
(c) Transform data acquired from a range of geodata portals
• Develop the operational skills to perform GIS related tasks such as geometric measurements,
overlay, viewshed analysis, and raster map algebra
• Create and manipulate geodatabases, including the ability to compile, code, categorize,
calculate, tabulate, and verify data
• Perform basis GIS analyses including, for example, performing a site suitability analysis using
intersection and overlay functions
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Translated into GTECH 361
General Education Outcomes
Computer Literacy:
Demonstrate proficiency in using a computer and computer applications to
accomplish geospatial technology tasks
Information and Technology Literacy:
Students will be able to collect, evaluate and interpret information and effectively
use information technologies
Interpersonal Skills:
Listen to and consider others’ viewpoints; work effectively with people who have
diverse personalities and backgrounds
Ethics:
Privacy and awareness of obligations to individuals, to employers and clients, to
colleagues and the profession, and to society
Professionalism:
Students will have learnt to accept criticism from peers and to stay calm and think
clearly in stressful
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situations
Assessment
□ Lab exercises
□ With detailed instructions
□ “Figure it out”
□ Software projects
□ Individual projects
□ Group projects
□ Participation
□ In-class
□ Discussion boards
□ Quizzes and exams
□ Multiple choice
□ Short essay
□ Homework assignments
□ Critical analysis of readings
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Assessment of Software Projects
□ Proposal, project update and final report
□ Project management throughout the semester
□ Presentation in front of peers (and clients if applicable)
□ Writing style
□ Creativity
□ Adherence to guidelines
□ Independence
□ Recognition of need
when to seek help
□ Visual style (map)
□ Self-critique
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Online versus Face-to-Face
□ Difference between intro and advanced course
□ Intro course requires face-to-face
□ Online class is technically better
But:
□ Soft skills suffer
□ Communication, organization, interpersonal skills and time
management are better in face-to-face environment
□ Why?
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Asynchronous Online Teaching
□ Why do students chose the online version?
□ Tight personal schedule
□ Preference for anonymity
□ When questions arise and answer is not immediate*
□ Window of time in personal schedule closes
□ Frustration levels peak
□ Cognitive distance of the online medium leads to
outbursts
□ Lack of social control increases time management
problems
* = 15 minutes
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Soft Skills in an Online Environment
□ This slide is in lieu of a conclusion slide
□ Jochen has no solutions to the question how to
teach these soft skills in an online environment
□ Instead of the usual “Do you have any questions?”
Do you have any suggestions?
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