Building and Sustaining Geospatial Technology Programs at Community Colleges

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Christian Fleming
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1 Building and Sustaining Geospatial Technology Programs at Community Colleges Building the Geographic Information Science and Technology Program at San Juan College Keary Howley, Program Coordinator Geographic Information Science and Technology 2007 ATE Conference October 18, 2007

Program at San Juan College Keary Howley, Program Coordinator

2 Topics Our region REAL GIST implementation grant Progress to Date Marketing efforts Market realities Looking to the future

3 Four Corners Region

4 Four Corners Region

5 GIS at San Juan College In the beginning Limited classes Local need & interest Planning Grant 2002 Planned program implementation Formed a GIS advisory board San Juan GIS user s group

6 GIS at San Juan College Rural Education Advanced Learning in Geographic Information Science & Technology (REAL GIST) NSF ATE project started in July 2005 Provides phased-in funding GIST classes and degree options 8 classes are offered Applications focused Experiential education AAS, 1-year 1 Certificate and AS in future

2005 Provides phased-in funding GIST classes and degree options 8 classes are

7 REAL GIST Grant Objectives & Challenges Main Objective - Implement a GIST certificate and Associate of Applied Science degree program Main Challenge - Balancing academic, workforce and transfer needs, and integrating with existing programs.

Science degree program Main Challenge - Balancing academic,

8 Progress to Date Program evaluation Curriculum changes 2006 New courses Student project teams Marketing Summer teacher training institutes Developing AS transfer agreements

9 Student Project Teams El Paso Pipeline Safety Project

10 Student Project Teams Four Corners GIS data server website Pictometry collaborative effort San Juan County, BLM, City of Farmington Health effects of energy development Avalanche hazard modeling & mapping

County, BLM, City of Farmington Health effects of

11 Marketing Efforts GIS Day event past 5 years Article in ArcUser on 2006 event Word of mouth Brochure Websites Career days at college and region wide Outreach to professionals Outreach to schools Field trips Presentations Geospatial Technology Teacher Training Institute

12 GIS Day 2006

13 Program Statistics Year Sp 05 Enrollment 24 Target? GIST Major? Target? Grad: Certificate 0 Grad: AAS 0 05/ / Fall Student Internships: 7 internships (BLM, SJ County, Farmington PD, NASA)

Grad: Certificate 0 Grad: AAS 0 05/ 06 14 20 9 20 0 1 06/ 07

14 Projected Geospatial Industry Growth Generally strong job growth is expected The Geospatial Technology Industry is an emerging high growth sector of the U.S. economy that is expected to reach more than $21 billion in revenue over the next few years. US Department of Labor 2005 The industry is expected to grow by 9% to 14% per year beyond 2010 The Journal Science Local to international opportunities exist

economy that is expected to reach more than $21 billion in revenue over the next few years.

15 So where are the students and the jobs? Lower enrollment than expected in year 3 Retention is an issue Students are unprepared for class material Difficult to integrate GIS into other classes/majors The demand for GIS technicians in the local area does not meet expectations GIS skills are increasingly demanded for many different job types Semester long courses VS short course software training

material Difficult to integrate GIS into other classes/majors The demand for GIS technicians in

16 Looking to the Future Update the market analysis - Meet with industry partners to ensure alignment with needs More focused marketing efforts New course offerings GIS for Archeologists Emergency response GIST 111 elective for other programs Explore short course offerings and condensed certificate option Online classes Expect to meet the grant enrollment projections over the next years

response GIST 111 elective for other programs Explore short course offerings and condensed

17 Session questions 1. How do you align workforce employer needs with curriculum outcomes? 2. What are the most effective marketing techniques to promote academic GIS programs? 3. Do employer s needs match market expectations? 4. What specific management, operational, and entrepreneurial tasks can geospatial technologies assist with to improve the efficiency of a community college campus?

Do employer s needs match market expectations? 4.

Page two of survey. 2. Do the program descriptions reflect the training your organization looks for among potential employees?

Page two of survey. 2. Do the program descriptions reflect the training your organization looks for among potential employees? Page one of survey Foothill College plans to create three new Certificates of Achievement and one Associate in Arts degree in Geographic Information System Technology (GIST). We are surveying local employers