E-Learning for GIS, Cartography and Geodata Acquisition
E-learning platform gimolus
The graphical user interface (GUI) of this e-learning platform “gimolus” is structured into the general system navigation, the module navigation, and the module content itself as illustrated in figure 1:
Figure 1: E-learning platform gimolus (e.g. module ”Animated Maps”)
Using the system navigation the students can navigate to one of the 70 existing modules. Furthermore user specific adjustment (e.g. font size) may be realized and online-help is integrated.
The module navigation normally consists of five parts (introduction, manual, content, material, assistance). These are structured into chapters, subchapters and pages. The student has no possibility to change between modules while working with one module, because the hierarchical navigation structure in and between the modules should be kept. The student should always know “where I am in the learning environment?”. The navigation within the module itself can be done by the module navigation described or by a forward/backward button from page to page.
In the central content part different components like graphics, text information, tables, multiple-choice-tests, animations, and videos are integrated. These should support the interactive knowledge transfer as well as the independent treatment of application-oriented exercises. The tutor of module can be asked also.
Integration of e-learning modules into curricula
The IAGB has developed different modules within the fields of GIS, cartography, and geodata acquisition, for different international and interdisciplinary courses. An overview about the courses for which the IAGB offers e-learning modules is given in table1.
Table 1: Courses with IAGB e-learning modules
The course “Acquisition and Management of Planning Data” should impart knowledge about maps, plans and GIS as well as the respective data acquisition and management to give the students of the Diploma Course “Technique and Economy of Real Estate” the ability to understand and evaluate the different techniques required for theses tasks. For the courses “GIS-based Data Acquisition” and “Data Management and Analysis” the same abilities should be taught to the students of the Master Course “Infrastructure Planning”. The students of the Diploma Courses “Geography” and “Geodesy and Geoinformatics” learn the basics of digital maps as well as animation possibilities and application oriented thematic cartography within the course “Thematic Cartography”.
Depending on these various targets of the courses different e-learning modules were developed in the field of GIS, cartography, and geodata acquisition. An overview about all IAGB e-learning modules used in summer term 2006 and winter term 2006/07 is given in table 2, whereby the corrosponding courses are noted by numbers (1, 2, 3, 4). Due to the fact that the institute offers courses in German and in English language some of the modules are bilingual.
Table 2: E-learning modules for GIS, cartography
Integration of modules within exercise “Thematic Cartography”
An important issue of success of an e-learning offer is the setting, that means by which didactic concept modules are integrated within teaching activities (Petschenka and Kerres 2004). For each new topic within the exercises on “Thematic Cartography” a physical exercise is carried through, in which declarative knowledge (e.g. basics of animated maps) and necessary, procedural knowledge (e.g. introduction in animation software) is imparted. Physical teaching is followed by the respective e-learning module. This integrated module repeats declarative knowledge, comprises knowledge questions and in some cases has furthermore a main focus on practical software training. Therefore in some modules the students have to perform projects (contextual knowledge), which finally have to be send to a tutor, who acknowledges the work respectively gives remarks for improvement. This concept of integration of physical and e-learning is illustrated in Figure 2 for the exercises on “Thematic Cartography”.
Figure 2: Combining physical exercises and self-study
(e.g. within the exercises “Thematic Cartography”)
In the exercises on “Thematic Cartography”, in which 79 students of geography, geodesy and geoinformatics participated in summer term 2005, the term began with an introduction to the e-learning-system. Then students use the module „Basics of Mapping“, that firstly repeats the declarative knowledge and comprises knowledge questions, which are multiple-choice tests. In the 2nd exercise knowledge about the cartographer’s visual resources as well as appliance of ArcGIS-Software is integrated. In the following self-study a thematic map has to be created. This project may be supported by modules, in which screen-videos are integrated. In the 3rd exercise an animated map is to create by support of the described module “Animated Maps”. This integration of modules into teaching activities is supplemented by evaluations of the target groups, the modules itself and system platforms to assure the quality of the e-learning offer sustainably.