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Statewide Meeting at American River Community College Meeting Notes submitted by Linda Sanford (Laney College) Meeting Participants: Edward Aguado, CSU San Diego, John Aubert,
American River College, Carol Jean Cox, Sierra College, Craig Davis,
Sacramento City College, Irena Delusina, American River College,
Vicki Drake, Santa Monica College, Gail Hobbs, L.A. Pierce College,
Kris Jones, Saddleback College, Steve LaDochy, Cal State L.A., Rheyna
Laney, CSU Sonoma, Paul Melcon, CSU Chico, Mike Reibel, Cal Poly
Pomona, Melanie Patton Renfrew, Los Angeles Harbor College, Bill
Russell, L.A. Pierce College, Linda Sanford, Laney College, Debra
Sharkey, Cosumnes River College, Michael Wangler, Cuyamaca College,
Suzanne Wechsler, CSU Long Beach. Morning Discussion led by Melanie Patton Renfrew, Lead Geography Discipline Faculty: 1. Concerns about articulation of California Geography. The problems arise in relation to whether the course is taught at the upper division or lower division level. Some 4-year institutions want to retain the course at the upper division level. There are, in reality, "turf" issues that prevent articulation in some instances. 2. Proposals of new CAN numbers for lower division courses for three courses: California Geography, Introduction to Maps and Geographic Images, and Introduction to Weather and Climate. The CAN numbers will apply both to courses for geography majors and to general education courses. *Meeting participants agreed to the proposal for a CAN for California Geography even though the articulation issues are unresolved (one abstention). *Meeting participants agreed to propose the proposal for a CAN for Introduction to Weather and Climate (unanimous) *Discussion of Maps course: see below. 3. Minimum qualifications for CCC instructors that teach any geography course should be a MA/MS in Geography. *Meeting participants agreed that any and all geography courses be taught by instructors holding a minimum of a MA/MS in Geography. 4. Field Trip Risks and Benefits. Some colleges are unfriendly in regard to field trips due to liability concerns although the State Education Code and Title V state that field experience is an important and valuable part of education. There is a need for a statewide standard, even though individual colleges retain the right to determine their individual risk of liability. Geography as a discipline is inherently field based. Therefore it is vital that geography students have field experiences. 5. New State academic standards require that K-12 Earth Science teachers receive training in the core components of physical geography. In most teacher training programs, Earth Science for Teachers is a required course. This is typically taught in the Geology Department. Physical Geography also meets the content required for the new K-12 standards. *Further discussion necessary. 6 Lower Division Preparation for Geography Majors (skill sets and competencies). Core curriculum agreed upon (unanimous): Physical Geography or Physical Geography with Lab One additional course in Physical or Biological Science One course in Information Competence (Computer Literacy) Desirable electives include (2 or more courses): Afternoon Breakout Sessions : 7. *Field Statement (unanimous agreement). The participants agreed on the following statement of belief and encouragement to fellow geographers, administrators, and faculty in other disciplines that benefit from field learning: Field Learning as Excellent Pedagogy Geography is rooted in fieldwork. Field experience is vital for education in geography and other disciplines. We learn by doing, and field trips stimulate senses which activate long-term memory, encourage critical thinking, and complement and enhance classroom instruction. Some educational institutions have become overly cautious to the extent of restricting or even eliminating field trip programs. We think this is an error. Title V and the California Educational Code include language that recognizes the value of field-based learning: it is excellent pedagogy, and should be supported as a regular part of geographic education. 8. (Melanie Renfrew's Note: One of the most exciting things happened in 2 years of IMPAC Geography Discussions when faculty from 6 CSU's and 6-7 CCC's met around a table, exchanged viewpoints and opinions energetically, and came to agreement on the following. Although it varies a bit from the regional discussions, having the strong statewide CSU and CCC representatives there and the remarkable agreement among them adds extra strength to this decision.) Introduction to Mapping and Geographic Information Science After lengthy discussion it was decided to revise last year's proposed CAN Descriptor for Introduction to GIS to include this year's proposed description for Introduction to Mapping and Geographic Images. The reasoning is that most Intro to GIS courses at 4-year institutions are upper division courses. In contrast, most Intro to Mapping courses are lower division. All six representatives from CSU campuses present at this meeting said that they would not articulate the Intro to GIS course as previously described because it was not explicit about academic content about maps, projections, scales, etc. The community college geographers there who teach Intro. to GIS (e.g., Vicki Drake, Gail Hobbs) stated strongly that mapping concepts are very much a part of their courses, and the CSU faculty felt that if so, these courses should indeed articulate. Also, to reflect the need for academic content as well as technical training in the software, the group decided to change the "Systems" in the CAN descriptor title to "Science": G.I.S. is an acronym for both Geographic Information Systems and Geographic Information Science. *New description for proposal for a CAN designation (agreed upon with one dissent): [Suzanne Wechsler's summary: The following course description merges the CAN Descriptors for "Introduction to Maps and Geographic Images" with "Introduction to Geographic Information Systems." The resulting course will serve as the descriptor for a lower division course that will articulate with comparable lower division courses at 4-year institutions. At the statewide meeting, both CSU and CC faculty determined that this resulting course better reflects the goals and content of existing introduction to GIS classes at both the CC and 4-year level]. Introduction to Mapping and Geographic Information Science [Name change from previous recommended CAN descriptors] This course provides an introduction to mapping and geographic information science. Includes interpretation of maps and mapping techniques, topographic maps, scale, map projections, map symbols, grid systems, surveying, digital maps and satellite imagery, field methods and data collection. Introduces use of computer systems and software for geographic analysis, the nature of spatial data, geographic data structures, data acquisition, analysis, display of geographic data and examples of practical applications, combining discussion of conceptual topics with practical exercises using microcomputer software. Renfrew's Summary: In conclusion, this statewide meeting was a
great success. New CSU faculty participated from both northern and
southern parts of the state, and everyone was open to discussion
and understanding the other viewpoints, yet felt free to avidly
express contrast as well. This kind of dialogue and exchange is
what the IMPAC Program is designed to do. As Mike Reibel emphasized,
"This is fun!" |