2000
Index
Journal
of Geography in Higher Education Cumulative Index
ABSTRACT
Linda McDowell
(1994) has called for styles of teaching which put into practice arguments about
the 'politics of difference', which has become an increasingly central part
of human geographical research. This paper draws on a number of years' experience
of teaching an undergraduate course on multicultural historical geography, in
which this was attempted. Here students were encouraged to get more involved
in these debates, to take them more personally, and to develop 'situated knowledges'
about the UK as a multicultural society. The approach to teaching, learning
and assessment which made this possible was based on the principles of 'border
pedagogy' and on students writing journals throughout the course which charted
the development of their understandings of the materials they encountered
KEYWORDS
Border pedagogy, journal writing, politics of difference, transatlantic.
ABSTRACT
The value of communications skills in geographical education is briefly discussed.
In particular the lack of interview and interviewing practice is noted. The
use of realistic interviews as part of small-group project work has been developed
at Salford over 10 years. The elements include the drafting of job and person
specifications, the writing of a cv and covering letter, and the organisation
and running of interview panels. Detail is given of how the whole process is
assessed. Negotiation skills are also developed. An important element is the
realism of the process. The principal down-side is the amount of staff time
involved, but this is more than compensated for by the students' perceived value
of the skills developed.
KEYWORDS
Interview skills, interviewing skills, communication skills, project work, small
groups.
JOANNA E. BULLARD, Loughborough University, UK
MONICA MCLEAN, Keele University, UK
ABSTRACT
In the context of the trend towards the accreditation of university teachers
and the use of teaching portfolios as a form of assessment, the teaching portfolios
of eight novice university teachers of geography are analysed. The portfolios
are examined with reference to: how useful portfolios are for teacher development;
what they reveal about philosophies of teaching; what can be learned from portfolios
about the experience of novice teachers; and the extent to which discipline-specific
material appears. It was found that compiling portfolios can support a self-critical
and experimental approach to teaching and encourage reading and the use of pedagogic
theory. The paper concludes that portfolios can be useful tools as long as they
are embedded within well-thought-out programmes of training.
KEYWORDS
Teaching portfolios, higher education training programmes, philosophies of teaching,
mentors.
JOHN H. McKENDRICK, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
ANNABEL BOWDEN, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
ABSTRACT
Mass consumption of image-capture and image-(re)presentation technologies affords
opportunities for improved teaching and learning in disciplines which utilise
audio-visual data. This paper reports on a survey of geography departments in
the UK in which baseline data were collected on the availability, use and opinion
on the role of audio visual resources (AVRs) in teaching and learning. AVRs
are regarded positively and, on the whole, hardware is readily available. However,
the provision of software is uneven and there is considerable variation in the
strategic commitment toward, and management of, AVRs. Furthermore, larger departments
and those whose research was rated more favourably in the last Research Assessment
Exercise were found to be better resourced. There are signs of an emerging resource
gap with regard to more specialised AVR equipment. The findings are used to
propose audio-visual resource standards and to identify audio-visual products
for which there is market demand. There is demand for audio-visual products
that support fieldwork activity and it is recommended that further investment
is required in digital camcorders and PC-OHP projection units.
KEYWORDS
Audio-visual resources, geography, education, geography departments, Information
and Communication Technology (ICT).
SAMANTHA JONES, University College Chichester, UK
ABSTRACT
In comparison with the teaching of most other geography topics, where fieldwork
can be conducted relatively easily and seminars can be based on some pre-existing
knowledge and first-hand experience of the issues, the range of resources and
approaches available to tutors teaching the geography of development is necessarily
more limited. Tutors often have to rely more heavily on 'top-down' teaching
and more passive learning approaches, such as using videos, slides and lectures.
While students may gain a theoretical understanding of development concepts,
issues and problems, they may be left without a deeper 'experience' of such
material. This paper describes a practical workshop designed to communicate
to students the idea of 'appropriate technology'. The workshop enables students
to actively 'experience' a development concept rather than simply understand
it in theory. It tests comprehension and understanding, through the application
of a concept to real examples, stimulates discussion and debate, and draws upon
problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
KEYWORDS
Workshops, development geography, appropriate technology, soil and water conservation.
KAREN A. LEMKE & MICHAEL E. RITTER, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, USA
ABSTRACT
Despite the plethora of teaching materials that are available on the Internet
to enhance geography higher education, few assessments of the effectiveness
of these materials exist. This symposium collects papers that provide guidelines
for using the Internet effectively for teaching geography. Students must learn
how to use the Internet effectively to promote learning; instructors need to
learn how to use the Internet effectively to promote good practice in higher
education; instructors need to learn how to use the Internet effectively to
enhance learning; and higher educators need to learn how to use the Internet
effectively not only in traditional classroom settings, but in new, non-traditional
settings such as those used for distance learning. These papers provide some
assessment of these various aspects of using the Internet for teaching geography
in higher education.
KEYWORDS
Internet-enhanced education, assessment, effective teaching and learning strategies.
JENNIFER A. GOETT & KENNETH E. FOOTE, University of Texas at Austin
ABSTRACT
The use of Web-based learning environments involves cultivating new types of
study and research skills among students. Students must be able to find authoritative
sources efficiently, evaluate the quality of documents thoroughly, and use and
cite materials properly. Students may also need guidance in what constitutes
appropriate conduct in respect of the Internet and Web. They need to understand
the difference between citing a source and plagiarizing it, how to communicate
effectively and courteously by email, and how copyright law applies to resources
they wish to use. These issues can be addressed in classroom discussion or in
exercises woven into online learning materials and assignments.
KEYWORDS
Worldwide Web, Internet, study skills, netiquette.
MICHAEL E. RITTER & KAREN A. LEMKE, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA
ABSTRACT
This paper evaluates the use of the Internet to enhance learning and to promote
good practice in undergraduate education according to Chickering and Gamson's
(1991) principles. Results from a survey of 236 geography students over the
past 2 years indicate that the Internet can facilitate good educational practices.
Students believe use of email encouraged student-faculty contact. Active learning
is encouraged, but is not overwhelmingly favoured by students. Prompt feedback
is facilitated. Students also believe the Internet materials allow more efficient
use of time in and out of the classroom, and enhance their learning.
KEYWORDS
Internet, Worldwide Web, good practice, teaching and learning.
DAVID C. RICH, ANDREW J. PITMAN & MAREE V. GOSPER, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
ABSTRACT
Use of information technology (lT) is increasingly common in geography teaching
and learning. This paper outlines a still relatively unusual initiative involving
the integrated use of a variety of IT-based components across all aspects of
a large course unit. Multiple evaluations reveal strongly positive reactions
to the IT-based approach and the time and place flexibility offered; there are
few technical impediments to, and no detectable gender differences in, students'
use of the system. Most aspects of the integrated approach work well, although
it has not yet succeeded in facilitating a genuinely participative online dialogue.
Many aspects of the initiative can be transferred cost-effectively to other
contexts.
KEYWORDS
Information technology, Internet, Worldwide Web, teaching and learning, evaluation,
innovation.
JAMES A. BREY, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, Menasha, USA
ABSTRACT
The online data from the American Meteorological Society's DataStreme
course have been used successfully in a traditional undergraduate college weather
and climate class. DataStreme was designed to train K-12 teachers to
transform weather data into exciting learning experiences. Adaptation of these
materials so that some of this excitement could be infused in a traditional
college setting was the goal of this pedagogical experiment. These data and
associated learning materials have been adapted specifically for use in undergraduate
weather and climate courses and are now being made available by AMS as Online
Weather Studies. This paper describes and assesses the use of online data. The
assessment involved a comparison of student self-reports of factual knowledge
mastery, skills acquisition and satisfaction with the methods used in two sections
of the same course, one offered with the real-time weather data and one without.
KEYWORDS
Weather briefing, weather and climate lab activities, assessment.
SUSAN W. HARDWICK, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, USA
ABSTRACT
A major shift in educational paradigms from a competitive model to a more collaborative
model is now under way in higher education. Using collaborative theories espoused
by Freire, Bruffee and other scholars working outside the discipline of geography,
this paper presents an argument for integrating their collaborative approach
into distance education courses at the postgraduate level. The Step Up to
Geography Through Distance Learning project is used to provide one innovative
model that integrates not only the collaborative method of instruction, but
also the use of a multi-layered system of instructional technologies including
use of desktop videoconferencing and the Internet.
KEYWORDS
Collaboration, distance education, computer-based learning.
DAVID DIBIASE, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
ABSTRACT
The Internet is a hospitable medium for distance learning. Some geography educators
fear that distance education confronts the discipline with a moral dilemma,
however. One, in particular, acknowledges some of the advantages of distance
learning, but contends that it cannot convey the sense of place that is 'the
essence of what it means to be a geographer'. This paper is concerned with the
morality of distance learning. In particular, it considers educators' obligations
to deliver quality education, and to make it as widely accessible as possible.
The paper stresses that the key distinction between distance learning and traditional
resident instruction is not the mode of delivery, nor is it the distances in
time and space that separate students and teachers. Rather, it is that distance
learners are a qualitatively different, older population, with different educational
needs from traditional on-campus undergraduates and graduate students. The paper
argues that geography educators have a moral obligation to serve lifelong learners,
an obligation that should take precedence over our allegiance to conventional
notions about what constitutes the essence of our field.
KEYWORDS
Distance education, geography education, GIS education, morality, ethics.
Page created 25 May 2000