Syllabus
GEO 2470
Introduction to GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
Hybrid Course
Fall 2008
Synonym 25699
Contact Information
Instructor: Dr. Mary Beth Booth, OD
Office: Room 2145, Building 2000
Northridge Campus
E-mail: mbooth@austincc.edu
Telephone: 512-223-4023
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a computer-based tool that uses spatial (geographic) data to analyze and solve real-world problems. This course is designed to introduce the student to the basic principles and techniques of GIS. The lab material will emphasize GIS data collection, entry, storage, analysis, and output using ArcGIS.
Required Textbook/Materials
USB Drive (aka thumb drive, pen drive, flash drive, etc). This drive should have at least 1GB of storage.
Ormsby, Tim et al. 2004. Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press. Second Edition. NOTE: You MUST use the second addition. The software has changed significantly from the First Edition. Make sure the CD in the book is the 9.2 version
Required Technology for the Hybrid course
A computer with the following minimum specifications:
Platform: PC-Intel
Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000
Processor: 1.6 GHz
Memory/RAM: 1 GB minimum (2 GB recommended)
DVD-ROM Drive
Disk space: 2.4 GB
Reliable Internet access and a working email address ("working" also means that your mailbox is not full.)
The course will be taught with a combination of lectures, lab exercises, and lab projects.
This section of Introduction to GIS will be taught as a Classroom Hybrid course. One day each week, students meet with the instructor on campus for the lecture portion of the class; the remainder of the coursework is completed independently. You will complete the lab work using your own computer & the ArcGIS software that will be provided to you.
"Hybrid" is the name commonly used to describe courses that combine traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online computer-based learning. ACC Hybrid courses combine the best of two worlds, engaging students in the active, autonomous learning process of an Internet-based PCM course, while also providing regularly scheduled interaction with the course instructor.
Hybrid courses offer a number of advantages over face-to-face teaching and online-only courses, including increased student learning and retention rates. The flexibility of the Hybrid format allows students to enjoy the convenience of scheduling courses to better fit their busy lives, and benefit from the self-directed learning activities, advancing their time management, critical-thinking, and technical skills.
Course rationale
Introduction to GIS is designed to provide the students with an understanding of the methods and theories of spatial analysis that will allow students to apply GIS knowledge and skills to everyday life and their chosen careers, to apply the course towards an associate’s degree at Austin Community College, and to prepare them for success in upper division courses in GIS at other institutions.
By the end of this course, the student
· Will be able to describe what geography and GIS are
· Will understand the importance of scale, projection, and coordinate systems in GIS
· Will understand vector and raster data structures and the appropriate use of each of these data structures
· Will understand the basics of data capture, storage, analysis, and output in a GIS
· Will understand typical uses of GIS in business, government, and resource management
Tests
There will be four lecture exams. Each test is worth a maximum of 100 points. I will drop the lowest grade of your first three tests grades. If you miss a test for ANY reason, that will be the test grade I drop. Everyone MUST take the fourth test. There are NO make-up tests. There are NO retests.
Lab Projects
There will be three lab projects that will be worth a total of 100 points. See the lab syllabus for details about these projects
Chapter Exercises
For 15 of the textbook chapters, you will turn in the completed textbook lab exercise. Each chapter’s exercise will be worth a total of 2 points.
Lab projects 100 points
Chapter Exercises 30 points
Total Points Available 430 points
A 387 to 430 points
B 344 to 386 points
C 301 to 343 points
D 258 to 300 points
F 0 to 257 points
*Note: The grade of “I” (Incomplete) is very rarely assigned in this course. In the event that a true emergency (such as hospitalization) prevents the student from taking the last test, a grade of “I” may possibly be given at the discretion of the instructor. Incompletes must be made up by the middle of Spring semester, 2009, or the “I” will automatically be converted to an “F”.
Success in this class will depend on your commitment to the class. You are responsible for any announcements made in class and lab even if you were not in class that day. Students who miss class/lab need to hand in assignments (if there are any) on time and need to make their own arrangements to obtain related notes, handouts, or announcements.
Students with Special Needs
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.
Classroom Policy
The classroom will be a place in which we will discuss and debate many issues this semester. As college students and professors, we must make the classroom a safe place for stimulating discussion and academic growth. This class will be conducted in a manner that honors common courtesy and mutual respect for all students. In this spirit, turn off all cell phones and pagers before you enter the classroom. Really – this applies to you.
Lecture Notes
Lecture note outlines will be available on ACC’s Blackboard website (http://acconline.austincc.edu) In order to log into Blackboard, you will need your ACCeID. Your ACCeID will consist of the first letter of your official first name followed by your 7-digit ID number. Your 7-digit ID number can be found on one of the following:
· ACC ID Card
· Student Grade Mailer
· Fee Statement
· Pay Advice/Check Stub
· ACC Online Services
Faculty, staff, and students will choose their own password, which must be changed regularly. To activate your ACCeID, go to ACC’s main webpage (www.austincc.edu) and follow the link under the big gold key.
Once you have activated your ACCeID, log into Blackboard (http://acconline.austincc.edu). Follow the link to this course (GEOG 2470). If you are not familiar with Blackboard, go to http://itdl.austincc.edu/blackboard/ for online support help.
These lecture notes are OUTLINES only and do NOT substitute for class attendance. They are NOT comprehensive. I provide them as a courtesy to you so that you will not have to transcribe the PowerPoint slides. You are still expected to take notes on the material presented in class. I make no promises that the lecture outlines are complete. We may also discuss other things in class that are not on the lecture outlines; however you will still be responsible for knowing that material. I encourage you to print the notes out BEFORE you come to class.
Handouts
Occasionally additional material will be handed out during class. It is the student's responsibility to obtain handouts from other class members if the student misses class. The instructor will NOT provide handouts to students who miss class.
Topic-Specific Study Guides
Study Guides for each topic are available on Blackboard. The study guides are meant as an aid to help you check your comprehension of the material. To access the study guides, click on the “Study Guides” button on the main Blackboard web page for this class.
This is how you should use the study guides: When you believe that you really know the material, look at the study guide for that topic. You should be able to easily define the key concepts and answer the review questions. If you are having difficulty, you need to go back and study some more. The study guides are not meant to be comprehensive.
Students enrolled in this class are responsible for observing the policy on academic integrity described in the 2008-2009 ACC Student Handbook.
Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.
If a student commits any of the above actions, the instructor may seek disciplinary action in the form of an academic penalty (which may include a course grade of 'F'). Such disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the instructor.
Academic Freedom
Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but the students and instructor may also find that they have disparate views on sensitive and volatile topics. It is my hope that these differences will enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere where students and instructor alike will be encouraged to think and learn. Therefore, be assured that your grades will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in assignments. Rather, we will all respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.
The last day to withdraw from this course for the Fall 2007 session is Monday November 24, 2008. It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from the course if needed. The instructor will NOT withdraw students from the class.
Studying
As a college-level academic course, this is a challenging course that will cover a lot of material. Every semester, I am asked what the best way to study for this class is. Clearly there is no one right way to study. But I have two suggestions that may help you master the material. First, every day after class, go home and rewrite your notes so they make sense to you. Second, every night, review all of the material for that test. So on the first day of class, rewrite your notes and review the first day’s material. Every day until class meets again, review the first day’s material. When class meets for the second time, rewrite those notes and then study the material for the first & second day. Every day until class meets again, review the first day’s and the second day’s material. By the time test time rolls around, the earlier material will be very familiar to you, so you can concentrate on learning the newer material.
GIS Mailing List
I maintain a email list of current and former students. Whenever I am notified about jobs, internships, GIS conferences, etc., I send out the information to my mailing list. If you want to be on this mailing list, please send me an email (mbooth@austincc.edu) letting me know that. In the body of the email, put your name and the email address you would like me to use for the mailing list.
ESRI Publications
ESRI has many free publications for GIS users. ArcNews and ArcUser are particularly helpful. You can sign up for these publications at the ESRI website (www.esri.com)
Finally
Here are a few things to remember:
1. Neither I nor other instructors give you grades. You earn grades. The ways you earn points towards your grade are detailed in this syllabus.
2. These are the rules.
3. The rules are not negotiable.
4. The rules apply to you.
If you remember these things, we will all have a much more pleasant and productive semester.
Welcome to the class!
The instructor reserves the right to change the lecture schedule if necessary.
|
Subject
|
Date |
|
Introduction / Definition of GIS
|
August 25 |
|
No Class - Labor Day |
Sept 1
|
|
The Many Uses of GIS
|
Sept 8 |
|
Scale, Projection, Coordinate Systems
|
Sept 15 |
Test 1/Lab
|
Sept 22 |
Data Structures – Vector
|
Sept 29 |
|
Data Structures – Raster |
Sept 29 and Oct 6 |
|
Cartography
|
Oct 6 and 13 |
|
Test 2/Lab
|
Oct 20 |
|
Data Capture
|
Oct 27 |
|
Database Management
|
Oct 27 and Nov 3 |
Statistical Analysis
|
Nov 10 |
Test 3/Lab |
Nov 17 |
Spatial Analysis
|
Nov 24 and Dec 1 |
|
Overview of GIS Industry
|
Dec 1 |
Test 4
|
Dec 8 |
Map Presentations |
Dec 8
|