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While geographic search filters exist, few of them are validated and there are currently none that focus on Germany. We aimed to develop and validate a highly sensitive geographic search filter for MEDLINE (PubMed) that identifies studies about Germany. First, using the relative recall method, we created a gold standard set of studies about Germany, dividing it into 'development' and 'testing' sets. Next, candidate search terms were identified using (i) term frequency analyses in the 'development set' and a random set of MEDLINE records; and (ii) a list of German geographic locations, compiled by our team. Then, we iteratively created the filter, evaluating it against the 'development' and 'testing' sets. To validate the filter, we conducted a number of case studies (CSs) and a simulation study. For this validation we used systematic reviews (SRs) that had included studies about Germany but did not restrict their search strategy geographically. When applying the filter to the original search strategies of the 17 SRs eligible for CSs, the median precision was 2.64% (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.34%-6.88%) versus 0.16% (IQR: 0.10%-0.49%) without the filter. The median number-needed-to-read (NNR) decreased from 625 (IQR: 211-1042) to 38 (IQR: 15-76). The filter achieved 100% sensitivity in 13 CSs, 85.71% in 2 CSs and 87.50% and 80% in the remaining 2 CSs. In a simulation study, the filter demonstrated an overall sensitivity of 97.19% and NNR of 42. The filter reliably identifies studies about Germany, enhancing screening efficiency and can be applied in evidence syntheses focusing on Germany.

Scholars have become increasingly interested in identifying a more effective set of core teaching practices for developing teacher education and professional development programs. Although they have conducted many investigations within this realm over the past two decades, these efforts have focused mainly upon science, language arts, math, and music. The existing body of academic literature contains only a few studies that examine the social studies context, and this deficiency ignores the field of geography. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by exploring the core practices of geographic inquiry. A Delphi method was used to identify the core practices for teaching geographic inquiry. The findings were derived from a three-round Delphi panel survey involving 27 experts in the geography education field, helping to build consensus around a set of core secondary school geography teaching practices. The results revealed that experts considered eight practices to be core for facilitating geographic inquiry: (1) use geographic questions; (2) explain geographic concepts, principles, and processes; (3) select and adapt geographic sources; (4) use geographic/spatial representation and geospatial technology tools; (5) develop geographic reasoning; (6) evaluate sources and employ geographic evidence; (7) construct geographic explanations and predictions; and (8) develop informed-geographic action. These eight core practices for facilitating geographic inquiry do not function separately; rather, they operate simultaneously and in an interconnected manner in which more than one practice works to facilitate inquiry.

Through a multistakeholder partnership, this research aims to catalyze the development of a blue economy corridor (BEC) through community-based asset mapping in the eastern portion of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin in North Carolina, a geographic area predominated by physically and culturally rural landscapes. Underpinned by appreciative inquiry, this project aims to counter a deficit model of community development in this portion of eastern North Carolina by increasing awareness of quality of life assets that communities currently possess and may leverage for sustainable economic, environmental, and social development through their inclusion in a digital interactive map freely available to the public.

Despite the advantages that pervasive tools have brought to education, studies related to the use of pervasive tools are still unclear. The present study systematically reviews the impact of utilizing pervasive tools to provide a comprehensive analysis of 30 research articles published between 2010-2022. The main findings from this study include the types of pervasive tools used and the benefits of utilizing the pervasive tools for learning purposes. The findings of this study provide useful insights into the types of pervasive tools and the impact they have brought on students' learning processes in current higher education settings.

Background: Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) predominantly centers learning around individual goal setting and experiences and has not traditionally elevated Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Purpose: This research focuses on understanding how student learning and inquiry is affected through OAE that emphasizes the importance of IKS as a starting point for environmental and experiential data collection. Methodology/Approach: Over the course of two multi-day river trips on Idaho's Salmon River during the summer of 2023, 30 incoming university students encountered an Adventure Learning (AL) educational framework centered around IKS. Students used citizen science methods to collect environmental and experiential data to be shared digitally using GIS applications prior to oncampus learning. Web-based surveys will be sent to assess learning impacts. Results will be analyzed for changes in appreciation and awareness of IKS. Conclusions: We anticipate that the data will demonstrate an appreciation and awareness of other ways of knowing within OAE that decenters a Western epistemic ideal of goal driven knowledge production and elevates IKS as a recognized and respected approach to knowledge production. Implications: Incorporating a hybrid environment for incoming university students to address personal knowledge production in context to IKS will promote various decolonizing projects within higher education through shifting student inquiry.

This study explores the contrasting racialized geographies of St. Louis County and factors of local college accessibility by re-framing the concepts of college deserts and oases post the Ferguson uprising. Through a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis of educational divides, capital accumulation, and policing, we found dual spatial landscapes: a geography of Whiteness and higher education capital accumulation in southern St. Louis and a predominantly Black working-class geography of Ferguson in northern St. Louis. These dual landscapes capture the social, economic, and racial contexts of St. Louis as it informs the discourse of college-going.

Geographic information systems (GIS) have started to be used in developing information to be used for national and regional development in many areas; however, the use of this system for educational planning has been under-researched. Adopting the case study design, this study evaluated the current locations of primary schools in Afyonkarahisar and offered alternative locations in order to improve access to primary education for the schoolaged population using heuristic location-allocation modelling approaches. An intelligent areal interpolation approach was performed to generate the population surface. The demand surface was used as input to a location-allocation analysis, and alternative locations were suggested. With the current distribution of primary schools, the primary school-aged population would have to travel an average distance of 1466.81m to access primary education. The results show that alternative primary school locations decreased the average travel distance by 339.69m, improving overall accessibility to primary schools. The results suggest that geospatial methods can be used to provide documentary evidence to support education planners and policymakers.

In many ways, Arizona is on the forefront of school choice: in addition to a state-wide open enrollment law, it was one of the first states to adopt charter school legislation in 1994 and currently has the second-highest percentage of public school students attending charter schools in the nation. Despite the extensive research on school choice, less is known about whether choice systems meaningfully impart more opportunities for students classified as English learners, a diverse group that has been the subject of multiple discriminatory policies and has one of the lowest graduation rates in the state. The current paper uses geospatial analysis to examine English learner participation in school choice in one Arizona metropolitan area. The results indicate that charter schools consistently under-enroll EL students regardless of demographic variability across geographic locations. Charter school locational patterns may be one contributing factor to EL enrollment disparities, though they are not likely to be the only reason. Employing a conceptual framework of motility or "mobility capital" (Kaufman et al., 2004) and a critical stance on the spatial dimensions of neoliberal reforms, findings suggest that unregulated school choice may not reliably provide improved schooling options for students classified as English learners.

The zonation system is one of the efforts of the Indonesian Government to improve the quality of education services continuously, but the implementation is still considered less useful. Some areas were still grouped into the different zone from the original. Based on this problem, the solution needed for the zonation mapping of each school so that the apparent zonation limit can be resolved. An application that can map schools in an area based on housing for prospective students is a solution that can be considered at this time. This research showed the implementation of Voronoi diagrams to cluster the area based on the school position within Bengkulu City. The system was also capable of mapping the residential of the student address to match the choice for registration in available secondary school and senior high school. The implementation of the system showed a better result for school zonation over Bengkulu City based on web geographic information system (Web GIS). Furthermore, the comparison analysis over the existing system also showed that the performance of the Voronoi diagram for school zonation the method could solve the problem of the overlapping zonation with Radius method. Three hundred fifty students validated this system to show the performance of this method. The result showed that 72.05% of students matched the first choice, while 27.95% of students matched the second choice. This research showed the analysis of the value of this gap appeared due to the student preferences and school capacity factors.

A student's transition into higher education or a new learning environment can set the foundation for the remainder of their study, both in perception and academic ability. Mentoring is a transition intervention strategy and most types of these interventions are student peer to peer. However, there is a growing interest in academic involvement in mentoring and consequently this paper is an investigation into the effective implementation of assigning students with an academic staff buddy or mentor in the transition period of their first year of higher education i.e. the Staff Student Buddy System (SSBS). The analysis focusses on using two measures to inform the results by qualitatively analysing the feedback from the students, and quantitatively measuring the difference in academic performance of both student participants and non-participants. The sample of the students come from the University of South Australia, and the qualitative analysis indicated that students enjoyed SSBS, particularly with the ability to ask questions to those that would be teaching them. The quantitative statistical evidence indicated that SSBS could be a positive factor on a student's Grade Point Average. Overall, the conclusion was that that the combination of the SSBS and these students produced improved academic performance while providing a positive student experience.

This paper explored the experiences of geography subject advisors (GSAs) in the implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in South African schools. This was done to determine how they assist in the implementation of GIS. National senior certificate diagnostic reports for matric results indicate every year that learners are performing poorly in the GIS section of geography subject. The current literature shows that there is a lack of pedagogical content knowledge in geography teachers in the teaching and learning of GIS. Several scholars have written about learners and educators in the implementation of GIS in schools, but there is a lack of literature on GSAs' experiences in the implementation of GIS in schools. This paper is underpinned by instructional leadership theory, which argues for leadership to focus their efforts on implementing of practices that positively impact students' learning. Qualitative research approach, and semi-structured interviews were used to generate data to answer the research questions. Two GSAs from two selected districts were purposively chosen to participate in this study. The findings showed that GSAs organise workshops for educators. However, certain educators do not attend workshops and other workshops which are planned, do not materialise. GSAs rely on geography educators that are knowledgeable about GIS to assist in workshops by teaching others. GIS teaching in schools was alleged to be focused on a theoretical aspect without integrating the practical part. The study proposes that the DBE in collaboration with higher education institutions, should provide GIS teacher training opportunities for teachers. [Note: The page range (63-73) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 63-72.]

Learning geography in Indonesia philosophically aims to develop spatial literacy. Students must improve spatial literacy to form reasoning skills and apply spatial concepts in real life. Applying Gersmehl's spatial learning can improve students' spatial literacy through syntax arranged based on spatial aspects. The use of google earth helps students to complete case studies of disaster mitigation materials without the need to go directly to the field. This quasi-experimental research refers to the posttestonly control group design by comparing the posttest of spatial literacy in the experimental and control classes. This study involved students of class XI IPS SMAN 1 Blitar City. The instrument is a five-point description test based on indicators of spatial literacy in disaster mitigation materials standardized with validity and reliability tests. The research data were analyzed using normality, homogeneity, and hypothesis tests. The data tested were in the form of posttest scores for spatial literacy in the experimental and control classes. The results of Gersmehl's spatial learning influence spatial literacy. The use of LKPD bridges the implementation of spatial learning syntax with Google Earth as a geospatial medium. The implementation of syntax in spatial learning is interrelated with spatial literacy indicators, thereby increasing students' spatial literacy based on experience and spatial recognition.

Military Families and the Arts is an ArcGIS StoryMaps collection that serves military families by mapping art museums and arts centers located near active-duty military installations. The interactive maps are organized by military branch and browsable by an alphabetical list of active-duty military installations. The ArcGIS StoryMaps collection serves three primary functions: to assist military spouses pursuing a career in the arts with finding a comprehensive list of potential employers, to assist military dependents with finding arts-related opportunities to network into their current or new communities, and to assist military families with finding art-related activities near their military installation in the continental United States.

While rural communities are not monolithic, many have seen recent shifts in demographics from historically homogenous populations to more racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse residents (e.g., Sharp & Lee, 2017; Brenner, 2016). Such shifts can occur very rapidly as new regional economic, social, or political forces emerge and are particularly impactful on educational communities which may have little time to adjust to the distinct needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students (Hansen-Thomas et al., 2016). Without clear systems for addressing such changes, reactionary policies to address the accompanying conflict can establish marginalized communities, deficit-based perspectives, and structural inequities (Lee & Sharp, 2017). As an alternative approach, this paper outlines promising practices for systemic approaches to addressing the ongoing professional development needs for teachers in rural communities who are supporting students from increasingly diverse backgrounds. These practices provide the support and professional development that is needed to meet emerging student needs and strengthen educators' self-efficacy (Flores et al., 2008) in relation to working with diverse populations. Research addressing the specific needs of a growing number of rural districts with low-incidence populations of students who are learning English as an additional language, known as "English learners" or "ELs," is limited. This paper, then, focuses on state-level teacher certification policies and accompanying postsecondary teacher training programs that are designed to ensure that teachers are prepared to meet the needs of students who are learning English as an additional language.

The widely utilized Global Positioning System (GPS) plays a crucial role in everyday navigation. The literature has predominantly focused on GPS use for reaching destinations rather than exploring its various strategic applications and relations with individual factors. The current paper is intended to develop a GPS Uses Scale assessing a variety of GPS uses for wayfinding and other GPS uses (Study 1). We also examine whether GPS uses are related to gender, age, self-efficacy and pleasure in exploring, dependence on GPS devices, and environment knowledge (Study 2). In Study 1, 365 participants completed the new GPS Uses Scale and the McGill GPS questionnaire, for assessing validity. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a structure as five-level factors, good reliability, and validity. In Study 2, 200 participants completed the GPS Uses Scale, self-efficacy and pleasure in exploring scale, GPS dependence scale, and a sketch map task after learning a virtual city from a video. Results from the linear model showed that those who use GPS for strategic purposes reported higher self-efficacy and pleasure in exploring as well as dependence on GPS. Moreover, those who use GPS for orientation purposes reported higher dependency on GPS and had higher scores on the map task (environment knowledge). Men were less likely to use GPS for orientation. The present paper outlines the importance of assessing the various uses of GPS, suggesting self-efficacy and dependence on GPS, and contributes to its strategic use.

Practical training is important for community college students to gain high-impact real-world experience. This study aims to evaluate the impact of practical training of remote internships of community college and two-year associate degree students on spatiotemporal GIS learning during the pandemic. Anonymous pre- and post-internship surveys and in-person focus groups were conducted, ensuring the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Outcomes reveal discernible enhancements across all skill domains, encompassing technical proficiencies and soft skills such as research, presentation, and time management. Findings provide valuable insights for refining the efficacy of similar internship programs.

Geospatial expertise draws on and recognizes a vast array of seemingly unrelated interconnections allowing the geographer to find solutions to otherwise incomprehensible problems. Geospatial thinking involves both time and space, acknowledges cause-and-effect relationships of geographic phenomena at multiple scales, and recognizes the impact of spatial and temporal scale on processes. The complexity of geographic thinking necessitates an equally complex set of learning experiences that collectively are characterized by the professional geographer. Due to the inherent complexity of geospatial expertise, its nuanced relationship to spatial thinking, and a lack of research on how individuals attain geospatial expertise, we organized an interdisciplinary group of experts to present their perspectives on developing geospatial expertise in this special edition. In this introduction, we review geospatial expertise and distinguish it from spatial thinking, review research on developing geospatial expertise, and end with recommendations for future research. Through these reviews and recommendations, this introduction provides background context for the articles in this special edition and elucidates their connections. Given the complexity of geospatial expertise, it is only through connecting researchers and educators across multiple disciplines that the nature of one of the most integrative professional disciplines -- that of the geographer -- can be fully understood.

Recruiting undergraduate students is a significant challenge for undergraduate geography programs. Few students have robust exposure to geography in secondary school and the major has low name recognition for entering first year students. In fact, geography is often a "found" major on many campuses with students coming to the major after a general education course. But, does it need to be this way? Can geography programs take a more proactive role in building a pipeline of prospective students that is not solely tied to supporting AP Human geography teachers? In this paper, we describe an alternative path for university departments to build strong recruiting pathways, sharing the successes and challenges of building the connections and the learning advantages that students gain through early exposure to geospatial technologies. We focus on the Geospatial Semester, a dual enrollment program between James Madison University and participating school districts in Virginia (and beyond) that began in 2005. We share how departments can build a successful partnership with high schools and the process of sustaining such a program within a university setting. We will also describe the research we have done on the learning gains the Geospatial Semester provides to participating students and how extended use of geospatial technology bolters students' spatial thinking skills.

Master of Science (M.S.) programs, including geography through geographic information science and technology (M.S. GIST), play a key part in training the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce. A master's thesis has been a traditional part of geography programs, and across all kinds of disciplines the value of a thesis is well-recognized. However, delivering master's thesis supervision for large cohorts may result in lengthy completion times and poor completion rates. A growing literature focuses on master's thesis supervision across a wide array of disciplines, but no study focuses on the master's thesis for M.S. GIST programs. We offer a mixed-methods case study of a large, online M.S. GIST program showing how problems developed and were resolved over a 13-year period with program-wide structural reforms. Reform elements included increased attention to writing skills in admissions review, addition of writing instruction, earlier student engagement, staff engagement, faculty engagement, and development of thesis courses. Reforms shortened completion times and increased thesis completion rates while sustaining diversity and quality of thesis projects. Although this case study echoes many strategies found in the literature, it emphasizes that replication likely requires linking solutions together through structural reforms across a master's degree program.

Empirical evidence is insufficient on the specific roles GIS learning plays in developing students' understanding various spatial concepts. The present study aims to draw attention to common struggles of learning some spatial concepts in geography and offer directions for future research on GIS learning and the development of student spatial concept lexicon. Three types of technical terms -- neutral, helpful associations, and hindering associations -- by Glessmer and Brose (2014) provided an excellent framework to explain why some concepts are more or less difficult for students to grasp. Our findings suggest that learning map scale and map projection are relatively easy because they are neutral and introduced as a new vocabulary. Overlay and density are terms provoking helpful associations because they carry a similar meaning in everyday language, so most students had no problems understanding the meaning of these concepts. Spatial association seemed to elicit unhelpful association because everyday use of the term, association, is not precise enough to define spatial association, resulting in students confused with other terms. Future research must be done in the context of GIS requiring students to be able to not only know spatial concepts but clearly articulate these concepts regarding various GIS applications.

Technological development has experienced exponential growth, providing more opportunity for enhancing scientific progress based on objective measures. To date, accelerometer (movement monitors) and subjective observations have led researchers to create a mark of reference in preschool education; however, the use of positioning technology is still scarce. The aim of the present article was to analyze previous research that provided behavioral information on preschoolers based on positioning systems, in order to provide a mark of reference and identify possibilities for future research. The results revealed that six studies used global positioning systems (GPS), one used a geometrical information system (GIS), and another one used video cameras for detecting location through a gridding technique. Overall, four articles used positioning systems to detect each child's indoor/outdoor location, three used these systems to identify physical activity (PA) levels, and two used systems to detect social interactions. In conclusion, the use of positioning systems in future studies is necessary to open up new lines of research to collect data in early childhood.

This paper describes the integration of geographic information system (GIS) technology in a high school environmental science classroom, specifically examining the impact of GIS technology on student engagement, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning for Education for Sustainability (EfS). This environmental science classroom utilized ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps to facilitate hands-on learning, enabling students to explore spatial relationships, analyze data, and communicate insights to foster engagement and critical thinking. This GIS technology promotes interdisciplinary learning by connecting essential environmental issues with location and other social factors. Students deepen their understanding of human-environment interactions by interpreting spatial data, empowering them to propose sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Using ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps, students engaged in guided lessons, explored sustainability topics, and created their own StoryMaps based on the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings highlight positive engagement, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning impacts. Students demonstrated increased interest, understanding of complex issues, and developed analytical skills through spatial data analysis. The approach encouraged interdisciplinary thinking and expanded awareness of ongoing environmental challenges, supporting EfS goals.

This article presents a study evaluating student perceptions of learning experiences creating ArcGIS StoryMaps. The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives ("Bloom's Taxonomy") provides a framework for organising, analysing, and interpreting a survey completed by 154 students from high school to postgraduate. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods we found student perceptions of the "level" of learning to be similar across education cohorts in the cognitive domain, exhibit some differences in psychomotor domain, and are markedly different in the affective domain. In terms of "what" they learned, postgraduates perceive the experience as being mostly about "communicating ideas or storytelling" more than undergraduates who, in addition, tend to see the experience as "preparing maps" and "working with geographic information systems." Undergraduates tend to conflate gaining knowledge (cognitive) with learning skills (psychomotor), suggesting a greater focus on working with the technology. Most students across all education levels found the learning experience challenging and beneficial (affective) though some students did not. We conclude that while the creation of StoryMaps is good for student retention and offers an effective scaffolding framework for geography and GIS education, it is important for educators to design StoryMap learning activities using clearly defined learning outcomes and assessment rubrics.

Collaboration is an essential practice linked to improved postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities and many school systems depend on special educators to broker this collaboration and engage meaningful partners throughout the transition planning process. Community asset mapping is a strategy for locating and leveraging resources and is rooted in the idea that community resources (e.g., people, programs, providers) can be activated to gain access to information, advice, and assistance that can improve personal outcomes. This article describes Mapping Assets for Postschool Success (MAPS), an innovative five-step approach that leverages Google My Maps for digital asset mapping that could support the transition to adulthood. The article focuses on the process of developing base maps, which is the prerequisite to developing personalized maps for students, and discusses strategies for practitioners to utilize the base map as part of ongoing efforts to empower youth and families with knowledge about resources and opportunities during the transition planning process.

Technology Mandatory (Tech Mandatory) is a compulsory subject for New South Wales (NSW) Stage 4 students and aims to engage students in production and design activities applicable to Agriculture and Food Technologies (AFT), Digital Technologies (DT), Engineered Systems and Material Technologies. The GPS Cows Module, an agricultural education module focused on livestock and Global Positioning System (GPS) livestock data, was co-designed by the NSW Department of Education and CQUniversity Australia. Teachers had previously expressed concern about being able to successfully teach some content of the Tech Mandatory curriculum's AFT and DT components. Accordingly, the GPS Cows Module focused on livestock production and using digital solutions to address real-world problems. To introduce teachers to the GPS Cows Module and increase Module uptake, several one-day professional learning workshops were run in 2018 and 2019 across NSW, Australia. A post-workshop survey was used to evaluate the GPS Cows Module and the suitability of content related to AFT and DT learning outcomes. Participants agreed or strongly agreed that the Module content would address some of the AFT (92.8% combined) and DT (95.5% combined) outcomes of the curriculum. Over 72% of participants felt their students would find GPS Cows engaging and were excited to teach the Module. However, there were some barriers to implementation including perceptions of student ability, access to technology, teacher confidence and time. Overall, the GPS Cows Module comprises of high-quality content to address some of the AFT and DT outcomes of the Tech Mandatory curriculum. Additionally, it reinforces the importance of authentic data, real-life case studies, and a variety of accompanying resources to effectively implement into a teaching program.

Early years education is offered free to all three-year-olds in Northern Ireland, prior to starting primary school, and most parents take advantage of this offer for their children. An experience of early years education has been shown to considerably improve life chances and to be important in starting the process of building a shared society, particularly important in a divided society emerging from conflict such as Northern Ireland. This paper will examine the degree to which that provision is segregated using GIS analysis and explore the factors which influence those divisions within the wider context of a deeply segregated system of education. Pre-school education in Northern Ireland is found to be highly segregated by community background, and there is a tendency for pre-schools to be more segregated than the areas in which they are located. This may exacerbate existing divisions within education and adding a further year of segregated education may provide a further impediment to building a shared future for communities in Northern Ireland.

Advances in online geospatial technologies (GST) have expanded access to K-12 classrooms which has implications for the support teachers require to effectively integrate GSTs to promote learning. Previous studies have shown the impact of GST-integrated lessons on student engagement, spatial thinking skills, and/or content knowledge; however, most of these studies have been small in scope and scale and frequently focus on the affordances of the technology, without addressing the context of the implementation and student characteristics for whom GST is most impactful. We attempt to address some of these gaps. Our program scaled an effective GST-focused professional learning and development program to a national audience through a facilitator development model. This paper explores the student characteristics and lesson factors that resulted in student interest in science and technology and careers in those fields. After teaching a Geospatial Inquiry lesson created during a teacher workshop, teachers (n = 82) submitted the lessons and surveys on the implementation of Geospatial Inquiry lessons. The implementation surveys and lessons were scored for alignment to the principles of high-quality Geospatial Inquiry. Students (n = 1924) completed a post-lesson retrospective survey and indicated the extent to which their perceptions and attitudes toward science and technology changed because of the lesson. Results indicate that teacher GST performance is associated with increases in student outcomes. Students with previous exposure to science activities were more likely to have increased interest and excitement in science and careers in science but decreased interest in technology careers. Students who had previous exposure to technology activities had increased interest and excitement in technology and careers in technology but decreased interest in science careers. Geospatial Inquiry lessons also had a significant impact on students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. After participating in the lessons, students who identify as female reported higher engagement and interest in science and higher interest in science careers. Students who identified as Black or Hispanic also reported higher interest and excitement in science and technology, and students who identified as Black reported marginally higher interest in science careers.

Geospatial technologies have revolutionised the field of hazard research as well as geography field-courses, providing powerful tools to analyse and visualise geospatial data for decision-making purposes. This paper presents a case study of Paper2GIS, an application for field data collection tested during an international field course in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland. The field course was designed to expose students to the practical application of interdisciplinary geospatial technologies in hazard research. Students experienced geological/physical geography field mapping as well as data collection using Paper2GIS. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of Paper2GIS in facilitating hazard research with a participatory component, as well as the simplification of data collection during geography field courses. Paper2GIS proved to be an effective tool for enhancing collaboration, data visualisation, and decision-making. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and educators looking to incorporate low-tech geospatial technologies into their work.

Amid the shift to virtual teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across disciplines were faced with developing new teaching strategies for active learning and significant learning experiences. This paper discusses findings from a case study of integrating ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps for assignments and semester projects in systematic geography courses - health, population, and urban geography. The study assesses the process of incorporating the use of this technology into these upper-division undergraduate courses, with a mix of both geography and non-geography majors, and student perspectives on their learning of and engagement with this technology. With broader applications to different course, discipline, and education contexts, findings suggest increased student engagement, enhanced understanding of course topics and their practical applications, and an appreciation for the opportunity to learn within and work with geospatial technology.

Over the past decade, geospatial technologies have emerged as a tool for developing spatial reasoning and cognitive processes. While the foundational Learning to Think Spatially report from the National Research Center (2006) launched research into the use of geospatial technologies in isolation, more recently, cloud-based simulation software have begun to partner with geographic information system (GIS) databases to aid instructional designers in creating simulations in fields such as geology and geography. Both of these use cases -- traditional geography instruction and immersive simulations -- undervalue the potential of GIS to address larger issues within the Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) field. This conceptual paper seeks to present the potential of GIS systems as a designerly tool which can be used to reduce the cognitive load of communicating with very complex data sets and effectively show how information dynamically changes over time. Provisioning contextual analysis as a central skill of the designer may lead to more inclusive designs than a focus on adding steps to process-based models or focusing only on tools.

This paper reports on how the concept and technologies of GIS are included in the telecommunications engineering curriculum at the undergraduate level. The course of Fundamentals of GIS is described in detail. The usage of GIS software is necessary part of GIS technology education. In order to evaluate available GIS software, several criteria are defined. For this purpose, the authors used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology according to the goal to find the most appropriate GIS software in education of telecommunications engineers. The following software tools are considered: GRASS, uDig, SAGA, Prune and OpenJUMP. Each proposed criterion was given relative importance through pair-wise comparison. Taking into account proposed criteria, uDig software tools showed the most promising results to be used for education of future telecommunications engineers.

While Web GIS has been supposed as a useful tool in improving the spatial thinking abilities of students, most existing empirical studies were seldom undertaken in an educational programme providing rather limited geo-technological training to students. This study focuses on tutorial sessions of a tourism geography course in a Singaporean university, in which students usually engaged with very few GIS and other geospatial technologies. Combining a standardised assessment, that is Spatial Thinking Abilities Test, and semi-structured interviews, the study suggests that the implementation of Web GIS, collaborating with students' major background and pre-existing GIS experience, efficiently enhanced their performance in spatial thinking abilities test; moreover, the exposure to GIS practices during tutorial sessions also stimulated students' interest in using GIS and enhanced self-efficacy, which further equipped students with stronger motivation to continue learning geography. The paper contributes to existing debates around (Web) GIS as a pedagogical tool through incorporating qualitative interview materials into the discussion.

Given how commonly GPS is now used in everyday navigation, it is surprising how little research has been dedicated to investigating variations in its use and how such variations may relate to navigation ability. The present study investigated general GPS dependence, how people report using GPS in various navigational scenarios, and the relationship between these measures and spatial abilities (assessed by self-report measures and the ability to learn the layout of a novel environment). GPS dependence is an individual's perceived "need" to use GPS in navigation, and GPS usage is the "frequency" with which they report using different functions of GPS. The study also assessed whether people modulate reported use of GPS as a function of their familiarity with the location in which they are navigating. In 249 participants over two preregistered studies, reported GPS dependence was negatively correlated with objective navigation performance and self-reported sense of direction, and positively correlated with spatial anxiety. Greater reported use of GPS for turn-by-turn directions was associated with a poorer sense of direction and higher spatial anxiety. People reported using GPS most frequently for time and traffic estimation, regardless of ability. Finally, people reported using GPS less, regardless of ability, when they were more familiar with an environment. Collectively these findings suggest that people moderate their use of GPS, depending on their knowledge, ability, and confidence in their own abilities, and often report using GPS to augment rather than replace spatial environmental knowledge.

This paper investigates the role of teacher agency for those who were trained in using an innovative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach and incorporated GIS into their teaching. While national curricula increasingly emphasise STEM and sustainability approaches, there has been limited analysis of how teachers can bring new software, including GIS, and new approaches into the classroom. Through an evaluation of a teaching initiative "5*S: Space, Surveyors and Students -- STEM and the Sustainable Development Goals" designed to bring GIS technology, satellite data, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into classrooms as activities and resources for teachers and students in Ireland, we examine how teachers can introduce new teaching strategies and platforms into their classrooms. In interviews and a focus group, teachers expressed eagerness for GIS teaching resources for the classroom and identified effective ways they were able to draw on their own teaching philosophy in introducing new concepts around sustainability and STEM education in the classroom. We argue that teacher agency and autonomy play an important role in the ability and development of teachers, departments, and schools to bring new approaches and GIS into the classroom, and we identify key learnings from teachers who were able to utilise the 5*S resources.

This article extends the methodological proposal of "ground-truthing" in Critical Race Spatial Analysis (CRSA) to consider GIS as Critical Race Feminista Methodology (CRFM). Traditionally, GIS technicians are sent into the field to verify remote-sensing data via "ground-truthing." This process was repurposed in CRSA to "ground" mapmaking in the spatial wisdom of Communities of Color to examine "color-lines" and their everyday impact. Missing in this initial (re)conceptualization was the theoretical and methodological sensitivity to examine "spatiality" in these experiences--the more intimate aspects of space that center on identity and knowledge of place. The authors engage CRFM to extend ground-truthing to capture structural and embodied experiences in socio-spatial relationships by redefining technical GIS approaches key to ground-truthing--"projection," "layers," "scale," and "visualization." They conclude with implications for the ongoing practice of GIS, particularly the merits of ground-truthing as CRFM in educational research.

In successful geoinformatics education, students' active role in the learning process, e.g. through applying self-assessment, show an increasing interest but the evidence of benefits and challenges of self-assessment are sporadic. In this article, we examine the usefulness of an online self-assessment tool developed for geoinformatics education. We gathered data in two Finnish universities on five courses (n = 11-73 students/course) between 2019 and 2021. We examined 1) how the students' self-assessed knowledge and understanding in geoinformatics subject topics changed during a course, 2) how the competencies at the end of a course changed between the years in different courses, and 3) what was the perceived usefulness of the self-assessment approach among the students. The results indicate support for the implementation of self-assessment, both as a formative and summative assessment. However, it is crucial to ensure that the students understand the contents of the self-assessment subject topics. To increase students' motivation to take a self-assessment, it is crucial that the teacher actively highlights how it supports their studying and learning. As the teachers of the examined courses, we discuss the benefits and challenges of the self-assessment approach and the applied tool for the future development of geoinformatics education.

Modeling is a key scientific practice and is usually computer-implemented, but it is challenging to teach because it seems high on presuppositions, for example, coding. This design-based research study presents a geography course offered during the 2019/20 winter semester in computer modeling, with no prior coding knowledge. It was implemented in two elective classes: one in the Bachelor of Science program and one in the teacher program. Interviews were conducted to monitor the students' development, and the final reports showed their competencies at the end of the course. Since there were no noticeable differences between the Bachelor of Science students and the teacher trainees in terms of competence acquisition, four learning types could be described based on analysis of the interviews and final reports, which are important for the planning and adaptation of the course concepts. In summary, our results show four key findings: (1) mere reproduction of learning content is of no value for the development of geographic modeling skills; (2) the ability to access conceptual thinking patterns is crucial; (3) process-level understanding is a fundamental prerequisite for advanced geographic modeling understanding; and (4) poor programming skills hinder but do not prevent at least basic modeling understanding.

In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers on all levels have had to adapt to an online or hybrid teaching environment. People in geography, a discipline that traditionally values field trips to connect theory to practice, have had to find online alternatives for educational activities that normally would have taken place in the field. This has led to several innovative practices, which, however, have only to a limited degree been purposively tested for efficacy because of the ad-hoc, enforced nature of the required changes. This project deals with this issue by studying, through student workshops dealing with the creation of online didactic walking routes in two cities, how students can obtain specific geographical competences such as interpreting different historical layers that collectively shape the current urban fabric through online cartography. We found that students reported clear improvements in geographical reasoning skills, regarding both GIS and heritage interpretation. There were no clear patterns regarding the role of familiarity with the studied city for the quality of the produced story maps. On final reflection, we argue that online cartographic exercises are a valuable addition to the geographers' educational toolkit to bounce forward to a more resilient, reflective educational practice after the pandemic.

Home-school transport is an expensive component within many education systems, and is particularly costly in countries where school choice is encouraged. Within divided societies like Northern Ireland, a combination of school choice, academic selection and a divided society results in educational divisions which pose an even larger problem for the provision of home-school travel. This paper uses a Geographical Information System to analyse and quantify the additional costs of home-school transport in Northern Ireland. The additional travel undertaken in a complex educational structure is calculated and the pressing economic and environmental costs are estimated, alongside the less easily quantified social impact. The impact is considerable on all of these measures, strengthening the case for a radical review of educational provision in Northern Ireland. Removing duplication and reducing unnecessary choice would produce a more efficient and less costly system of education, while also contributing to increased social cohesion.

The Action Mapping Project (AMP) is a youth-oriented participatory action project that conducts research and education programs in high schools and middle schools in Tacoma, Washington. AMP uses participatory community mapping to generate new forms of data and conducts educational programs with high school students that center on the use of GIS (geographic information systems) to analyze data and produce maps of local knowledge to influence public policy in underserved neighborhoods. In this article, AMP's educational program (AMP Centers) is used as a case study of how principles of action research and critical education can be placed into practice.

GeoHumanities is an interdisciplinary field, which combines geography, arts, and humanities. At the intersection of these three disciplines, GeoHumanities' purpose is to use space, place, landscape, and environment to tell the stories of cultures, nature, and heritage of various ethnic groups. The GeoHumanities Forum at the Royal Holloway University (2021), GeoHumanities is a relatively new field of study. It incorporates similar humanities fields, such as environmental humanities, spatial humanities, and urban humanities under its umbrella. At its core, GeoHumanities uses geographic information to address of the questions posed in the humanities fields. As geographical information systems (GIS) and data visualization tools advance they become an integral part of scholarly research endeavors. GeoHumanities is also evolving into a field where data-driven approaches are commonly used by scholars. This paper is a review of digital tools available to the GeoHumanities scholars and to evaluate what degree these digital tools may support the investigation of various social science, humanities questions, and issues via visualization techniques.

A defining feature of honors education is meaningful engagement within and across disciplines, yet significant challenges for creating and sustaining meaningful transdisciplinary research remain. One such challenge involves a nuanced understanding of a discipline, or what educational researchers call "disciplinary literacy." This article introduces critically reflective practicum (CRP) as a pedagogy for developing disciplinary literacy among honors students. CRP acknowledges forms of inquiry as design situations and seeks to simulate instructional scaffolding so that students both experience and reflect on their questioning. Through the practicum, students begin to understand, engage with, and critique the methods and sociocultural standards of one specific modality as well as to identify which disciplines situate themselves within a broader landscape of academic development. While the purpose of this approach is to help students develop a capacity for inquiry, it also helps them unmask the value- and power-laden characteristics of academic discourse so that they can question, challenge, and reconstruct the processes by which knowledge is produced.

Crowdsourcing is an important tool for collecting spatio-temporal data, which has various applications in education. The objectives of this study were to develop and test a laboratory exercise on soil erosion by water and field data crowdsourcing in an online introductory soil science course (FNR 2040: Soil Information Systems) at Clemson University. Students from different STEM disciplines (wildlife biology, forestry, and environmental and natural resources) participated in the study in the fall of 2021. They completed a sequence of self-contained digital teaching modules or reusable learning objects (RLOs), which are often used in online learning. The exercise included a field exercise and learning module to teach students about different types of water-based soil erosion as well as field data collection and crowdsourcing tools. As a result of this exercise, student familiarity with crowdsourcing was effectively increased, as shown by the post-assessment survey with a +31.2% increase in the "moderately familiar" category and a +28.3% increase in the "extremely familiar" category. The online quiz contained ten questions and was taken by 56 students with an average score of 9.5 (out of 10). A post-assessment survey found that most of the students indicated that the laboratory was an effective learning experience about field data crowdsourcing using a GPS-enabled cellphone application. Detailed students' comments indicated enjoyment of learning (e.g., data collection, learning about different technologies), the value of multimedia (e.g., ArcGIS Survey123, cellphone), the flexibility of learning (e.g., field work), the content applicability (e.g., actual field examples of erosion by water), and criticism (e.g., technical issues). A word cloud derived from students' comments about their laboratory exercise experience indicated the most frequent words used by students, such as "erosion", "enjoyed", and "different", among others. Incorporating a learning module and field exercise using modern data collection technology into an undergraduate soil science education course enabled students to understand the value and methods for leveraging cellphone-based field collection methods to crowdsource data for environmental assessment. Practical recommendations for planning and executing future crowdsourcing exercises were developed using the current study as an example.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has increased in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions. This means there is a growing need to integrate UAV training into STEM education. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a UAV education module and laboratory exercise for natural resource science students. The study used a series of reusable learning objects (RLOs) to assess students' prior knowledge of remote sensing and UAVs. Students were taught the steps of UAV data acquisition and processing through lectures and UAV simulation videos. Students applied this knowledge by completing a laboratory exercise that used previously collected UAV data. Student knowledge retention and understanding were evaluated using an online quiz to determine the effectiveness of the education module. The average quiz score was 92%, indicating that the UAV laboratory exercise effectively taught students about UAV data acquisition and processing for natural resource research. Overall, students expressed positive opinions about the UAV education module. Student feedback indicated that the laboratory exercise was engaging, but some students would have preferred a hands-on experience for some parts of the exercise. However, in-person UAV instruction may not be accessible for all educators because of UAV cost or lack of instructor training. This study provides educators with crucial recommendations for designing UAV exercises to improve access to UAV-related educational content. This study indicates that online training can effectively introduce students to UAVs. Given the wide range of UAV uses across STEM fields, students in many STEM disciplines would benefit from UAV education.

Introduction: Some outdoor activities may have been self-constrained due to the fear of students getting lost. It is a limitation for the school staff and a constraint for students. However, few studies have been developed regarding the possibilities of geolocation as a solution. Aim: The study aims to explore this brand-new issue that could benefit the management of field trips. The study was developed from a mixed-method perspective with a sample of 51 members of an educational community. Methodology: The methodology included surveys to analyze the level of students' autonomy and the views on security by parents, teachers, directive team, and students with the possibility of incorporating these devices. Results: Show that using geolocation devices in field trips improves the sense of security and allows students to develop autonomous skills. Conclusion: Geolocation in field trips has great potential, but it is an understudied field that needs more research and discussion to ensure data privacy.