Online GIS collaboration

1. Online GIS collaboration DialogPLUS Project Meeting Penn State University David Martin, University of Southampton

2. Overview • Course structure • GIS for Analysis of Health • Challenges • First results • Interim conclusions David Martin, University of Southampton

3. Course structure • Well-established Penn State GIS Masters programme through World Campus • Leeds-Southampton online GIS Masters programme through UKeU • Demise of UKeU: Leeds-Southampton collaborative programme with opportunity for Penn State content • More general potential for exchange of course modules – particularly at level 2 optional courses? David Martin, University of Southampton

4. Exchange of modules • (1) GIS programming and customization: Penn State module dealing with ArcGIS customization • (2) GIS for Analysis of Health: Southampton module dealing with GIS use for analysis of patterns of health and disease • (1) discussed first, but opportunity arose for earliest delivery of (2) David Martin, University of Southampton

5. Leeds Southampton David Martin, University of Southampton

6. Penn State David Martin, University of Southampton

7. Leeds Southampton Penn State David Martin, University of Southampton

8. Leeds Southampton Advanced Proprietary GIS GIS for Analysis of Health Penn State David Martin, University of Southampton

9. Leeds Southampton GIS for Analysis of Health Advanced Proprietary GIS Penn State David Martin, University of Southampton

10. GIS for analysis of health • Application-based course: GIS for disease mapping and spatial analysis • Designed as part of health pathway (companion course GIS for health care management) • Authorship: Jim Wright, David Martin, Samantha Cockings; learning technologist: Richard Treves • New module for online delivery, drawing on face-to-face health and GIS modules David Martin, University of Southampton

11. Course outline (unit titles) • Definitions of health • Spatial aspects of health analysis • Spatial data source considerations in GIS • GIS for mapping health • GIS for analysis of spatial clustering • GIS for analysing spread of disease • Measuring and modelling risk exposure • Exploring inequalities in health David Martin, University of Southampton

12. Challenges • Learning design issues • Which VLE to use? • Alternative delivery models • Different assessment regimes • Student access to resources • Registration and contractual David Martin, University of Southampton

13. Learning design • GAH developed for Leeds-Southampton MSc; • Good fit to prerequisites and course structure but some adaptation required • Reduce from 150 to 120 hours learning • Learning objects structure inherited from UKeU with high independence; ‘sacrificial objects’ sacrificed and recreated • Html objects; Flash presentations; activities – GIS, reflective, literature etc. David Martin, University of Southampton

14. Which VLE to use? • Penn State world campus modules delivered through Angel • Southampton institutional VLE is Blackboard, but modules constructed within Moodle • Leeds-Southampton modules currently delivered through Bodington • Penn State students already registered and familiar with Angel • Which VLE to use? David Martin, University of Southampton

15. GAH example structure Units (8) Learning objects (~65) Files (N) www exercise Unit 2: Spatial Aspects of health analysis Flash slides Html text Images Shapefiles GIS zip PDF David Martin, University of Southampton

16. Alternative delivery models • Solution (from Penn State): deliver through course index loaded within Angel but all content external to VLE • Tutor in Southampton (Jim Wright) using Angel, but Penn State students don’t see any difference • Tracking and communication within Angel • Remote evaluation by Karen Fill (DialogPlus) David Martin, University of Southampton

17. Different assessment regimes • Penn State submission model: online portfolios • Differing student expectations of assessment and marking • UK courses: more discursive, less procedural • Use marks equivalence table developed from Leeds-Southampton-Penn State negotiation • Use Penn State/DialogPlus evaluation tools David Martin, University of Southampton

18. Student access to resources • Adaptation of practical exercises from Idrisi to ArcGIS • Students have own GIS software • Data for activities attached to objects • Online references primarily open-source; all subscription journal items identified and placed in online repository by Penn State for student access David Martin, University of Southampton

19. Registration and contractual • Leeds-Southampton and Leeds-Southampton Penn State agreements (NB still issues here!) • Provide registration and financial models • Students remain with Penn State • Student pays own institution • Tutor is the ‘guest’ • 20/80 split of fee income • Much easier to export to USA! David Martin, University of Southampton

20. First results • 3 students Apr 05 quarter • Offer again Oct 05 quarter • Positive feedback from staff and students • Issues: adaptation of learning and assessment expectations • GIS nugget library David Martin, University of Southampton

21. Interim conclusions • Robustness of (ex-UKeU) learning object model to repurposing • Viability of remote tutoring and ex-VLE content: but we need discussion sharing tools? • Organizational barriers to e-learning collaboration are bigger than technical ones • WUN global GIS academy? • Online collaborations involve real people working together… David Martin, University of Southampton

22. And it doesn’t get this cold in Southampton… David Martin, University of Southampton