Showing papers in "Journal of Geography in Higher Education in 2013"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the concept of the hidden curriculum, its importance to pedagogic research in geography and research methods which might be used to investigate it, and suggest that there is an increasing need for research exploring new elements of the Hidden Curriculum being created by current changes in the political and economic context affecting geography in higher education in the UK and other countries.
Abstract: In this paper, we examine the concept of the hidden curriculum, its importance to pedagogic research in geography and research methods which might be used to investigate it. We review three case studies of research projects which have explored the hidden curriculum in geographical contexts, and use these to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. We conclude by suggesting that there is an increasing need for research exploring new elements of the hidden curriculum being created by current changes in the political and economic context affecting geography in higher education in the UK and other countries.
81 citations
TL;DR: The authors developed an interview-based critical spatial thinking oral test and used the test to investigate the effects of Geographic Information System (GIS) learning on three components of Critical spatial thinking: evaluating data reliability, exercising spatial reasoning, and assessing problem-solving validity.
Abstract: This study developed an interview-based critical spatial thinking oral test and used the test to investigate the effects of Geographic Information System (GIS) learning on three components of critical spatial thinking: evaluating data reliability, exercising spatial reasoning, and assessing problem-solving validity. Thirty-two students at a large state university completed pre- and post-tests administered during the 2010 fall semester. This study found positive relationships between GIS learning and critical spatial thinking. We argue that the improvement can be attributed to students' experiences in a GIS course.
74 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a final-year undergraduate field trip to Barcelona, Spain, peer-to-peer teaching is used to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and uncover the processes that help create a sense of place.
Abstract: Student-led teaching and learning is an innovative form of active learning that empowers students with direct ownership of the learning experience. Reporting on a final-year undergraduate field trip to Barcelona, Spain, peer-to-peer teaching is used to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and uncover the processes that help create a sense of place. Students experience the issues that academics face when leading activities in the field. This paper explores the benefits and limitations of this approach which can potentially challenge the power relationship between student and tutor to the extent that the student is elevated to that of scholar.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the findings from an international survey of fieldwork practitioners on their use of technology to enhance fieldwork teaching and learning, and find that there was high information technology usage before and after time in the field, but some were also using portable devices such as smartphones and global positioning system whilst out in a field.
Abstract: This research paper reports the findings from an international survey of fieldwork practitioners on their use of technology to enhance fieldwork teaching and learning. It was found that there was high information technology usage before and after time in the field, but some were also using portable devices such as smartphones and global positioning system whilst out in the field. The main pedagogic reasons cited for the use of technology were the need for efficient data processing and to develop students' technological skills. The influencing factors and barriers to the use of technology as well as the importance of emerging technologies are discussed.
47 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the motivations and career goals of geography graduate students and the extent they are prepared in transferable skills and found that women and students specializing in geographic information science and technology are primarily motivated by career opportunities in the private sector, whereas doctoral students express a preference for academic career paths and their goals are more influenced by faculty and departmental prestige.
Abstract: This study examines the motivations and career goals of geography graduate students and the extent they are prepared in transferable skills. Women and students specializing in geographic information science and technology are primarily motivated by career opportunities in the private sector, whereas doctoral students express a preference for academic career paths and their goals are more influenced by faculty and departmental prestige. Students in Master's programs and those specializing in physical geography are more likely to seek positions with government employers. Master's and doctoral programs are providing opportunities for students to develop competency in a wide-range of transferable skills. However, there are many organizational and business-oriented skills that employers value but which are not commonly taught in graduate curricula in geography programs.
47 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the practicalities of undertaking a pedagogic study using focus groups by outlining strategies for effective focus group organization, highlighting good practice from the social sciences and pedagogical literature and providing a critique of a recent geographical study, in which focus groups were used as the sole research method.
Abstract: Using qualitative research methodologies for pedagogic research can provide informative insights into student experiences of the teaching and learning environment in Higher Education. This paper considers the practicalities of undertaking a pedagogic study using focus groups by outlining strategies for effective focus group organization, highlighting good practice from the social sciences and pedagogic literature and providing a critique of a recent geographical study, in which focus groups were used as the sole research method. Furthermore, the paper illustrates how a pedagogic research study can be used to enhance teaching and learning and to inform curriculum planning and course management.
46 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored non-Indigenous student perspectives concerning a field school and digital storytelling as transformative experiences within the context of an “Indigenous Perspectives on Environmental Management” course; they were asked to reflect on their course experience.
Abstract: Geography is a product of colonial processes, and in Canada, the exclusion from educational curricula of Indigenous worldviews and their lived realities has produced “geographies of ignorance”. Transformative learning is an approach geographers can use to initiate changes in non-Indigenous student attitudes about Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies. This study explores non-Indigenous student perspectives concerning a field school and digital storytelling as transformative experiences within the context of an “Indigenous Perspectives on Environmental Management” course; they were asked to reflect on their course experience. Findings indicate that students found both to be effective and important steps in the transformation of their own worldviews.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the benefits and challenges of an undergraduate module on participatory geographies, involving students in co-producing research with community partners, and argue that it develops students' skills and understanding through engaging them intellectually, socially and emotionally outside the university.
Abstract: This study discusses the benefits and challenges of an undergraduate module on participatory geographies, involving students in co-producing research with community partners. The module challenges the knowledge production model predominant in Geography curricula. We argue that it develops students' skills and understanding through engaging them intellectually, socially and emotionally outside the university. As a student, two community partners and a professor, we offer our perspectives on the opportunities and conflicts that arose. We do not gloss over tensions in achieving the module's diverse aims, but suggest that these are productive for teaching, learning, research and the needs of community organizations.
38 citations
TL;DR: Geography has a history of innovation in pedagogy and a concern for a holistic education, so our discipline is well placed to rise to the challenge of securing a future for our graduates as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Geography graduates face an uncertain future. To help students think and practice as a geographer, we must teach disciplinary knowledge – particularly threshold concepts – as well as skills and attributes. We must role model and articulate our geographical reasoning using signature pedagogies and promote high-impact and signature learning experiences. Through such experiences, students will be empowered to cope with being in an uncertain world. Geography has a history of innovation in pedagogy and a concern for a holistic education, so our discipline is well placed to rise to the challenge of securing a future for our graduates.
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that integrating film production into the assessment of undergraduate modules secures advantages for student learning: students connect their ideas more explicitly to "real world" examples; new voices and understandings are introduced to communication; and broader skills in storyboarding, narration and digital technologies are developed.
Abstract: This study contributes to the debate over the potential of film as a pedagogical aid. It argues that integrating film production into the assessment of undergraduate modules secures advantages for student learning: students connect their ideas more explicitly to “real world” examples; new voices and understandings are introduced to communication, and broader skills in storyboarding, narration and digital technologies are developed. The use of film also emphasizes the need for a holistic marking strategy to capture the creativity encouraged by this medium. The study suggests that integrating film into assessment offers a “eureka” moment in the student learning experience.
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a content analysis of those curricular documents demonstrates that there are three dimensions of core competences foundational to the study of GIS in higher education, which are GIS knowledge and skills, spatial thinking, and problem-solving.
Abstract: Competence-oriented restructuring of curricular content for the study of geographic information system (GIS) in higher education has become a primary educational enterprise in Europe due to the Bologna Reform. Although there are different international curricular documents for outcome-based design of learning activities within the geographic information science and technology domain, it has not yet been clarified which competences should be considered essential components of a university-level course of study in GIS. Our content analysis of those curricular documents demonstrates that there are three dimensions of core competences foundational to the study of GIS in higher education, which are GIS knowledge and skills, spatial thinking, and problem-solving.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose five geospatial inquiries that students can make to explore sustainability issues using GIS, which are spatial distribution, spatial interactions, spatial relationships, spatial comparisons, and temporal relationships.
Abstract: As public awareness about sustainability grows and as higher education advances sustainability more comprehensively, geographers have an opportunity to take a role in sustainability education. This article examines (1) what constitutes sustainability education, (2) how geographic concepts and Geographic Information System (GIS) are relevant to sustainability education, and (3) how geospatial thinking can be incorporated into the sustainability curriculum using GIS. This research proposes five geospatial inquiries that students can make to explore sustainability issues using GIS, which are spatial distribution, spatial interactions, spatial relationships, spatial comparisons, and temporal relationships. Definition, examples, and uses of these five geospatial inquiries supported by GIS are provided.
TL;DR: This paper explored first-year undergraduates' perceptions of the transition from studying geography at pre-university level to studying for a degree and found that their main concern was acquiring the higher level skills required for university learning.
Abstract: This paper explores first-year undergraduates' perceptions of the transition from studying geography at pre-university level to studying for a degree. This move is the largest step students make in their education, and the debate about it in the UK has been reignited due to the government's planned changes to A-level geography. However, missing from most of this debate is an appreciation of the way in which geography students themselves perceive their transition to university. This paper begins to rectify this absence. Using student insights, we show that their main concern is acquiring the higher level skills required for university learning.
TL;DR: In this paper, the use of factor analysis and a well-defined methodological approach may appeal to quantitative researchers who need to investigate issues more commonly associated with qualitative techniques, such as student learning.
Abstract: Q methodology is receiving growing interest as a research technique. Its use of factor analysis and a well-defined methodological approach may appeal to quantitative researchers who need to investigate issues more commonly associated with qualitative techniques. Such issues frequently arise when investigating student learning. This paper suggests that, appropriately used, Q is a methodology to be embraced by quantitative and qualitative researchers alike. Drawing on work within the field of education, as well as two case studies, the method's utility is illustrated, and Q is suggested as another potential method for investigating the subjective views of our students.
TL;DR: In this article, a group of 11 Honors students were asked to analyze their own learning to discover their threshold concepts, and the authors suggested combining metacognition and geographic concepts to enable students to recognize their preconceptions, build or reconstruct their schemata and transform their understanding of a discipline.
Abstract: Through qualitative analysis of 80 student essays, the author examines geographic concepts students describe as holding traits of threshold concepts. With a group of 11 Honors students, the author employs metacogntion, asking students to analyze their own learning to discover their threshold concepts. Recognizing the role of liminality, this study suggests combining metacognition and geographic concepts to enable students to recognize their preconceptions, build or reconstruct their schemata and transform their understanding of a discipline.
TL;DR: The authors used problem-based learning in a small honors section of a large world regional geography course and found that students acquired as much content knowledge as those in the regular lecture section and significantly greater awareness about the implications of metaregional membership.
Abstract: World regional geography textbooks rarely focus on the process of region formation, despite frequent calls to reincorporate a regional approach to teaching global geography. An instructional strategy using problem-based learning in a small honors section of a large world regional geography course is described. Using a hypothetical scenario reorganizing the US State Department's metaregional structure, students conducted group research and presentations on the geopolitical consequences of allocating states to a metaregion. Results indicated that honors students acquired as much content knowledge as those in the regular lecture section and significantly greater awareness about the implications of metaregional membership.
TL;DR: This article explored the perception of second and third-year students in a BEd program in Potchefstroom, South Africa using a mixed-method research approach based on questionnaire application, students' learning journal entries and field notes.
Abstract: Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of the possible training strategies that could be more fully implemented in the South African formal education system. The intention to migrate from teacher-centred to learner-centred instructions in higher education institutions and schools makes PBL a plausible option. Geography education students might be exposed to PBL because their training implies the acquisition of abilities to solve real-world situations at various geographical scales. This paper explores the perception of second- and third-year students in a BEd programme in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The study uses a mixed-method research approach based on questionnaire application, students' learning journal entries and field notes. Findings from the study indicate that students show very positive perceptions of PBL as a training strategy for teaching and learning. A gender difference regarding general aspects of PBL, independent learning, workload, assessment rubrics and the different role-players in PBL i...
TL;DR: In this paper, students were asked to "drift" across the urban environment and record their own experiences of the places encountered, which can be used to enhance their ability to story-board and structure their arguments.
Abstract: Film as a tool for learning offers considerable opportunity for enhancing student understanding. This paper reflects on the experiences of a project that required students to make a short film demonstrating their practical understanding of qualitative methods. In the psychogeographical tradition, students were asked to “drift” across the urban environment and record their own experiences of the places encountered. The findings suggest this “drift-film” strategy can be successful in sensitizing individuals to the benefits of qualitative methods, can enhance students' ability to story-board and structure their arguments, and develop key editing skills which can be transferred to future employability.
TL;DR: This study identifies three key GIS concepts as threshold concepts which are map-scale, data model and interoperability and links these concepts with other key G IS concepts with the aim of providing a means for laying conceptual foundation among novice GIS learners.
Abstract: Threshold concepts are those transformative concepts in a discipline that are often difficult to understand when first encountered, but when mastered they transform students, both epistemologically and ontologically in relation to the discipline. Using the characteristics of threshold concepts, existing curricula and summative content analysis of the text in published seminal geographical information systems (GIS) research papers, this study identifies three key GIS concepts as threshold concepts which are map-scale, data model and interoperability. This study further links these concepts with other key GIS concepts with the aim of providing a means for laying conceptual foundation among novice GIS learners.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the success of a novel strategy to design an assessment regime that captures a field experience in Dublin as a whole for both staff and students alike and found that the use of a combined mediascape-essay approach as a major component of the assessment successfully captured the main elements of the learning and teaching experience and facilitated deeper learning and creativity.
Abstract: There has been little consideration to date regarding how we might best adjust our assessment protocols so that the overall learning experience remains appropriately aligned to both content and teaching approach when adopting location-specific mobile learning. This paper explores the success of a novel strategy to design an assessment regime that captures a field experience in Dublin as a whole for both staff and students alike. Evaluation identified that the use of a combined mediascape-essay approach as a major component of the assessment successfully captured the main elements of the learning and teaching experience and facilitated deeper learning and creativity.
TL;DR: AQAL is a methodology for the holistic mapping of multiple perspectives and worldviews as discussed by the authors, which assesses four viewpoints for every situation: the interior subjective intentional (I) perspective, the interior collective cultural (We), the interior individual (It, she/he) behavioural perspective, and the exterior collective (They, many, its) social perspective.
Abstract: AQAL is a methodology for the holistic mapping of multiple perspectives and worldviews. Developed by Ken Wilber and colleagues, AQAL Integral analysis is founded in AQ quadrant mapping, which assesses four viewpoints for every situation. These are the Interior Subjective intentional (I) perspective, the Interior Collective cultural (We) perspective, the Exterior Individual (It, she/he) behavioural perspective and the Exterior Collective (They, many, its) social perspective. Each AQ map may be further elaborated as part of a many-layered system. AQAL Integral has a small but growing footprint in Education and, independently, in Geography – especially Urban Studies and GIS.
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study demonstrates that where resources are embedded into the curriculum they are highly valued by students with on average 83% of the class accessing files, indicating that the resources effectively met their needs and expectations and enabled them to further develop discipline specific writing skills.
Abstract: The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education to support student learning is expanding. However, student usage has been low and the value of e-learning resources has been under investigation. We reflect on best practices for pedagogical design of e-learning resources to support academic writing in environmental science. A case study demonstrates that where resources are embedded into the curriculum they are highly valued by students with on average 83% of the class accessing files. Students were confident at writing tasks indicating that the resources effectively met their needs and expectations and enabled them to further develop discipline-specific writing skills. Scaffolded e-learning resources, designed around the identified threshold concepts of writing within the discipline, incorporating a knowledge narrative of explicit instruction and a strong teacher presence, delivered in a sequential manner and embedded into the curriculum, are valued and highly used by stude...
TL;DR: In this article, a guide for potential Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE) authors suggests 10 golden ground rules for preparing a successful contribution to the JGHE.
Abstract: Focusing on the peer review process, this guide for potential Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE) authors suggests 10 golden ground rules for preparing a successful contribution to the JGHE. These are (1) have something interesting to say, (2) have something useful to say, (3) address your audience, (4) write with academic rigour, (5) listen to learner feedback, (6) ensure constructive alignment in your curriculum, (7) make your paper belongs to the journal's community of discourse, (8) respect the mission of the journal, (9) expect to be set revisions and (10) deal systematically with any revisions set.
TL;DR: This article explored the role and value of service learning in Urban Studies and is based on a review of student reflective journals written following a service-learning experience in which undergraduate students were given the opportunity to volunteer outside the classroom as part of their coursework in an introductory Urban Studies course at the University of Toronto.
Abstract: Service-learning represents a method of learning in which students learn through volunteering, while at the same time being asked to reflect on their experiences and tie together experience with classroom-based material, thereby developing their learning through service activities. This paper explores the role and value of service learning in Urban Studies and is based on a review of student reflective journals written following a service-learning experience in which undergraduate students were given the opportunity to volunteer outside the classroom as part of their coursework in an introductory Urban Studies course at the University of Toronto. Evaluating student learning through service learning-based reflection enables further understanding of how students learn through exploration of the urban realm.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide primarily undergraduate students with information about how to get the most out of their community-based research experiences, which will have longstanding impacts on their future research careers, as well as repercussions pertaining to the community experience with the research process.
Abstract: Universities and funding agencies are increasingly calling for collaborative research between community partners and academics. When combined with faculty roles in training the next generation of researchers, these collaborative frameworks can present a challenge to undergraduate students seeking experience with research activities—both in terms of the types of needed training and the timelines involved. The quality and effectiveness of student research experiences, however, will have longstanding impacts on their future research careers, as well as repercussions pertaining to the community experience with the research process. The purpose of this study is to provide primarily undergraduate students with information about how to get the most out of their community-based research experiences. Given geography's traditional strengths as a field-engaged discipline, community-based research is a natural fit for geography and brings renewed vitality to the discipline. Key topics to be addressed include finding ...
TL;DR: The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems as mentioned in this paper, and it is the way campus would be viewed by both students and professors.
Abstract: The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems…Campuses would be viewed by both students and professors...
TL;DR: In this article, a fieldwork exercise in development geography undertaken by students in the UK is described. Based on community engagement in partnership with refugee and black minority communities in Liverpool, it explores how such fieldwork can deepen understanding of development geography, contribute to global citizenship and nurture personal skills.
Abstract: This paper discusses a fieldwork exercise in development geography undertaken by students in the UK. Based on community engagement in partnership with refugee and black minority communities in Liverpool, it explores how such fieldwork can deepen understanding of development geography, contribute to global citizenship and nurture personal skills. Students of development geography engaged in real-world experiential learning about the complexity of the social, economic and cultural issues facing refugees and black and racial minority groups, and the processes by which these change and evolve. The challenges of the fieldwork were positively received as students gained relevant and useful insights from their interaction with community stakeholders.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of visual methodology and its applications to geography in higher education. And they use drawings from an undergraduate mapping and map analysis course to concurrently highlight and deconstruct students' sense of place in the context of teaching and learning.
Abstract: This article offers an overview of visual methodology and its applications to geography in higher education. Drawings from an undergraduate mapping and map analysis course are used to concurrently highlight and deconstruct students' sense of place in the context of teaching and learning. As a pedagogical research tool, visual methods nurture self-reflection in learners, inform curriculum and instruction for diverse classrooms, and support the construction of meanings in geography.
TL;DR: Hay's "Letter to a New University Teacher" as mentioned in this paper was used to help new lecturers beginning their academic careers and has been used to train lecturers for a variety of purposes.
Abstract: Although graduate programs typically prepare university students well for research activity, many have been less successful in educating for other aspects of academic careers. This article discusses Iain Hay's “Letter to a New University Teacher,” which has been used internationally to help new lecturers beginning their career. Prepared as an autoethnographic account for a recent graduate, “The Letter” distils principles held to underpin a successful academic career. Five university teachers and academic managers discuss critically the content and their applications of “The Letter” and make some suggestions for its use in continuously transforming higher education contexts.
TL;DR: In this paper, a geographer who is a volunteering champion within his higher education institution explores some political and institutional settings and backdrops within which volunteering is being encouraged, and discusses the strong record that academic geographers have in reflecting on the development of community volunteering.
Abstract: Volunteering with our local community organizations (many of them charitable) is clearly set to become more of a feature of our lives as staff and students working in higher education. This activity is seen as potentially valuable in enhancing the student experience, particularly through a strengthening of students' employability prospects. This paper, written from the perspective of a geographer who is a volunteering champion within his higher education institution, explores some political and institutional settings and backdrops within which volunteering is being encouraged. It discusses the strong record that academic geographers have in reflecting on the development of community volunteering.