Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Social Science Computer Review
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0894439308320793v1
27/1/118    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schweik, C. M.
Right arrow Articles by Stepanov, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Reflections of an Online Geographic Information Systems Course Based on Open Source Software

Charles M. Schweik

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, cschweik{at}pubpol.umass.edu

Maria T. Fernandez

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, mariate{at}nrc.umass.edu

Michael P. Hamel

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, michael.p.hamel{at}gmail.com

Prakash Kashwan

Indiana University, Bloomington, pkashwan{at}indiana.edu

Quentin Lewis

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, quentin{at}anthro.umass.edu

Alexander Stepanov

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, astepano{at}ecs.umass.edu

This article summarizes the experience of offering an online introductory course on geographic information systems (GIS) that utilizes available free/libre and open source software (FOSS). Two primary objectives are to (a) reach students in developing countries and (b) to help move forward the development of an open-content GIS curriculum as part of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo; OSGeo.org) educational effort. Course design, key software (QGIS, GRASS, PostgreSQL//PostGIS), and online delivery methods are described. Results and factors leading to a low course-completion rate are discussed. Contributing factors include (a) a for-credit versus no-credit decision and (b) technical issues. Recommendations for others considering online offerings and for the OSGeo educational effort are provided.

Key Words: geographic information systems (GIS) • online instruction • open source software • QGIS • Open Source Geospatial Foundation

This version was published on February 1, 2009

Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 27, No. 1, 118-129 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0894439308320793
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?