Whither goes the “maps” course? Maintaining map-use concepts, skills, and appreciation in GIS&T curricula

Abstract

Popular and professional interest in maps and map-making has never been greater. Despite this engagement, introductory skills courses in “map use” have largely disappeared in undergraduate geography and cartography programs at US universities, with research indicating that both map-use course enrollments and the existence of such courses themselves are on the decline. While the map-use course and its content may have been replaced by, repackaged as, or incorporated into an integrated geographical information systems-cartography–remote sensing foundations course, how do we ensure that an understanding of maps and their unique characteristics is not lost in the mix? This essay describes a recent course redesign experience incorporating information literacy, technology fluency, and spatial thinking principles to maintain map-use concepts, skills, and appreciation in an introductory geographic information science and technology (GIS&T) foundations course, meeting both GIS&T and general education curricular goals.

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