Course Overview

This page provides an overview of what you can expect from the course and when. See the Course Policies page for information on late polices, accommodations, and other resources.

1. Evaluation
2. Schedule
3. Modules
   1. Content
   2. Application
   3. Assessment
      1. Quizzes
      2. Assignment
4. Final Project
5. Final Exam

Evaluation

The course is made up of seven modules, a final project, and a comprehensive final exam. The seven Module Assessments will each be worth 10% of your final grade and the lowest scoring module will be dropped. The final project and exam will both be worth 20% of your final grade.

Schedule

Modules will be posted and due on the dates listed. See below for information on what each module consists of.

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Modules

Each module is a lesson intended to introduce and cover specific topics within GIS, they will be published as individual webpages. They will be hyperlinked in the schedule above as they are posted. They will also be made accessible through Canvas and I will send a reminder email to the class each time a module is posted. Each module will have consist of three sections.

Content

Module content will consist of readings, videos, & other materials pertaining to the topics outlined for each module. In person lecture will be held every Wednesday (at 14:00 in room 200 of the Geography Building.

• The module content should be reviewed before in person lecture. The schedule class time on Mondays at 14:00 will be a good time for this!
• In person lectures will cover the module content in depth and serve as your chance to ask questions and engage in discussion about the material.
  • In person lectures will be streamed and recorded for students who can not attend in person. More details regarding streaming and recording will be available soon!

Application

The application will build on the module content and give you hands on practice working with GIS software. You can work through the application in your lab section. See the Lab Access page for more details on specifics.

Assessment

Each assessment will will be due on the date listed in the Course Schedule. The assessments will cover both lecture and lab material and will be submitted via canvas. The assessments will consist of two parts, a quiz and an assignment.

Quizzes

Questions will consist of fill in the blank, multiple choice, true/false, numeric input, and other questions that can be marked automatically. You will be allowed multiple attempts to complete these quizzes, and you will receive a grade immediately after submission (except for fill in the blank questions). After the quiz is due, I will mark the fill in the blank questions &

Assignment

Marked assignments will be submitted via canvas quiz and be marked by your TA. They will consist of written answers to questions as well as file sumbissions (maps/charts).

Final Project

The final project will be assigned with Module 6. The project is a group assignment that will be completed in groups of two to four. You may only work on the project alone if you get approval. GIS is a collaborative discipline and your project should be done with a group unless special circumstances necessitate otherwise.

Final Exam

The final exam will be completed asynchronously over Canvas. It will be available for completion between December 13th and 15th and you will have a 6-hour window to complete it. The exam is not intended to take 6 hours, I just don’t want anyone to feel rushed. It will consist of a few essays, short answers, a diagram, a GIS task, fill in the blanks, matching, multiple choice, and true false questions.

• 20% of your final mark!

• Cumulative: All material from lecture and lab are fair game

• 3 Day Window to Complete
  • 0:00 Monday Dec 13th to 23:59 Wednesday Dec 15th
  • One Attempt - six hours
    • Not intended to take six hours. I just don’t want you to feel rushed.
    • If you have a letter from access and diversity and need more than the allotted time, contact me before the exam.
• Questions:
  • Essays (42.5%)
    • 1 on Coordinate Reference Systems
    • 1 on Data Models
    • 1 on Error or Ethics/Positionality (your choice)
  • Flow chart question (20%)
    • Create a flow chart outlining a GIS analysis
    • Demonstrate understanding of tools and processes
  • Short answer (20%)
    • Miscellaneous topics from throughout term
    • Map critique questions
  • Mix of fill in the blank, matching, multiple choice, etc. (17.5%)

If you experience extenuating circumstances during the exam you may reach out to me, but I will not be answering any questions related to the content of the exam while. Do not contact your TAs about the exam, they will not be answering any questions during the exam period.

The exam is “open book”, you can reference any resources from the class or online to work through the questions. However, all the work MUST be in your own words. You can not copy and paste from online resources, lecture content, or lab content. Plagiarism will be taken very seriously and could result in failing the exam.

You may not copy or work with fellow students, this is also plagiarism. Questions (including essay prompts) are being randomly assigned from a question bank, so you won’t benefit from trying to collaborate anyway.