European level developments of flexible learning models within geographical information science for vocational training

Abstract

E-GIS is a Leonardo pilot project, within Geographical Information Science (GIS), to be implemented over a three year period, 2002-05. The main objectives of the project is to establish co-operation between European Universities and GIS user organisations and to develop modularised courses intended for Internet based learning, establish links of communications between the partners in the project in order to disseminate and share “best practices” in different teaching situations and for different types of students. The course modules to be developed, all together, will constitute a one-year programme within GIS. This project mainly targets full time students, private and civil service employees within the EU but also similar categories in non-EU countries. The course modules are supposed to be flexible both in time and in “tempo”. However, synchronous group models will also be considered. The outcomes of the project is high level content, new net-based pedagogic method suited for accessing target groups of great diversity as regards pedagogic traditions, access to computers and bandwidth. Cooperation between the institutions will, certainly, give higher level courses than the individual institutions could possibly themselves. Within the project, the content of the courses will be developed and after having completed the courses, a pilot group of students will give their evaluations. By early January 2004, the first course module (out of a total of 8) is about to be completed, and the pilot students are about to finish their study. In the Leonardo E-GIS project 10 partners from 6 European countries cooperate to develop a one-year internet GIS course program. [...].