Faculty Syllabus

• Course Prerequisite(s): Introduction to GIS (GISC 1411 or GEOG 2470), Introduction to Geospatial Data (GISC 1479), Intermediate GIS (GISC 2420), Introduction to Maps Design and Use (GISC 1491), and Data Acquisition and Analysis in GIS (GISC 2401). 

Form

Students must ensure that the attached GIS Capstone Agreement is executed before starting work on the GIS Capstone project (as needed). Turn in with the User Story Assignment.

Quizzes

Students will complete quizzes related to the course topics, worth 5 points as a total average, serving as optional extra credit.

Required Meetings

Students must meet with the professor for regular check-ins. You can check in any time and chat about any topic that will help you, but if you need an idea for when to check in, you can plan the times around your Assignment due dates listed in the Course Calendar so you can discuss them if you need to. As the semester progresses, points are accumulated with each additional meeting, 1 point at a time, for a total of 7 possible points during the semester schedule. The first of the seven meetings will be for the course orientation, one will be to take the Capstone Exam, and one will be to give your presentation.

User Story

Students will formulate a clear, concise analysis question. Be sure to give the Professor comment access to your Google Document.

Annotated Bibliography

In this course, you will perform a data analysis project under the supervision of your professor or your workplace supervisor. Starting a big data project inherently comes with questions: What are the goals of the project? What should you know about your data? And where do you begin?  To clearly understand the business issue that you need to address, you will gather information about requirements and expectations. You may also do some background research on the issue, which may involve talking to subject matter experts and conducting a literature review.

Project Statement of Work

A project outline plan is a concise overview of a project, summarizing key information like goals, deliverables, and timelines. It serves as a roadmap for the project, ensuring everyone involved understands the project's scope and objectives. Essentially, it's a streamlined version of a detailed project plan, making it easier to grasp the project's essence quickly.  In your case, it is a way to clearly describe the question you will answer for your capstone project, and by when.  This Google Document will be shared with the instructor to serve as a progress indicator and allow for collaboration between the student and instructor in all phases of the project.   

Data Management Plan

The geospatial inventory lists and prioritizes the data required to populate your physical data model and perform your analysis. This provides a table of the prioritized datasets required to perform the tasks listed in the project outline plan and accomplish the project goal.

GIS Capstone Exam

Any student taking a GIS Capstone course is required to take a competency exam measuring their knowledge and skills relative to the GIS award they are seeking. The GIS Level I Certificate Exam consists of 75 questions. Students will be provided with a practice exam before taking the competency exam. All students must make at least 80% on the practice exam before taking the real exam. Tests are structured to measure and reinforce overall comprehension.

Presentation

The highlight of the GIS Capstone course is presenting your project to peer professionals. The presentation represents the synthesis of the skills and knowledge acquired in pursuit of your GIS Certification or Degree. Students will present the results of their GIS Capstone Independent Study, Internship, or Work-Study to their peers, professionals, and/or the public through a web meeting.  

Project Summary Report

The Project Summary Report is the synthesis of your entire project into a single document. It combines your existing assignments with an Executive Summary, Results, and Conclusion consolidated into a single, easy-to-understand report. A Project Summary Report template will be provided by the instructor.

• The instructor provides all required readings are provided digitally.on the course website.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) GISC 2164 Section 001 Practicum 94900; Course location: While there are no regularly scheduled classes during the course, we will have mandatory meetings: 2 class meetings and 5 check-ins (one-on-one meetings).  These meetings may be virtual or on campus, depending on the situation.  

• The mandatory Kick-Off (KO) Meeting is held during the first week of the semester.  The KO Meeting takes about an hour and is an opportunity for me to set everyone's expectations for this course. We'll briefly review the syllabus and discuss possible projects that you are interested in working on to satisfy the criteria for this course.  The meeting information is provided to students in Blackboard and by email. Students must attend an Orientation with the instructor before the attendance certification deadline or they will be dropped from the course.
• The Check-in (one-on-one) meetings will be held throughout the semester based on your needs. Schedule a meeting on the instructor’s calendar. These meetings should reflect the Course Schedule and occur at least once every two weeks.
• The mandatory GIS Student Showcase is held the last week of the semester. Each Capstone student will present for an audience of peers and professionals for 10 minutes, with an additional five minutes for questions and transitions. There are online and in-person attendance options. 

Student Learning Outcomes

• WECM Student Learning Outcomes
  The Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) is a web-based inventory of current workforce education courses and outcomes published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for Texas public two-year colleges. WECM courses are created and maintained by teams of instructional specialists from Texas colleges with expertise in the subject areas. By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Apply the theory, concepts, and skills involving specialized materials, tools, equipment, procedures, regulations, laws, and interactions within and among political, economic, environmental, social, and legal systems associated with the occupation and the business/industry;
  • Demonstrate legal and ethical behavior, safety practices, interpersonal and teamwork skills, and appropriate written and verbal communication skills using the terminology of the occupation and the business/industry; and
  • Learning outcomes/objectives as determined by local occupational needs and business and industry trends.

• GTCM Student Learning Outcomes
  The Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM) is an industry model framework published by the US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to identify industry-specific technical competencies. By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Develop conceptual, logical, and physical geospatial data models in response to user requirements and within the life cycle of a GIS project or work-flow of a GIS program;
  • Identify and perform data management activities required to clean, normalize, integrate, automate, geospatially enable, and administer data;
  • Select, evaluate, and document primary and secondary data according to the original scale, coordinate system, precision, accuracy, completeness, currency, source, and fitness for use;
  • Identify, collect, and assimilate sources of secondary data, such as: clearinghouse data, digitized data, classified data, COGO, and geocoded data into a GIS;
  • Edit, query, convert, rectify, georeference, project, transform, geoprocess, validate, import, export, backup, and archive data while utilizing file and data standards and assuring quality;
  • Query spatial and attribute data by location and utilizing query languages;
  • Perform proximity, overlay, density, surface, 3D, network, image, and geostatistical analyses on spatial data;
  • Implement a GIS project by collecting, creating, assimilating, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting data and results that satisfy the project goal;
  • Manage GIS projects utilizing a project management framework that includes documenting the project goal, scope, work breakdown structure, statement of work, defined deliverables, project summary, and project archive;
  • Interpret user needs to generate GIS products with a defined purpose, target audience, and appropriate medium;
  • Create data, maps, and reports with GIS-industry recognized data standards, cartographic conventions, and reporting methods;
  • Practice continuing GIS education utilizing formal instruction; academic, professional, and industry publications; software documentation; online resources; peer professionals; on-the-job experiences; and professional certifications; and
  • Participate in professional GIS organizations, workshops, and conferences.
• SCANS Competencies
  • The Secretary Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) is a commission appointed in 1990 by the Secretary of the US Department of Labor Lynn Martin to develop a list of skills "that high-performance workplaces require and that high-performance schools should produce." By the end of this course, the student will demonstrate the following workplace competencies and foundation skills:
  • Workplace Competencies - Effective workers can productively use:
    • Resources – They know how to allocate (C1) time, (C2) money, (C3), materials, and (C4) staff
    • Information – They can (C5) acquire and evaluate data, (C6) organize and maintain files, (C7) interprets and communicate, and (C8) use computers to process information.
    • Interpersonal skills – They can (C9) work on teams, (C10) teach others, (C11) serve customers, (C12) lead, (C13) negotiate, and (C14) work well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds,
    • Systems – They (C15) understand social, organizational, and technological systems, (C16) they can monitor and correct performance; and (C17) they can design or improve systems.
    • Technology – They can (C18) select equipment and tools, (C19) apply technology to specific tasks and (C20) maintain and troubleshoot equipment.
  • Foundation Skills - Competent workers in the high-performance workplace need:
    • Basic Skills – (F1) reading, (F2) writing, (F3) arithmetic and (F4) mathematics, (F5) listening and (F6) speaking.
    • Thinking skills – (F7) to think creatively, (F8) to make decisions, (F9) to solve problems, (F10) to visualize, (F11) the ability to learn, and (F12) to reason.
    • Personal Qualities – (F13) individual responsibility, (F14) self-esteem, (F15) sociability, (F16) self-management, and (F17) integrity.