Course Information

While there are no regularly scheduled class meetings during the semester, we will still meet with one another throughout the semester to ensure students are properly supported on their learning journey.  This includes 1 meeting as a whole class and at least 3 check-ins (one-on-one meetings with the professor).  

• The Kick-Off (KO) Meeting is held virtually during the first week of the semester, takes about an hour, and is an opportunity to review the syllabus, ensure you have proper access, and discuss any questions you have about this course.  The meeting information is provided to students in Blackboard.  If you are unable to attend live, you must watch the recording within the first week of the semester.
• The Check-in (one-on-one) meetings will be held throughout the semester based on your needs. Schedule your three (at a minimum) meetings at any time on this calendar. If that schedule does not work for you, please contact the professor - happy to oblige!  These meetings can be held virtually, or we can meet in-person on any ACC Campus.

This is a 12-week Distance Learning (DIL) asynchronous Competency-Based Education (CBE) online course. Given that this course compresses 16-weeks of curriculum into a 12-week semester, students should expect to spend an average of 8-12 hours per week viewing lectures, working on labs, completing assignments and projects, and studying.

There are four competencies (i.e., modules), each with three topics. Students should complete the competency topics, exam, and project by the assigned due dates as listed in the syllabus.

Required Tools/Materials

All students will use ACC email, Google Workspace apps, ArcGIS Pro 3.5.4 desktop GIS software, and ArcGIS Online Internet GIS service to complete demonstrations, exercises, projects, quizzes, and tests. Students will use the same credentials provided by ACC GIS to login to both ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online. 

Online students are required to have the following:

• A desktop or laptop computer with ACC provided ArcGIS Pro installed - see ArcGIS Pro System Requirements and Installation Steps.
• A reliable Internet connection;
• An external USB flash or hard drive with at least 2GB of storage; and
• Web camera, microphone, and speakers.

If you do not have one or more of these, please contact the instructor to explore ACC resources for possibly acquiring any missing items.

Instructional Methodology

This course is taught asynchronously online with a combination of lecture slides, demonstrations, videos, quizzes, tests, and projects.  Students will complete the lab work using an ACC lab workstation or their own computer. Students should expect to spend an average of  8-12 hours per week viewing lectures, working on labs, completing assignments and projects, and studying.

Course materials and communication are available on ACC’s Blackboard website (http://acconline.austincc.edu) In order to log into Blackboard, you will need your ACCeID.  Your ACCeID will consist of the first letter of your official first name followed by your 7-digit ID number and can be found on your ACC ID Card. Students will use the Blackboard learning management system for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, and collaboration.

Distance Education

ACC distance education courses are every bit as academically challenging as on-campus courses, but many students discover that there are also unique challenges to online education. Common challenges that distance students encounter include lack of self-motivation, inability to focus, trouble maintaining accountability, being disorganized, inability to effectively communicate, poor time management, and failure to balance your educational and personal commitments.

You must be able to manage your time effectively and prioritize to meet deadlines and stay on track with your coursework. Successful distance students are self-starters who understand the commitment and discipline required to thrive in an online environment. You must be an active learner who asks questions when you do not understand something. Your instructor cannot see you, so you need to “speak up” if you have problems by contacting your instructor right away; otherwise, there is no way for your instructor to know that something is wrong.

Generative Artificial Intelligence

Please note: The use of generative AI (GAI) is permitted in this course under certain conditions to enhance learning while maintaining academic integrity.  GAI is permitted to foster technological fluency and to leverage advanced tools for research, as long as it does not substitute for critical thinking and learning.  Generative AI encompasses technologies that create content through learned patterns and data without direct human input.  GAI can be used for initial research, idea generation, and learning coding practices. It is not to be used for final submissions unless explicitly cited and discussed.  Guidance on the ethical and effective use of GAI will be provided through designated course materials and office hours.  Contributions of GAI must be clearly cited and will be assessed on the student’s ability to critically analyze and integrate the AI-generated content.  Misuse of GAI, including a failure to cite, will be considered a breach of academic integrity, with consequences including a failing grade for the assignment and academic review.  Should the technology be required as an accommodation, exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Exercises

Exercises are designed to apply the concepts and techniques discussed and demonstrated in lecture. The instructor will be available to assist students with the exercises and discuss their practical application. Although not a formal grading component, completing the exercises will improve your skills and make you more proficient in completing the quizzes, tests, and projects.

Quizzes

Each week’s topic includes a supporting quiz with 10 questions - 5 conceptual and 5 applied. Each quiz is worth 1 point and can be retaken as many times as desired prior to the test. The Quizzes Grading Component is calculated by adding the top 10 of 12 total quizzes and is worth 10 total points toward your final grade. Quizzes are structured to assess comprehension of the weekly lecture, demonstration, and exercises. Successfully completing and studying the quizzes will improve your test scores.

Tests

There are three subject matter tests and one cumulative test that will be administered during a proctored testing session. Tests are NOT open book or notes. Each subject matter test will consist of 20 questions - 10 conceptual and 10 applied. Each question is worth 0.5 points. Tests are worth 40 total points toward your final grade and are structured to assess and reinforce overall comprehension. 

Projects

There will be four projects assigned during the semester. Each project will include a work breakdown structure (i.e. list of tasks) and description of the final deliverable that builds on the material covered in lectures, demonstrations, and exercises. The first two projects will include a list of tasks supported by step-by-step instructions. The third and fourth projects will include a list of tasks supported by more general instructions. Each project is worth 10 points. Projects are worth 40 total points toward your final grade and are designed to build and assess the knowledge and skills required to complete real-world applications using GIS.

Readings assigned will be available in electronic format for free via the course website and the Internet.

• Competency - Collect, transform, and visualize tabular data using best practices.
• Topic: What is Data? - Explain how data is collected, stored in the tabular model, and analyzed to create information and knowledge.
• Topic: Transforming Data - Use spreadsheet functions to transform text, numeric, and geospatial data.
• Topic: Visualizing Data - Visualize data in tables, charts, maps, and dashboards using best practices.
• Competency - Assimilate normalized data into an entity-relationship modeled RDBMS using ETL tools.
• Topic: Data Models - Model tabular and geospatial data using conceptual, logical, and physical entity-relationship diagrams.
• Topic: Databases - Create database schema and relate tables in a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS).
• Topic: Data Assimilation - Use Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) tools to assimilate vector, raster, and triangulated data in a geodatabase with subtypes and attribute domains.
• Competency - Create, edit, and document geospatial data using point, line, and polygon construction tools, snapping, topology and metadata.
• Topic: Data Creation - Create and edit geospatial data using basic point, line, and polygon construction tools.
• Topic: Data Editing - Create and edit geospatial data using advanced point, line, and polygon construction tools.
• Topic: Topology - Explain how network, geodatabase, and map topology are used in GIS.
• Competency - Use the field data collection workflow to acquire, assimilate, and produce geospatial and attribute data deliverables.
• Topic: Location Data - Explain how GPS and DGPS create location data.
• Topic: Field Data - Collect GPS field data using the field data collection workflow to minimize errors.
• Topic: Data Automation - Describe and demonstrate the benefits of using data automation in GIS.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will learn how to compile, analyze, and present geospatial data while emphasizing the value of visual communication. Students will learn these basic geospatial concepts using industry-standard GIS technology.

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:

• Explain basic concepts of using GIS in mapping the earth in spatial terms and populating the GIS's system to access data
• Create and access data in the GIS's system using an appropriate software package
• Develop and print maps with industry standard legends
• Operate industry standard GIS packages on a personal computer
• Capture positional and attribute information with correct and accurate geographic referencing
• Convert geographic information among several coordinate systems
• Acquire GIS's system information from databases, existing maps, and the Internet
• Annotate output for finished maps, documents, and reports.

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.
• Select, evaluate, and document primary and secondary data according to original scale, coordinate system, precision, accuracy, completeness, currency, source, and fitness for use.
• Edit, query, convert, rectify, georeference, project, transform, geoprocess, validate, import, export, backup, and archive data while utilizing file and data standards and assuring quality.
• Interpret user requirements to select, install, maintain, and license desktop GIS and GIS-related software.
• 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.
• View, locate, query, geoprocess, and analyze spatial data utilizing GIS software.

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:

1. Workplace Competencies - Effective workers can productively use:
   1. Resources – They know how to allocate (C1) time, (C2) money, (C3), materials, and (C4) staff
   2. Information – They can (C5) acquire and evaluate data, (C6) organize and maintain files, (C7) interpret and communicate, and (C8) use computers to process information.
   3. 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,
   4. Systems – They (C15) understand social, organizational, and technological systems, (C16) they can monitor and correct performance; and (C17) they can design or improve systems.
   5. Technology – They can (C18) select equipment and tools, (C19) apply technology to specific tasks and (C20) maintain and troubleshoot equipment.
2. Foundation Skills - Competent workers in the high-performance workplace need:
   1. Basic Skills – (F1) reading, (F2) writing, (F3) arithmetic and (F4) mathematics, (F5) listening and (F6) speaking.
   2. 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.
   3. Personal Qualities – (F13) individual responsibility, (F14) self-esteem, (F15) sociability, (F16) self-management, and (F17) integrity.