How can DEI be effectively taught with GIS in a Faculty Professional Development Institute?
Geospatial technologies and spatial thinking can be used as effective instructional tools and techniques for teaching about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Why? Because DEI issues such as environmental justice and unequal resource distribution can be understood by examining patterns over space and time. Analyzing change over space and time, through many different lenses and viewpoints, and at multiple scales is exactly why GIS was created. With increased understanding, we can work towards solutions that promote equity and inclusion.
One way of fostering teaching and learning of DEI is through faculty development institutes. This year, I had the honor of collaborating with the GeoTech Center (www.geotechcenter.org) to host a four-day faculty development institute for educators at the Harrisburg Community College Gettysburg Pennsylvania campus. Four of us, including Chris Cruz, GeoTech Center Associate Director & West Valley College, Vince DiNoto, GeoTech Center Director & Jefferson Community & Technical College, Nicole Ernst, GeoTech Center Associate Director & Harrisburg Area Community College, and myself from the Esri Education Team, created and taught the content. GIS and spatial thinking proved to be extremely effective bridge-builders, bringing together educators from multiple levels (from secondary to community college to university), from multiple experience levels (from new to seasoned instructors), from multiple backgrounds, and from multiple disciplines (including geology, language arts, history, poetry, mathematics, biology, geography, GIS, computer science, and others). The diversity of the participants in the institute echoed the DEI theme that we sought to achieve.
The location chosen for the institute was the Gettysburg National Battlefield in Pennsylvania, where in July 1863 the largest battle of the Civil War was fought. This provided a rich setting for examining how stories are told, about the influence that physical geography had on the battle, and provided discussion about the many social issues intertwined with the Civil War that are still present today. How were stories told in the past, and how are they told at present? How can GIS help people understand issues and communicate what they are and why they matter? We invited several people to share their wisdom with the participants, including Garet Couch from Tribal GIS (collaborating with Indigenous communities), Dr Armenta Hinton from Harrisburg Community College (the importance of DEI in education), and Wayne Howard from Monroe Community College (virtual internships).
The institute was composed of short presentations, longer hands-on sessions in a lab setting, field data collection sessions, and guest-led discussions. The institute schedule can be found in this story map. We also made rigorous use of a story map collection to prepare, teach, and seek feedback about the workshop, which is located here.
Modern GIS tools were used, such as data services, ArcGIS Online, Survey123, instant apps, story maps, Drone2Map. Example sessions included field data collection strategies, effective storytelling, spatial analysis with ArcGIS Online, building effective dashboards, smart mapping, virtual and augmented reality, flying and using UAV/Drone data in your GIS project, using data from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, and more.
Participants proposed and presented a DEI project that they intended to pursue after the institute ended. The goal of requiring a project was to add an action component that was focused on “how and where could I teach DEI concepts using GIS?”
It was our hope that the institute encouraged the participants that they too could teach DEI concepts using GIS tools, spatial thinking, and geospatial data. We are assessing the institute’s effectiveness over the long term but were encouraged by all who participated and trust that they will inspire their own students to be agents of positive change. I share this information and the resources that the teaching team developed so that the readers of this essay can use these resources as is or modify them for your own programs, campuses, and initiatives.
A portion of the story maps collection that we created and used during and after the institute, which proved to be very effective for the teaching team and the participants.
One of the hands-on sessions in the GeoTech Center DEI GIS institute.
One of our field study sites.
I look forward to your feedback!