A Service-Learning Project to Acquire GIS Skills and Knowledge: A Case Study for Environmental Undergraduate Students

The service-learning (SL) approach has shown effectiveness in fulfilling both academic and community-oriented objectives. This paper focuses on a specific case study for a Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) course for Environmental Sciences undergraduate students. The main goals for implementing SL practice were (1) to enhance students’ GIS knowledge and to develop cross-cutting skills by working with real-world problems; (2) to share with society the knowledge acquired by students and ensure that it is valued; and (3) to prompt reflection on urban waste issues among students. The activity consisted of analyzing the waste containers along the 1 km riverbanks in León (Spain) and elaborating a proposal for the location of new rubbish bins to deliver to a City Council’s environmental technician. The results showed an improvement in students’ GIS management skills to solve environmental problems compared to those from the previous 3 years and a satisfactory response from environmental professionals with delivering the results. Together, an increase in students discussing urban waste was observed during the sessions. Projects like this not only teach technical skills but also provide a deeper understanding of data collection and implementation processes in environmental issues, which are closely aligned with professional experiences, and awareness of the practical application of the knowledge acquired.