Implementing Studio-Style Learning in Geographic Information System and Cartography Education

As the professional world evolves, the higher-education sector needs to improve classroom experiences to prepare students for the modern workforce. Higher education traditionally utilizes the lecture as a primary teaching strategy; however, modern pedagogical research suggests active learning-based classrooms improve student engagement, participation, and learning. Studio-style course design, a research-based instructional practice first implemented in Physics and Calculus courses, aims to provide students a place to apply knowledge and practice skills through a collaborative and hands-on environment. Applications of GIS, an upper-division geographic information systems (GIS) course at the University of Montana, has traditionally employed lectures and step-by-step instructional labs but has recently transformed into a studio-style course. In this research, I detail the implementation of studio-style learning from the perspective of a student who completed the traditional course and is currently supporting students as a Learning Assistant in the new studio-style course. The instructor implemented a studio-style course to better replicate real-world GIS problem solving, empower diverse skill sets, and increase student engagement. I collected data through a midterm survey, as a part of an assignment in the Learning Assistants pedagogy seminar, and reported on students’ perceptions of studio-style courses. I then compared those results to my personal experience as a student and Learning Assistant. As more instructors move away from the traditional lecture approach, the results of this study will give insight from the student perspective while providing data assessing the implementation of a studio-style course in GIS & Cartography.