Abstract
Teaching of critical spatial thinking in higher education empowers graduates to effectively engage with spatial data. Geographic information systems (GIS) and science are taught to undergraduates across many disciplines; we evaluate how this contributes to critical spatial thinking. The discipline of GIS covers the whole process of spatial decision-making, but GIS modules often ignore the context setting of spatial problems, and just cover the technical aspects of how to use GIS software. We outline how some existing GIS practicals could be improved to focus on the development of critical spatial thinking skills, competences and abilities that are valuable to graduates.
Highlights
Providing students with critical spatial thinking skills, abilities and knowledge is a key aspect of any geography degree (Whyatt, Clark, & Davies, 2011), and employers look for an understanding of and ability to debate multiscalar issues from the global to the local in all graduates (Swyngedouw, 1992)
The presence of critical spatial thinking skills in geography is important because it helps students to be able to access and make sense ofinformation (Gryl, Jekel, & Donert, 2010) in order to understand the complexities of many of the spatial problems that face our world today
The element of discussing the geographic information systems (GIS) output would include the process of evaluating what the GIS “answer” was, and including the fact that the GIS answer is not necessarily correct all the time. This will allow the users to be critical of the answer the GIS provides, and not just accept it at face value. This element can be included in a wider teaching element of critically analysing maps to help students really think about what is represented on a map, and apply that same critical approach when creating their own maps, developing key critical spatial thinking skills (Committee on Geography, 2000)
Summary
Providing students with critical spatial thinking skills, abilities and knowledge is a key aspect of any geography degree (Whyatt, Clark, & Davies, 2011), and employers look for an understanding of and ability to debate multiscalar issues from the global to the local in all graduates (Swyngedouw, 1992). In a managing rivers and coasts module at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE), students are required to use GIS to carry out hydrological analysis to assess flood risk on a river catchment in the South West of England This includes learning about types of spatial data, such as Digital Elevation Models, and the limitations and assumptions that are associated with using that data for hydrological analysis. Compared to the best practice model of problem-based learning (Read, 2010), the practical is currently set up in a way where the justification of these criteria is not explained well, nor are the steps, after performing the site selection analysis This practical could be set within a planning or hydrology module quite effectively, allowing the students to explore and use the GIS to apply either the current planning requirements for a paint factory (e.g. distance to roads, rivers and infrastructure) or hydrology (e.g. water infiltration rates). This was not possible with this survey, but is something important to research in the future
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