University Consortium for
Geographic Information Science
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Education Committee News

Virtual Seminar in Ethics for GIS Professionals
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by David DiBiase, chair

Students and faculty members at six UCGIS member institutions participated in the latest UCGIS Virtual Seminar in Fall, 2005. The Geographic Information Systems Certification Institute’s (GISCI) publication of a Code of Ethics (http://www.gisci.org/code_of_ethics.htm) inspired the seminar topic.

Program of the 2005 Virtual Seminar in Ethics for GIS Professionals

•  “The GIS Code of Ethics.” William J. Craig, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota.
• “Other Organization's Codes of Ethics.” Steve Ventura, Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• “Troublesome Technologies and Furrowed Brows - Understanding Hostilities Towards GIS.” Rich Harris, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
• “Human Tracking and Geoslavery.” Jerome Dobson, Department of Geography, University of Kansas
• “Questions About Ethics for GIS Professionals.” Francis Harvey, Department of Geography, University of Minnesota.
•   “GIS and Communities.” Francis Harvey, Department of Geography, University of Minnesota

Speakers offered live presentations (audio and slides) in which students and others participated via a desktop Web conferencing system. In addition to real-time audio and textual chat conversations during the presentations, asynchronous discussions took place in the weeks following each presentation in Penn State’s “ANGEL” learning management system. Presenters also used ANGEL and local Web sites to distribute readings and project assignments. Students and faculty members also met weekly at their institutions for face-to-face discussions.

The Virtual Seminar was successful in involving more than 50 students from multiple institutions. Speakers’ ability to present from their own offices without incurring the costs and inconveniences of travel encouraged participation. Presenters did need to rehearse presentations to become comfortable with the Web conferencing technology. They also needed to respond promptly to student comments and questions in the asynchronous discussion fora; unmoderated discussions soon degenerated into blogs. The assistance of an instructional design specialist at the host institution (Penn State) was important, and local face-to-face discussion sessions were crucial. The lead time required to plan the seminar and recruit participants was about one year. Dawn Wright (Oregon State), David DiBiase (Penn State), and Francis Harvey are discussing a possible reprise of the ethics seminar in Fall 2007.

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