Summary
Recent calls from geographers, including AAG President William Moseley—notably in his 2025 NCGE address—emphasize strengthening the vital bridge between K-12 and college geography educators. Despite robust AP Human Geography (APHG) enrollment, geography remains a “discovery degree” with students rarely considering it beyond high school. This presentation addresses this pipeline challenge through a model for post-AP exam experiential outreach that engages students directly with geographic practice. Building effective bridges requires engagement from both sides: AP teachers willing to connect with college faculty, and geography professors willing to reach beyond university walls. Drawing on our combined experience as an APHG teacher, APHG reader, and college geography professor, this presentation describes designing a campus visit where post-AP exam students engage in hands-on geographic investigation using college-level tools and methods across multiple sub-disciplinary areas. The presentation will share the framework for designing meaningful experiential connections between APHG curriculum and college geography practice, discuss findings from implementation, and explore challenges in building these two-way relationships. Attendees will gain practical guidance for creating similar outreach initiatives adaptable to their institutional contexts, whether as AP teachers seeking college partnerships or faculty engaging high school geography students.
Session Focus
APHG Educators | Geography for Life | Curriculum and Instruction
Conference Room
Lacy
Meet the Presenters
Dr. Thomas R. Craig is an Assistant Professor of Geography and Geographic Information Science in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at South Dakota State University. With nearly two decades of experience as a geography educator spanning both secondary and higher education, Dr. Craig brings a unique perspective to bridging these often-separate worlds. He has served as an Advanced Placement Human Geography exam reader for ten years and previously taught high school social studies for five years before completing his Ph.D. in Geography from Oklahoma State University.
Kim McCullough teaches AP Human Geography, World Regional Geography, Geography of Religion, and AP European History at Brookings High School. She earned her Master’s degree in Geography from South Dakota State University in 2003. Before joining Brookings High School, she taught at the Flandreau Indian School, served as an instructor in SDSU’s Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, and taught at George S. Mickelson Middle School in Brookings.
