{"id":21993,"global_id":"ncge.org\/staging?id=21993","global_id_lineage":["ncge.org\/staging?id=21993"],"author":"9","status":"publish","date":"2025-07-14 09:52:52","date_utc":"2025-07-14 13:52:52","modified":"2025-07-14 09:52:52","modified_utc":"2025-07-14 13:52:52","url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/event\/when-to-teach-introductory-gis-evaluating-course-sequencing-across-institutions\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/21993","title":"When to Teach \u201cIntroductory\u201d GIS? Evaluating Course Sequencing Across Institutions","description":"Summary<\/h4>\n
As GIS education continues to expand, it is essential to re-evaluate how introductory GIS courses are sequenced. Historically, introductory GIS was one of the few GIS-related courses available, often positioned later in students’ academic careers. However, with rising demand for GIS professionals and more specialized courses, this approach may be outdated. We examine how different institutions\u2014from community colleges offering GIS early to four-year universities placing it at junior or senior levels\u2014structure their GIS programs. We also explore how prerequisites and course sequencing may deter students from further GIS study or careers in the field. With the growing availability of GIS majors, minors, and certificates, introducing GIS earlier could help build a stronger pipeline of graduates and expand career pathways. By analyzing program structures, we aim to offer insights to enhance the accessibility,\u00a0 appeal, and long-term impact of GIS education.<\/p>\n
Session Focus<\/h4>\n
Higher Education | Curriculum and Instruction| GIS, Sequencing<\/p>\n
Conference Room<\/h4>\n
Winnebago<\/p>\n
Meet the Presenters<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Craig_Thomas_2024_WEB-300x300.jpg\")
Dr. Thomas R. Craig<\/strong> 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, Dr. Craig currently teaches a wide range of GIS courses, including Introduction to GIS, Web GIS, Spatial Modeling, and Data Creation and Integration. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Oklahoma State University. <\/span><\/p>","excerpt":"","slug":"when-to-teach-introductory-gis-evaluating-course-sequencing-across-institutions","image":{"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session.png","id":21759,"extension":"png","width":1640,"height":924,"filesize":257378,"sizes":{"medium":{"width":300,"height":169,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":11003,"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session-300x169.png"},"large":{"width":1024,"height":577,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":55378,"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session-1024x577.png"},"thumbnail":{"width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8649,"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session-150x150.png"},"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":433,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":37651,"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session-768x433.png"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":865,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":103834,"url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Conference_2025_Session-1536x865.png"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2025-10-18 16:30:00","start_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"10","day":"18","hour":"16","minutes":"30","seconds":"00"},"end_date":"2025-10-18 17:00:00","end_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"10","day":"18","hour":"17","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_start_date":"2025-10-18 21:30:00","utc_start_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"10","day":"18","hour":"21","minutes":"30","seconds":"00"},"utc_end_date":"2025-10-18 22:00:00","utc_end_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"10","day":"18","hour":"22","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"timezone":"America\/Chicago","timezone_abbr":"CDT","cost":"","cost_details":{"currency_symbol":"$","currency_code":"USD","currency_position":"prefix","values":[]},"website":"","show_map":false,"show_map_link":false,"hide_from_listings":false,"sticky":false,"featured":false,"categories":[{"name":"Conference Sessions","slug":"conference-sessions","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":107,"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","description":"","parent":0,"count":147,"filter":"raw","id":107,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/categories\/107","collection":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/categories"}}],"tags":[{"name":"Annual Conference","slug":"annual-conference","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":89,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":136,"filter":"raw","id":89,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/89","collection":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Saturday Afternoon Session","slug":"saturday-afternoon-session","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":116,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":60,"filter":"raw","id":116,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/116","collection":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}}],"venue":{"id":21762,"author":"9","status":"publish","date":"2025-07-08 10:50:02","date_utc":"2025-07-08 14:50:02","modified":"2025-07-08 10:50:02","modified_utc":"2025-07-08 14:50:02","url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/venue\/conference-room-winnebago\/","venue":"Conference Room: Winnebago","slug":"conference-room-winnebago","json_ld":{"@type":"Place","name":"Conference Room: Winnebago","description":"","url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/venue\/conference-room-winnebago\/","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress"},"telephone":"","sameAs":""},"show_map":true,"show_map_link":true,"global_id":"ncge.org\/staging?id=21762","global_id_lineage":["ncge.org\/staging?id=21762"]},"organizer":[{"id":8816,"author":"9","status":"publish","date":"2021-10-11 15:18:22","date_utc":"2021-10-11 19:18:22","modified":"2021-10-11 15:18:22","modified_utc":"2021-10-11 19:18:22","url":"https:\/\/ncge.org\/staging\/organizer\/national-council-for-geography-education\/","organizer":"National Council for Geography Education","slug":"national-council-for-geography-education","json_ld":{"@type":"Person","name":"National Council for Geography Education","description":"","url":"","telephone":"","email":"","sameAs":""},"global_id":"ncge.org\/staging?id=8816","global_id_lineage":["ncge.org\/staging?id=8816"]}],"custom_fields":[],"json_ld":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Event","name":"When to Teach \u201cIntroductory\u201d GIS? 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