The Impact of Using Geographic Information Systems Technology on Students’ Understanding of Epidemiology
| Autor: | Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar, Shishir Shishodia, Jason A. Rosenzweig |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Geographic information system 020205 medical informatics education 02 engineering and technology Biology Session (web analytics) Education Epidemiology 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering medicine neoplasms Class (computer programming) Medical education GiST business.industry 05 social sciences Professional development 050301 education Certificate Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) digestive system diseases Survey data collection General Agricultural and Biological Sciences business 0503 education |
| Zdroj: | The American Biology Teacher. 80:191-197 |
| ISSN: | 1938-4211 0002-7685 |
| DOI: | 10.1525/abt.2018.80.3.191 |
| Popis: | To enhance/update our microbiology course, we employed a geographic information science and technology (GIST) infusion to improve students' understanding of epidemiology and disease spread and to encourage students to earn a GIST certificate, making them more marketable in an increasingly competitive workplace. Following a 25-minute introductory GIST infusion lecture during a microbiology class session, a 1.5-hour GIST laboratory exercise was performed in which teams of students evaluated Centers for Disease Control (CDC) chlamydial disease incidence data. In addition to answering three quiz questions addressing the data, students created a map, using ArcGIS software, indicating which Texas counties experienced the highest rates of chlamydia in 2014. To determine the efficacy/value of our infusion, GIST survey data (pre- and post-infusion), GIST lab quiz scores, and answers to four GIST lecture exam questions were evaluated. In conclusion, our study was successful in improving understanding of what GIST is and how it could impact biological fields by improving attitudes about the likelihood of further GIST study leading to a certificate program, and by exposing biology undergraduates to GIST technologies and software, enabling student data mapping. Ultimately, our efforts could promote enhanced vocationalization of our biology program, thereby enhancing and broadening employment opportunities for our graduates. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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