The MSU Center for Teaching and Learning
Invites You to Attend a Professional Development Workshop Presented by
The Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy
 GIS: Powerful Teaching and Workplace Tool
Tuesday, Sept. 11th, from 1:00 to 4:00 in Lloyd Cassidy 102
(You may attend all of part of the session. Refreshments are provided)

Geographic Information Systems use computers and software to facilitate analysis and understanding of geographically distributed phenomena through enhanced visualization and statistical tools. Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about where things are in the world into maps to assist the understanding of a region. GIS is becoming increasingly important in many areas of education, business and technology. This hands-on workshop is geared for both faculty and staff.
How can GIS be used by faculty?
For faculty, GIS can greatly enhance research or offer a powerful hands-on teaching tool in the classroom in a variety of courses. Free Internet GIS Web sites help students visualize geographical relationships, such as the link between education and poverty in the U.S. University teaching applications, for instance, may include:
•    Geology—detailed mapping of earthquake-shaping and hurricane surge inundation regions.
•    Biology—illustrating concentrations of various species of plant and animal life.
•    History—mapping historical voting and census data to examine transformations in American social and political history.
•    Economics and Business—calculating the optimal locations for retail outlets or managing travel routing and logistics.
•    Political Science—studying voting patterns in relation to social, demographic, and economic phenomena.
•    Social Work/Sociology¬—studying poverty and health disparity in the Appalachian region
•    English/Humanities—illustrate regions and locations of different literary “pockets” Appalachian, Allegany, the Ozarks.
How can GIS be used by university staff?
University staff and administrators can use GIS to facilitate many tasks, including the following:
•    In Admissions, maps can be made to identify where desirable students are located to help with student recruitment efforts.
•    In Fund Raising, GIS can help locate alumni who live in high-income neighborhoods.
•    Student Support Services, map the  Admission Index of the region’s high schools for possible intervention programs e.g. Trio Programs
•    In the Physical Plant office, GIS can replace traditional CAD systems and GIS and GPS together can provide sophisticated tools for managing inventories and maintenance scheduling across campuses.

To register, call 3-9363
Continuing Education Credit Available