Meeting & Agendas

Committee Chair George Strebel welcomed attendees, including new Committee Members. Everyone introduce themselves and then Mr. Stebel provided a brief recap of the previous meeting; final creation of the Committee bylaws; approval of the minutes via email; the Committee purpose; and the role of the Committee in linking ACC GIS curriculum to employment in the GIS profession. GIS Department Chair Sean Moran also introduced new Committee Members to the GIS@ACC Committee web page and member bios.

ACC GIS Department Chair Sean Moran updated the Committee on enrollment (peaked in 2013, but remains stable), awards (decline in degrees and increase in certificates...most ACC GIS students already have a degree), assessment (average Level I Exam score is 86% and trending up), ACC Inc (9-1-1 GIS interns), and full-time/adjunct faculty balance (2 FT and 8 adjuncts).

Associate GIS Professor Sally Holl explained that we were seeking the Committee’s recommendation on whether to move Introduction to GIS from the academic side where it currently resides as GEOG 2470 to the workforce side where it would be GISC 1411. Since the last GIS Advisory Committee meeting, full-time GIS Professor Dr. Mary Beth Booth retired and the GIS Department is being moved from the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division to the new Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Applied Technologies Division. ACC Administration is proposing that the GIS Department use the current GEOG 2470 curriculum to develop GISC 1411. The content of the course would not change. Reasons: Faculty requirements more lenient Approval from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) every 2yrs ACC is only a 2yr institution and course does not articulate well with 4yr institutions The next step is to forward the GIS Advisory Committee’s recommendation to the ACC Curriculum Committee for their decision. If GISC 1411 was created, there would probably be a transition period during which GEOG 2470 would be phased out. Ms. Holl summarized a recent GEOG 2470 Intro to GIS Student Survey in which 40 out of 60 students enrolled in GEOG 2470 responded. The most relevant questions are summarized below. Ms. Holl then opened the discussion up for questions from Committee Members. What about 30% (from survey results) who want the course to transfer, will it negatively affect them? Mr. Moran said that students needing academic credit could petition for credit or exemption at the transferring institution. What makes it transferable? Mr. Moran said that GEOG 2470 is qualified as an academic credit course by the THECB and is eligible to be accepted by any 4-year college or university in Texas. Lately, the Texas Legislature has suggested that our academic core courses have strayed from STEM. In response, the THECB has been reducing the number of courses that can be considered core academic credit courses. Can a deal be struck with 4 year institutions? Mr. Moran stated that is up to 4-year college and universities to accept non-academic credit courses. The Department Chair would need to negotiate with each 4-year institution and sign an articulation agreement. Are we able to see data for transfer requests? Mr. Moran said that the data is not readily available, but probably exists. What is the difference in cost? Mr. Moran stated that there would no difference in the course cost, but that financial aid may no longer cover the course. What if the Advisory Committee votes no? Mr. Moran said that the Committee’s recommendation will be provided to the ACC Curriculum Committee, but the Curriculum Committee ultimately decides. Has this already been decided unofficially? Mr. Moran said that at the administrative level it has been made clear the move is wanted. The Curriculum Committee has not made any decisions and would thoughtfully consider the Committee's recommendation. What is the ACC GIS road map? Mr. Moran stated that teaching both technical proficiencies and the ability to think critically (competencies) are the program's strong points. Continuing to evolve the program with the market (e.g internships, drones, online learning, etc.) is the priority. Staffing, especially as it relates to filling the vacancy created with Dr. Booth retired, is the department’s main challenge. Committee Chair George Strebel made a motion to move the GEOG 2470 Introduction to GIS course from the academic side to the workforce side as GISC 1411 Introduction to GIS and Committee Member Kyungah Lim seconded it. The motion made by Committee Chair George Strebel to move Introduction to GIS from GEOG 2470 to GISC 1411 was declined by a vote of five in opposition and four in favor.

Department Chair Sean Moran is proposing the creation of an accelerated, competency-based, online GIS Level I Certificate pilot project. Students enrolled in the pilot project would complete 20 semester hours and 512 contact hours of modularized curriculum over a 8 to 24 month period. Students would demonstrate mastery of individual competencies via online quizzes, tests, assignments, and projects. Students must complete and demonstrate mastery of each module with a score of 80% or better before advancing to the next level. Modules would be grouped into course blocks that equate to existing ACC GIS courses. Students would earn a course grade when they demonstrate mastery of all the modules and individual competencies in the block. The individual competencies were reviewed and revised by the GIS Advisory Committee at their last meeting. Students would receive a GIS Level I Certificate when they completed all of the blocks, including their GIS Capstone project demonstrating the skills required of an entry-level GIS professional. After a brief discussion of the proposal (see attached), Mr. Moran closed by saying the pilot was on hold with the denial of a full-time faculty position to replace the position vacated by Dr. Booth. Mr. Moran suggested that he might resubmit the proposal after the organizational move in August, 2017.

Mr. Moran stated that It has been about 20 years since last College reorganization. Areas of Study (AoS) have been created to assist with student persistence. GIS will be under Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Applied Technologies (DMCAT) in Fall will move to Workforce Dean area to align with AoS assignment. Should know who the new Dean is this summer. HLC Phase II (plan shown in above slides) will be near the center on Academic Main Street. The GIS Department will be picking up a classroom (15 seats). Rooms will have high quality video and audio. ACC Inc will expand next door to the classrooms and will include 6 work stations and 1 supervisor office creating even more work experience opportunities for students. Area will also have a conference room, 150-300 seat meeting space, and instructor offices. Th move-in date is projected for 2020.

Committee Chair Strebel asked if there was any other business. Mr Moran asked the Committee whether they were using ArcGIS Pro yet? The general consensus was that organizations were experimenting with ArcGIS Pro, but still primarily using ArcGIS Desktop. Committee Member David Shore asked if the move to workforce would affect scholarships. Mr. Moran stated that it could impact financial aid, although there are other options on the workforce side. He followed up by asking why the Texas Legislature is concerned about core academic credit courses? Mr. Moran responded that the Legislature subsidizes academic education costs...also, they want to maintain a distinction between 2-year and 4-year institutions. ACC GIS Committee Chair George Strebel asked the committee if they had any other business, hearing none he adjourned the meeting.