MGIST Faculty Member Laura Tateosian Awarded DELTA Exploratory Grant

Dr. Laura Tateosian, a Center Faculty Fellow and GIS Faculty member, was awarded a competitive Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) Exploratory Grant to develop ‘Py4All’, a web-based interactive feedback tool for students learning Python programming for ArcGIS in GIS 540.

GIS 540, GIS Programming Fundamentals, is a fast-moving core course in the Center’s MGIST program.  This course empowers participants to save time by using Python for efficient GIS data processing and analysis.  Student-centered learning with numerous hands-on exercises encourage students to roll up their sleeves and cement their learning through practice.

Py4All will extend an existing GIS 540 Python grading tool to create a portal where students receive automated feedback on their work. Targeted tips and hints will reinforce key learning concepts and guide students toward discovering solutions; visualizations will also display summary statistics of peer performance on the same task.  The project will enhance engagement of both the Distance Education and traditional students by increasing the sense of community and attracting participation with innovative technology.

In addition to a monetary reward, DELTA will provide a team of experienced application developers and learning technology experts to support this work.