Temple University Enhances Student Learning and Career Readiness with a Modern GIS Curriculum

Two decades ago, universities teaching mobile geographic information system (GIS) data collection faced obstacles like large GPS backpack receivers and old desktop applications. Students would go out in the field but experienced poor internet connectivity. Jeremy Mennis, now a professor in the department of geography, environment, and urban studies at Temple University, was a graduate student in 1995. Always drawn to geographic technology, he went on to earn a PhD and has been teaching ever since. As GIS evolved, many universities began adapting to enhance program options to attract students at every academic level to prepare them for high-demand career fields in government, technology, and business. 

“Now data collection is much, much easier and it’s more intuitive to [students] given that most people have a smartphone that has a GPS receiver in it, and they can see their location,” said Mennis. 

Temple was one university which early on modernized its geography department by implementing GIS software as a core part of the curriculum. “I really enjoy teaching, and I love seeing the students…know how to use this software at the end of the fundamentals of GIS courses,” explained Mennis. “They understand the concepts [of] projections and coordinate systems, they know what a relational database management system is, they know the difference between vector and raster.”

The geography department at Temple University started using Esri’s ArcGIS Online, a web-based software to create, analyze, and share maps, apps, and data. Mennis teaches four foundational GIS classes at Temple, and one approach he uses in his classroom is to assign students experiential learning with ArcGIS Field Maps. This all-in-one app included in an ArcGIS Online subscription uses maps and forms to help students find and record information on mobile devices. Mennis wanted to create an intuitive and accessible assignment that teaches the principles and practice of collecting geospatial data in the field. After downloading Field Maps and designing a form with attribute data, students collect information about the many food trucks on campus, including data like locations, street segmentation, types of cuisine offered, and outdoor seating areas. They then write reports detailing their findings. 

“Their ability to use this technology seamlessly without a lot of help or handholding is impressive,” said Mennis. “Someone who has never taken a GIS class before can be given simple instructions, and within an hour, they can be out collecting data.” 

Nearly a decade ago, in an effort to attract more students from the metro Philadelphia area, Temple University began offering undergraduate bachelor of arts degrees and graduate classes in spatial technologies and analytics courses. College enrollments nationwide had been on a decline, and these GIS fundamentals courses were intended to attract students from a broader range of majors, from engineering to anthropology. “We focused on developing an in-person GIS program for those in the Philadelphia region because there wasn’t one available,” explained Kevin Henry, professor and department chair of geography, environment, and urban studies at Temple University. 

After seeing these new curriculum offerings become popular among students, Temple doubled the number of GIS courses and degree options in their geography program, including adding a master’s degree. “In addition to a professional science master’s (PSM) in geographic information systems, we also offer a PSM in geographic data science, which has a greater emphasis on geospatial programming, geospatial AI, and spatial data analysis,” said Mennis. Undergraduate students across the university benefit from GIS certificate programs and accelerated entry into the PSM graduate degree programs. 

Noticing the success and engagement of students taking geospatial classes, more professors outside the geography department have also now incorporated GIS into their courses. “In our department, we are the locus of the GIS technology, but there are people all over the university who are using GIS to solve problems,” said Mennis. In one example, Mennis described working with psychology department faculty interested in the environmental effects on people’s health behaviors. “One of the major things I try to emphasize is that while GIS can be viewed as a tool, it’s also a domain of knowledge like statistics. That’s why it’s so important to have some foundational knowledge of what GIS is and how it works, not just the technology, but the principles.”

Temple’s curriculum improvements have prepared students for careers in fields like urban planning, environmental consulting, and public health, and have been recognized as crucial for their success in the modern technological landscape. To date, the PSM program has graduated nearly 80 students who have gone on to careers in GIS and beyond. “I keep up with the students on LinkedIn, and I learn a lot,” said Mennis. “They are experts now and at the forefront of GIS technology, embracing new ways to solve problems.”