arcwatch

Grasp the GIS Opportunities within Education's Grand Challenges

Educators will talk about the role of GIS technologies in student learning and facilities planning.
Educators will talk about the role of GIS technologies in student learning and facilities planning.

The Esri Education GIS Conference provides unique training and networking opportunities to help you and your educational institution get the most from GIS to improve student learning and manage operations effectively.

If you go, you also will hear from interesting speakers who will cover topics related to this year’s conference theme: Education’s Grand Challenges, GIS Opportunities, emphasizing the major issues that confront education today. These challenges include the impact of the Common Core standards and online learning, career readiness, and problem-based learning.

Christopher Swanson from Education Week magazine will discuss “Challenges and Opportunities in K–12 Education” during the conference’s first Plenary Session on July 12. Swanson directs the Research Center of Editorial Projects in Education for Education Week. His plenary address will focus on how education policy and standards affect achievement and graduation rates in schools in the United States.

People can attend presentations given by Esri technology users.
People can attend presentations given by Esri technology users.

Scott L. Thomas of Claremont Graduate University (CGU) in California and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Higher Education will present “The Future of Higher Education” at the second Plenary Session on July 13. Thomas, who is dean of CGU’s School of Educational Studies, will examine how rising costs, career readiness, and new technologies are challenging conventional thinking about the university’s role in today’s society.

Ludmilla Pavlova, senior facilities planner at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will speak at the third and final Plenary Session on July 15. Her presentation, “Sustaining Learning Places” will explore the role of GIS in facilities planning and campus management with an emphasis on creating processes and tools that support campus sustainability and climate action goals.

There will be opportunities to take instructor-led GIS training at the conference.
There will be opportunities to take instructor-led GIS training at the conference.

All the education conference Plenary Sessions will be held at the Marriott Marquis & Marina. However, on July 14, the program will move next door to the San Diego Convention Center for the Esri User Conference Plenary Session presentations and the Academic GIS Program Fair. At the fair, conference-goers will get the opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges and universities to discuss their academic GIS programs and educational offerings.

“In Plenary Sessions, user presentations, and self-organized sessions, this year’s Education GIS Conference will focus on the big issues confronting education,” says David DiBiase, Esri director of education. “Some of the best minds in the business will be there—including yours, we hope.”

Register today.

Four More Great Reasons to Go to the Esri Education GIS Conference

If you work in GIS education, this is one conference you should not miss, because you can

The goal of Esri's education program is to cultivate the next generation of GIS users and spatial thinkers, says David DiBiase, Esri director of education.
The goal of Esri's education program is to cultivate the next generation of GIS users and spatial thinkers, says David DiBiase, Esri director of education.

About the author

Jim Baumann

Jim Baumann is a longtime employee at Esri. He has written articles on GIS technology and the computer graphics industry for more than 30 years.