Distance Education Graduate Courses 

in Geographic Information Science

Many universities allow graduate students to take one or two courses in their graduate programs of study at another university.  It is now possible to take such courses through distance methods.  This site is intended to facilitate the ability of graduate students to assess courses that may provide GIScience course work diversity in their graduate programs by drawing on courses offered at other universities.  In addition, some universities are now offering entire Graduate Certificates or Master's Degrees entirely by distance methods as indicated in some of the entries below.  

The legend for the "letters" listed in the following table is located below the table.

Note:  If you are unfamiliar with some of the technologies now being used in delivering distance education courses, you might want to browse the materials and technologies of one of the distance courses that follows an "open access course materials" philosophy.   

Professors, we invite you to please contribute additional courses to the listing below.

NOTES / LEGEND:

(1) URL where description of course may be found

(2) URL where graduate student may enroll in the course

(3) Timeframe in which course is offered: 

     Anytime - student may start course on any day of the year

     Fall - course typically starts around September of each year

     Spring - course typically starts around January of each year

     Summer -  course typically starts around May of each year

     Other - student should consult contact person to determine start time

(4) Technologies used in delivering this specific course:

     A.  Physical conveyance of materials - papers and/or videos are sent through the mail

     B.  Standard Web Access - it is possible to take this course by having access to email and the web through only a low speed phone modem 

     C.  Web Streaming Live - live videos of class sessions (lecture and lab sessions) typically are available to the student's desk top as the class sessions occur on campus.  Sessions typically involve one-way viewing by the student and the student typically requires access to a high speed line such as are available through a cable company or a university.  If not actually delivered live, the tapes of the on-campus live class sessions are on the web within 24 hours of their live delivery.

     D.  Web Streaming Archive - videos of past class lectures, discussions, lab demonstrations and similar materials are available online so the student may refer back to them throughout the length of a course

     E.  Compressed Video - typically two-way live viewing of class sessions.  Sessions typically require viewing by the student at an arranged facility.

     F.  Interactive Television - typically two-way live viewing of class sessions.  Sessions typically require viewing by the student at an arranged facility.

     G.  Student has ability to communicate with distance instructor through e-mail

     H.  Student has ability to ask the distance instructor questions during arranged hours on-line

     I.  Student has ability to ask distance instructor questions during the live presentations of the class sessions

     J.  Student has ability to communicate with all other students enrolled in the course

     K.  Students are required to purchase software to run on their own computers

     L.  Students have access from a distance to software that is running on university computers

     M.  Other - contact the instructor for additional technology requirements

(5)  Further information:

     Q.  This course requires that students make one or more physical trips to the campus.

     R.  This course is offered only to distant graduate students.  There are no on-campus students taking the course in a traditional classroom.

     S.  This course is offered to graduate students in an on-campus classroom as well as to distant students through distance methods  

     T.  Assuming that a student has been officially admitted, completion of this course counts toward a graduate degree or a graduate certificate offered entirely by distance methods by the institution offering the course. 

Invitation to Submit Information about Additional Distance Education Graduate Courses in Geographic Information Science

If you would like to make information about your graduate courses in GIS offered by distance methods more readily accessible to others, please copy the headings below, supply the requested information, and include it in an e-mail sent to onsrud@spatial.maine.edu

Course Designator and Title:

University Name:

Department Offering Course:

Name and email of instructor or contact person:

URL where description of course may be found:(please provide a URL unlikely to change from year to year)

URL where student may enroll in the course: (please provide a URL unlikely to change from year to year)

Timeframe in which course is offered: (check all that apply)

__ Anytime - student may start course on any day of the year

__ Fall - course typically starts around September of each year

__ Spring - course typically starts around January of each year

__ Summer -  course typically starts around May of each year

__ Other - student should consult contact person to determine start time

Technologies used in delivering this specific course: (check all that apply)

__ A.  Physical conveyance of materials - papers and/or videos are sent through the mail

__ B.  Standard Web Access - it is possible to take this course by having access to email and the web through only a low speed phone modem 

__ C.  Web Streaming Live - live videos of class sessions (lecture and lab sessions) typically are available to the student's desk top as the class sessions occur on campus.  Sessions typically involve one-way viewing by the student and the student typically requires access to a high speed line such as are available through a cable company or a university.  If not actually delivered live, the tapes of the on-campus live class sessions are on the web within 24 hours of their live delivery.

__ D.  Web Streaming Archive - videos of past class lectures, discussions, lab demonstrations and similar materials are available online so the student may refer back to them throughout the length of a course

__ E.  Compressed Video - typically two-way live viewing of class sessions.  Sessions typically require viewing by the student at an arranged facility.

__ F.  Interactive Television - typically two-way live viewing of class sessions.  Sessions typically require viewing by the student at an arranged facility.

__ G.  Student has ability to communicate with distance instructor through e-mail

__ H.  Student has ability to ask the distance instructor questions during arranged hours on-line

__ I.  Student has ability to ask distance instructor questions during the live presentations of the class sessions

__ J.  Student has ability to communicate with all other students enrolled in the course

__ K.  Students are required to purchase software to run on their own computers

__ L.  Students have access from a distance to software that is running on university computers

__ M.  Other - contact the instructor for additional technology requirements

Further information: (check all that apply)

__ Q.  This course requires that students make one or more physical trips to the campus.

__ R.  This course is offered only to distant graduate students.  There are no on-campus students taking the course in a traditional classroom.

__ S.  This course is offered to graduate students in an on-campus classroom as well as to distant students through distance methods  

__ T.  Assuming that a student has been officially admitted to the graduate program, completion of this course counts toward a graduate degree or a graduate certificate offered entirely by distance methods by the institution offering the course.  If so, name the graduate degree or graduate certificate program offered entirely by distance methods: ____________________________   

Submit the above information within an email for each course to onsrud@spatial.maine.edu

(Note: If this web site proves to be of value, hopefully an organization such as UCGIS, a professional organization, or a private company will take over its maintenance in the future.)

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