Whether it’s used to navigate an unfamiliar neighborhood, find the closest Starbucks or track down everything from a missing cell phone to the world’s most wanted criminals, location technology permeates every aspect of modern life.
As a result, demand is high for professionals in the field of location technologies, also known as geospatial technologies.
As an introduction to this dynamic field, Elmhurst College, in partnership with the GeoTech Center, will offer a free, four-week massive open online course, or MOOC, called Skills for the Digital Earth, beginning on March 30.
Skills for the Digital Earth explores the vital role of location, of geography, of “where?” to myriad disciplines in our digital world. Participants in the MOOC will learn what location technologies are used for, as well as fundamental geospatial concepts, skills and applications.
Participants also will learn about careers in the geospatial industry, in areas ranging from the military and homeland security to land use and environmental protection.
Skills for the Digital Earth will run from March 30 until April 26. Offered entirely online, the course will be taught through video lectures, interaction opportunities and discussion forums. Participants will complete exercises and run through real-world examples using online spatial software that works on any device with a Web browser.
The course is appropriate for those with no prior experience with geographic information systems (GIS) software, as well as for advanced users. Participants who complete six of the course’s seven modules will receive a certificate of completion. An additional certificate will be awarded for completion of all seven modules.
You can register for Skills for the Digital Earth here. For more information, visit the website or call Rich Schultz, program director of the geographic information systems certificate program and applied geospatial sciences graduate program, at (630) 617-3128.
Skills for the Digital Earth is an excellent introduction to Elmhurst College’s new programs in the geospatial sciences field. In the master’s program in applied geospatial sciences (AGS), students acquire in-depth knowledge of the geospatial field and are introduced to spatial thinking and geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool used in a variety of applications in the industry. Students also receive hands-on experience with real-world projects designed to be applied to actual geospatial issues. Elmhurst also offers a graduate certificate in applied geospatial sciences for students who do not wish to complete a full master’s program.
The certificate awarded for completing all seven modules of the Skills for the Digital Earth course can be used to waive the first course in the master’s degree or graduate certificate in applied geospatial sciences programs.
Elmhurst College also offers an online GIS certificate program at the undergraduate level. Students who earn the Skills for the Digital Earth certificate for completing the first six modules can waive the first course in the online GIS certificate program.