Longitudinal Evaluation of a GIS Laboratory in a Transportation Engineering Course

Abstract

This paper focuses on the potential impact of student-centered feedback for enhancing the learning experience of civil engineering students that used a geographic information system (GIS) based tutorial in a transportation engineering course. The tutorial was implemented in a laboratory environment developed as a self-guided activity supported by a web-based learning system. The formative research proposed in this study includes a series of four successive implementations of this laboratory. Students’ performance, beliefs, and perceptions were monitored by using a mixed-methods design approach and weaknesses identified from early implementations were addressed before the next implementation of the laboratory activity. The students’ performance was found to improve when the GIS web-based tutorial was complemented with an instructor-driven short introduction that anchored the laboratory activity in traffic safety. In addition, students’ feedback in both quantitative and qualitative format indicated weaknesses related to the difficulty of the laboratory and usability factors such as speed and size of data uploading. As these weaknesses were addressed, students’ positive input regarding the overall GIS laboratory experience significantly increased. This positive input was fully backed up by students’ feedback indicating major strengths of the GIS laboratory for professional growth and future career development in civil and transportation engineering. Finally, students’ inputs in the latest implementations provided valuable suggestions for future potential improvements regarding how to better integrate the GIS laboratory in course-related activities such as term projects.