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Table 3. List of Budget Items
Potential budget items
Detailed items and other considerations
Instructor Fee
•
Administrative costs
•
Instructional time
o
Instructor fees may need to include both salary and fringe benefits
•
Material preparation time,
•
Travel time,
•
Computer lab coordination and set up (software installation / update, data installation,
accounts, etc.).
o
Not just basic operational software but browser add-on’s and plug-ins as well (Java, Flash, etc.)
Printing Services
•
Color vs black and white,
•
Binding expenses
•
Tabs
•
Labor
Travel Costs
Transportation, parking, lodging, meals and incidental expenses for instructors and guest speakers
Supply fees
Name tags, desk tents, text books, flash drives, data purchases, pens, batteries for equipment,
DVD’s, postage, certificates for participants, etc.
Instructional Computer Lab
Fees
Cost per computer each day, varies by locale
Advertising
Targeted listserves, newsletters, geospatial professional organizations, community college workforce
development programs and press releases. Requires online registration.
Break Sessions/Lunch
•
Food, drinks (coffee / water / soda), snacks, lunch
•
Need to identify food allergies
Other Financial Considerations
•
Travel costs or stipend payments for pre-college educator participants (especially if the venue is
held during summer).
•
Substitute teacher reimbursement for the schools of educator participants (if the venue is held
during the school year)
•
Tuition and academic fees for pre-college educators
The Future
These efforts will continue with new workshops, new writ-
ten and video tutorials and lesson plans, and new strat-
egies to better target the educational needs of Virginians.
For example, the Virginia Association for Mapping and
Land Information Systems (VAMLIS) and GeoTEd have re-
cently formed a statewide mentorship program for commu-
nity college faculty “who are interested in integrating geo-
spatial tools, applications, or geospatial career opportuni-
ties in any course or discipline”
). The concept behind the mentorship program is to
provide a sustainable network between local professionals
and community college faculty. This new initiative was re-
cently launched at the 2014 Virginia GIS Conference.
Conclusion
Collaboration and planning are paramount to establish-
ing a successful statewide geospatial educational pathway
program. Through resolute efforts, educational partners
and collaborators support and expand the capabilities of
technology-savvy K-12 students, develop advanced geospa-
tial skills in students entering college, empower Virginia’s
current workforce to “keep up” with big data and changing
technologies, and promote spatial reasoning of our citizens.
These initiatives in support of geospatial technology work-
force development has garnered the attention of educators
across the mid-Atlantic region, as well as educators in oth-
er U.S. States and other countries. The authors hope this
article can form a blueprint for other geospatial technology
educators’ efforts to implement new programs or expand
the extent of geospatial technology learning.
References
McLeod, G., J. McGee, and J. Wilson, 2007. Virginia Geo-
spatial Employment and Workforce Development Sur-
vey. Results unpublished, available from second author
Thrall, G.I., and M. Campins, 2004. Mapping the Geospatial
Community, Part Three,
Geospatial Solutions
14 (11):46
U.S. Department of Labor, 2010. High Growth Industry
Profile – Geospatial Technology. Accessed on August 9,
2014 at
. Last updated March 8, 2010.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 2014. Presidential
Management Fellows Program. Accessed on July 27,
2014 at
Last updated July 17, 2014.
Authors
Tammy E. Parece
and
Dr. James B. Campbell
, Depart-
ment of Geography, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Dr. John McGee
and
Dr. Randolph H. Wynne
, Depart-
ment of Forest Resources and Environmental Conserva-
tion, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
