Join the Faculty of ITC for their Week of Education sessions.
Programme:
- 12:30 - 13:15 Presentation: Awareness raising as a teaching method (LA2310)
Presenter:
- 13:30 - 14:15 Tasters to promote enrolment of HBO students in the Master Spatial Engineering (LA2310)
CEE Teaching & Learning Fellowship Inclusive Communities
Presenter:
- 14:30 - 15:15 Steps towards the bachelor’s programme at ITC (LA2310)
In this session, we will share our experiences in shaping the path toward a bachelor’s programme at ITC. We'll reflect on how we are bridging the gap between an initial idea and its potential realisation.
The journey includes key steps such as exploration, proposition development, market research, macro-efficiency analysis, accreditation, and preparations for implementation. Some of these steps are already underway, others still lie ahead, and a few may never be taken. The process is far from linear—it’s a dynamic mix of brainstorming, data gathering, reflection, and ongoing discussions about the programme’s added value and how best to deliver it.
Presenter:
- 15:30 - 16:15 Brainstorm Session: Virtual fieldwork in online education for Earth Science courses (LA2310)
My session is purely informative—not instructional—and stems from my concern about the shift from on-site to online MSc programs, which risks eliminating fieldwork (FW). Fieldwork is essential in Earth Observation (EO) studies, and its removal is unacceptable. I fear program leaders see this as an "unavoidable" loss, yet they proceed without addressing it.
As part of the "old generation" of staff, I firmly believe FW is indispensable for a proper degree. Inspired by a month-long hydrology fieldwork experience in Argentina, I developed a "virtual FW" method to integrate FW into online courses. After testing, I established this approach:
- Pre-FW Preparation: Theory and exercises are taught beforehand (online).
- Video Documentation: Professional staff (not students) record key steps: objectives, site overview, instrumentation setup, data collection, and analysis.
- Supplementary Materials: A webpage includes FAQs, sample data, simplified analysis, and conclusions.
- Student Exercises: Learners apply their knowledge using similar field data.
After refinements, this method has shown success, with 17 videos produced (though some lack support for completion). My goal in presenting this is to encourage staff to value FW and support its documentation for online programs.
Presenter:
- 16:15 - 17:00 Teaching (geo)data science at ITC through interactive, hands-on workshops using the Carpentries approach (LA2310)
Capacity development is one of the key activities of the Center of Expertise in Big Geodata Science (CRIB) at ITC, especially in addressing the growing demand for large-scale (geo)data science skills. For this purpose, we adopted a globally recognised and community-driven approach that enables interactive and hands-on training: The Carpentries.
In this session, we will begin by introducing The Carpentries methodology, covering its origins, foundational principles, and pedagogical strategies. Following this, we will share how we have applied this model at CRIB, starting with instructor certification, annual workshop planning, active promotion of events, and delivery of sessions using live coding and formative assessment techniques. We will also present examples of courses we have instructed, illustrating how we applied The Carpentries principles in their design and how we enhanced them through participant and instructor feedback, as well as through reflection on challenges, successes, and lessons learned. Finally, we will highlight ways for staff and students to get involved with The Carpentries as instructors or helpers and outline our plans to expand interactive training within ITC and the broader community.
Presenters:
Session location: LA2310
You can attend the whole afternoon or just one or two sessions. Staff from all faculties are welcome to join!
