Description
Geographic information systems (GIS) is part of an in-demand career skillset that can lead to safer streets in California communities. This project included a three-session bootcamp that introduced middle school students to transportation via GIS and gathered assessments on their awareness of transportation as a career pathway. The project built upon CSUTC TRANSPORTS’ Year 4 project, “K–12 Special Investigation Project: Mapping E-Commerce Locally and Beyond.” The bootcamp for this project was coordinated in partnership with Rio Hondo College, which provided the instructor and connection to the students at the Mountain View Unified School District in El Monte, CA. The bootcamp focused on developing safer communities and transportation systems as a context for the students to become familiar with GIS. The student feedback reported on student awareness of transportation and GIS prior to the bootcamp and how the curricular tools and activities impacted that awareness. Gathered data and feedback will inform the development of future middle school GIS curricula, an area that is underdeveloped.
Publication Date
9-2023
Publication Type
Report
Topic
Workforce and Labor
Digital Object Identifier
10.31979/mti.2023.2247
MTI Project
2247
Mineta Transportation Institute URL
https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/2247-Equity-Learning-Opportunities-Middle-School-GIS
Keywords
Middle school, Education, Technology, GIS, Transportation workforce
Disciplines
Labor Economics | Secondary Education | Transportation
Recommended Citation
Tom O’Brien and Ben Olson. "Equity in Learning Opportunities for Middle School Students: Connecting Communities and Transportation Through GIS" Mineta Transportation Institute (2023). https://doi.org/10.31979/mti.2023.2247
Research Brief