UCGIS Educator Award

The Nominations Subcommittee of the Education Committee is pleased to announce that David DiBiase of The Pennsylvania State University has been selected as the 2005 UCGIS Educator of the Year for his many innovative and substantial contributions to GIS education in its various forms.

The UCGIS award of “Educator of the Year” is made annually to a person who has had an important impact on GIScience education. Nominees for the award are evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Excellence in teaching GIScience courses;
2. Supervision of graduate students entering careers in GIScience education and research and GIScience related professions;
3. Authorship or editorship of significant GIScience textbooks;
4. Authorship of significant journal articles, book chapters, or monographs concerned with GIScience education;
5. Leadership in GIScience curriculum development and program design; and Leadership in the development of GIScience education policy in academic and professional organizations.

While David DiBiase is currently serving as the Chair of the UCGIS Education Committee and Chair of the Editorial Committee of the UCGIS Body of Knowledge, his merit for this award extends more broadly -- from excellence in traditional classroom teaching, to leadership of the standard setting on-line Penn State World Campus Certificate in GIS, to active participation in many of the key GIS education initiatives in the past and current century. Among his many accomplishments are:

• David has been a pioneer in the pedagogy and technology of e-Education, initially as it applied to GIS and now through his position as Director of the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, broadly across the curriculum.
• He was instrumental in the development and success of Penn State's World Campus GIS program which by 2005 produced over 500 graduates. His substantial impact on the lives of GIS professionals worldwide cannot be easily measured.
• David has a distinguished publishing record that focuses largely on GIS education, teaching, learning and curriculum issues.
• He has recently seen his vision of "student portfolios" come to fruition. Due to David's drive and imagination, Penn State has initiated a university-wide e-portfolio program that involves some 10,000 students. Soon every undergraduate major in Penn State’s Department of Geography will develop an online portfolio to chronicle their achievements for graduate schools and employers.
• As a senior instructor in Penn State's Department of Geography, David founded and manages the online Master of Geographic Information Systems degree program.
• His research interests include empirical studies of faculty workload and student satisfaction, portfolio assessment, and e-learning strategy and policy.
• He has earned awards for educational innovation from Penn State, the Association of American Geographers, and ESRI.
• David is recognized for his leadership, exceptional achievement and meritorious service around a coherent theme of innovation and effectiveness in education. David has, by the force of his inspiration, commitment, and persistence, brought a new mode of education to his Department, College, and University. He leads by example, showing how to do it and encouraging others to try.

The 2005 nomination subcommittee consisted of former award winners Dr. Karen Kemp, University of Redlands, Dr. Keith Clarke, UCSB, and Dr. Barbara Buttenfield, University of Colorado Boulder, and former UCGIS President, Dr. Lynn Usery, University of Georgia.