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UCGIS 2005 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:
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Excellence in teaching GIScience courses;
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Supervision of graduate students entering careers in GIScience
education and research and GIScience related professions;
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Authorship or editorship of significant GIScience textbooks;
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Authorship of significant journal articles, book chapters, or
monographs concerned with GIScience education;
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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:
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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. |
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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. |
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David has a distinguished
publishing record that focuses largely on GIS education, teaching,
learning and curriculum issues. |
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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. |
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As a senior instructor in
Penn State's Department of Geography, David founded and manages the
online Master of Geographic Information Systems degree program. |
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His research interests
include empirical studies of faculty workload and student
satisfaction, portfolio assessment, and e-learning strategy and
policy. |
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He has earned awards for
educational innovation from Penn State, the Association of American
Geographers, and ESRI. |
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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.
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