Regional agglomerations of industry have been a focus of economic geography research, especially in terms of how these clusters form and remain successful. Such a core topic should be explored in economic geography coursework. Economic geography education itself has been the topic of debate, particularly in terms of how to make important concepts…

Geography is in a unique position to address the topic of terrorism both inside and outside the classroom and has much to offer in terms of crafting effective measures to counter some of the most pressing threats to international security. As little consideration has been given to teaching about this important subject matter at the university…

Storm disasters are amplified in the coastal environment due to population pressures and the power of the sea. The upper-division/graduate university course "Coastal Storms" was designed to equip future practitioners with the skills necessary to understand, respond to, and mitigate for these natural disasters. To accomplish this, "Coastal Storms"…

Field-based undergraduate geography courses provide numerous pedagogical benefits including an opportunity for students to acquire employable skills in an applied context. This article presents one unique approach to teaching geographic field methods using paleoecological research. The goals of this course are to teach students key geographic…

How undergraduate students learn research methods in geography has been understudied. Existing work has focused on course description from the instructor's perspective. This study, however, uses a grounded theory approach to allow students' voices to shape a new theory of how they themselves say that they learn research methods. Data from two…

This article investigates the particular mechanisms through which a role-play simulation impacts student perceptions of knowledge acquisition. Longitudinal data were mobilized in the form of quantitative and qualitative surveys to examine whether the simulation succeeded in increasing knowledge around both content and skills. It then delves deeper…

Understanding geospatial technologies (GSTs) and spatial thinking is increasingly vital to contemporary life including common activities and hobbies; learning in science, mathematics, and social science; and employment within fields as diverse as engineering, health, business, and planning. As such, there is a need for a stand-alone K-12…

Undergraduate geography field courses are relatively rare at American universities, though they can exemplify well the fundamental tenets of learner-centered education. This article reports on an intensive three-week field analysis course taught at Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, within the Department of Geography, Planning, and…

The article focuses upon an experiment in a university class designed specifically to teach geographic concepts. Attention is placed on the degree certain concepts can be learned and some factors which affect the degree of learning. (Author)

Guided design involves an instructor in developing a problem that students are expected to solve and then leading them, step by step, through the problem to its solution. This teaching method was used to help students explore how individuals, small groups, and then larger numbers of people in larger areas interact to form the Muncie (Indiana)…

Describes a college-level geography course in which the instructor used computer assisted instruction to introduce students to some commonly encountered mapping problems. Concludes that interactive mapping programs give students a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation of spatial concepts than can be acquired through conventional…

A survey of grocery shopping patterns increases elementary students involvement in economic geography. (DE)

The results of an experiment indicate that there are no differences in student achievement between a computer-assisted geography unit and a lecture based unit on the same topic. (DE)

The development, implementation and assessment of a teacher-developed individualized learning program for two ninth grade physical geography classes are reported. (KM)

Describes a college-level course in cultural geography which employed novels as instructional resources to help students understand how particular individuals and groups dealt with the environment of specific places through time. Novels such as "Babbitt" and "The Grapes of Wrath" illustrate influences of technological change and regional…