Information and Knowledge Management using ArcGIS ModelBuilder

Elsje Scott, Peter Weimann and Nata van der Merwe
sponsor. Students are often tempted to neglect other academic subjects while working on their
projects, or may be distracted by personal commitments, and so careful guidance is needed to
manage their time. Equal and fair participation of team members is not always the norm, and factors
like the diversity of skills, different work ethics and cultural backgrounds must be properly controlled
and monitored to prevent conflict. Successfully addressing all of these issues demands time,
commitment, passion and dedication from the lecturer.
Some students at CPUT have difficulty adapting to project-based teaching methods, which may be
attributed to lack of self-confidence or to lack of commitment. Technical resources also present a
problem, as computer lab equipment (hardware and software) at CPUT is not leading-edge, and
many students have no other equipment to work on. A major concern is the lack of planning for skills
transfer to other lecturers. If another lecturer were to take over, there would be a very steep learning
curve and not everybody is prepared to put in the time and effort required to use the project-based
approach.
At BHT the biggest challenge of the online taught course is defining projects that are business-related
and technologically stimulating. The concept of an online-learning approach makes it difficult to get
industry on board as project sponsor, which would provide the lecturer with real life business
problems. Another major concern is the difficulty of transferring skills and knowledge during online
mentoring sessions.
5. Discussion
Schön (1983) believes that everybody needs to become competent in taking action and
simultaneously reflecting on this action to learn from it. According to Jordi (2010) reflective practices
help to create meaning, leading to integrated experiential learning. As lecturers, we consider it
essential to critically reflect on our project-based teaching experiences in order to ensure the
innovative development and growth of our courses.
Mergendoller et al. (2006) state that building the capacity and skill of lecturers embarking on this more
complex form of teaching is a significant challenge, and effective project-based teaching does not
happen automatically. UCT has an effective mentoring program in place for lecturers who are new to
the project-based approach, resulting in a healthy environment where knowledge and skills are not
limited to one or two lecturers. At the other institutions there is a lack of succession and contingency
planning, and a real concern is that the project-based approach may be abandoned if a different
lecturer takes over the course.
Mergendoller et al (2006) refer to the challenge for lecturers in learning to cope with new
responsibilities, including the development of new teaching methods and classroom-management
techniques, the balancing of direct instruction with student self-discovery, the facilitation of learning
among groups, and the creation of assessments that enhance the learning process. These issues are
echoed in the preceding lecturer reflections. In addition, the time and effort demanded by projectbased
teaching detracts from the time needed to fulfil the role of researcher, which in this environment
has two components: collaboration and networking with other academics, and linking with industry. In
all three cases, the lecturers have maintained adequate academic collaboration and networking, but
expressed concern about effective linking with industry.
Shaw et al (2007) state that the role of a teacher differs from that of a mentor, and students often find
it difficult to make this distinction. At UCT and CPUT this was not the case and students adapted with
ease to the fact that a lecturer can be both a teacher and a mentor. However, at BHT role distinction
was encountered as a problem, possibly as a result of the small number of face-to-face meetings held
during the online blended course. This anomaly might be worth exploring in future research.
Gerogiannis and Fitsilis (2005) argue that an important factor influencing the success of project-based
learning is that the project should reflect real-world challenges. At UCT and CPUT, industry
involvement is seen as a critical success factor for project-based teaching, and students report that it
significantly enhances the learning experience. It is also encouraging to note the contribution of UCT
alumni who themselves experienced the value of real-world industry involvement as students. The
different teaching model used at BHT has led to a lack of industry involvement which makes project
definition more difficult.
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