Digital Earth Competences Across Disciplines

Based on an extensive survey of demand (‘needs’) and supply (existing study programs) a framework for trans-disciplinary capacity building in Digital Earth concepts, methods and technologies was developed by the authors. In collaboration with universities from the partner countries Armenia and Kyrgyzstan project funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation was acquired to support implementation. Recognizing the need for an explicit spatial approach from disciplines reaching far beyond the traditional ‘geospatial’ subjects like Geography, Geoinformatics, Geodesy or Planning, the DEvision project addresses study programs like Economics, Ecology, Engineering or Journalism through a focused set of foundational modules implemented as a minor subject or certificate. This vision of a Digital Earth is aligned with general digital transformation in society and business, with implementation of sustainable development goals, and a live-long learning paradigm. Based on modern curriculum concepts and pedagogical concepts like active and blended learning, the DEvision initiative provides a set of five modules as teaching and learning resources. These are primarily set up as open educational resources (OER) supporting teachers, and not intended as self-learning media. Instructors within the respective study programs are expected to guide, mentor and monitor students through assigned online learning materials, or using these resources within existing syllabi and curricula. Overall DEvision follows several clearly defined principles: (i) blended learning based on online resources, (ii) instructor-led pathways aligned with students’ majors, (iii) a modern approach to GIS entirely based on cloud platforms, and (iv) orienting students towards a continuous professional development principle based on online communities.