NACIS 2016 Presentation
Robert Roth, UW-Madison
Cartography has changed, is changing, and always will be changing. Arguably, cartography's innate state of flux is what makes our profession both unique and valuable: as we engage in the design process, we tinker, adlib, and innovate across a wide array of tools and techniques. Yet, this creative and rapid adaptation does not always translate well to instruction. In this presentation, I discuss my anecdotal experiences over the past five years to restructure the cartography curriculum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in order to adapt to sweeping shifts in conceptual framings, web mapping technologies, and professional expectations. I discuss the pedagogical philosophy guiding the revised curriculum, the reorganization of design concepts and technical skills approached in each course to account for the changing profession, and lessons learned for keeping curriculum malleable as cartography continues to evolve conceptually and technologically. The presentation is pitched to educators, students, and industry leaders.
