Abstract:

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used to enhance knowledge of geography in Humanities courses. Although initially cumbersome to use when they first appeared in 1991, the new ArcGIS open-source format uses web maps to visualize, explore, and analyze geo-spatial datasets (West and Horswell, 2018). The study is based on the cognitive psychology theory of dual-encoding proposed by Sadoski and Paivio, 2004, which states that verbal and nonverbal information are processed differently. In this project, university students enrolled in a Latin American history course were asked to explain the history of a nation by focusing on events in specific locations which they could find on geographical maps in the ArcGIS systems. Although previous studies show that using this dual encoding system resulted in greater knowledge and better retention by students (Baker et al. 2012, Tabor and Harrington, 2011, 2014), there were mixed results in this project. Half of the students felt that ArcGIS helped them to tell a story and half of the students felt that it was not beneficial. Some of the problems mentioned were the size of the slides, the incorporation of pictures to explain the story, and the addition of a resource slide. The instructor also noted difficulties with students finding specific locations of historical events in the ArcGIS system.

Keywords:

Technology, education, history.