Adrijana Car
Associate Professor - GIS German University of Technology, Oman

Biography
Dr. Adrijana Car is Associate Professor in GIS at the Department of Sustainable Tourism and Regional Development at the German University of Technology in Muscat, Oman, and a member of the UNIGIS team at the Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS), University of Salzburg. Dr. Car studied Geodesy in Zagreb and Graz and earned her doctorate in Geographic Information Science in 1997 from the University of Technology Vienna. Her specialization is in conceptualization and formalization of space and time, problem-based learning in GIScience & Technology as well as quality assurance aspects in higher education.

Abstract
Challenges for GIS Education: An Experiential Report

GIS industry is one of the still fast growing industries worldwide (see e.g. Daratech 2009 and Dempsey 2012). Its growth influences among other things the accompanying job markets at regional, national and international level. Recent studies of the GIS job market in Oman and the GCC region have identified rather serious lack of educated (not just trained!), skilled and qualified professional work force for its growing GIS industry (see e.g. reports on sustainable spatial strategy for the Sultanate of Oman (Arora 2009; Al Nabhani and De, 2009; Al-Wardi 2011; Schrenk et al. 2012; ONSS 2014). The market research study by Advanced Business Consultants (2012) strongly confirms these observations and recognizes the need for a postgraduate study programme(s) in GIS. In this presentation experience of teaching GIS in the region, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and across different programs and using different modes of delivery will be discussed. Focus will be set on various challenges that emerged. These include weak spatial thinking skills and geography background (National.Research.Council 2006); difference in IT and geospatial technology literacy levels; success in implementing student-centered /project-based learning (Car 2010); different modes of course delivery; and cultural and work ethics distinctiveness (Sidani and Thornberry, 2009) only to mention a few. All of these issues are expected to make a relevant contribution to discussion on the needs for GIS capacity building in particular and developments towards a geoinformation society in general (Strobl 2010).