Comparing proportional compositions of geospatial technology-related programs at three universities

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dc.contributor.author Hodza, Paddington
dc.contributor.author Schaab, Gertrud
dc.contributor.author Coetzee, Serena Martha
dc.contributor.author Van der Merwe, Fritz
dc.contributor.author Vogt, Brandon
dc.date.accessioned 2016-04-29T06:12:45Z
dc.date.available 2016-04-29T06:12:45Z
dc.date.issued 2015-08
dc.description.abstract Today, graduates seek employment in a global marketplace, regardless of the country in which they studied. Comparing academic programs helps students, academics and employers to make informed decisions about study options, program offerings and the employment of recent graduates. In this study, we juxtapose geospatial technologyrelated programs at three universities located in Europe, Africa and America. Initially, the authors contributed information about these programs through a questionnaire comprising several open-ended questions about the origins and development of the respective programs. Subsequently, the proportional thematic compositions of programs at the three universities were compared. As expected, this study was not without challenges. From the outset, we struggled with agreeing on terminology and semantics. Results of the study indicate that there is not a one-size-fits-all strategy for establishing, shaping and sustaining such programs. Program composition is guided by many factors, including staff expertise, university politics, legislation, attractiveness to students, technological developments, demands in the job market and requirements set by a professional body. Some of these factors are strongly influenced by the local (university) environment (e.g. staff expertise), others are of national relevance (e.g. legislation and a national professional body), while some apply globally (e.g. technological developments). The study illustrated how a comparison of proportional program composition can reveal significant differences and similarities that are not obvious when only content is compared. The compositional differences naturally result in graduates with different knowledge and skills that allow different career paths and meet different needs of the job market. en_ZA
dc.description.department Centre for Geoinformation Science en_ZA
dc.description.department Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology en_ZA
dc.description.librarian am2016 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.sajg.org.za/index.php/sajg en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Hodza, P, Schaab, G, Coetzee, S, Van der Merwe, F & Vogt, B 2015, 'Comparing proportional compositions of geospatial technology-related programs at three universities', South African Journal of Geomatics, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 240-249. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 2225-8531
dc.identifier.other 10.4314/sajg.v4i3.5
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52196
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher CONSAS Conference en_ZA
dc.rights CONSAS Conference en_ZA
dc.subject Academic programs en_ZA
dc.subject Universities en_ZA
dc.subject Program composition en_ZA
dc.subject Graduates en_ZA
dc.title Comparing proportional compositions of geospatial technology-related programs at three universities en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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