Professor
Sierra Burkhart
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - This class was entirely asynchronous when I took it. The lists of things you need to get done each week were very straightforward: lectures, weekly quizzes, and projects (with technical videos). The lectures were very clear and concise, like those in GEOG7 but added on some more concepts/ reviewed the old ideas from GEOG7. The weekly quizzes had multiple attempts, and they were open notes so that you could expect good grades from that portion. The projects were definitely the longest and most challenging part of the weekly assignment. Unlike GEOG7, especially in the second half of the class, you need to figure out how to do some stuff yourself. The technical screencasts would not walk you through all the processes. You will have a final project on any topic, very open-ended, but you are expected to use techniques you have learned from this class. Overall, I think it is a very useful class for people interested in learning GIS. The course structure was the same as GEOG7, so it is not hard for you to get used to it. However, I think I would have a better experience in the class if there were assigned time sessions (but voluntarily participate) that you could drop in together with other people and ask the TA/ professor the questions. GroupMe is very helpful, so please make one so you can connect with other people in the class. I went to the office hours, but there was such a long wait. My TA was responsive to the email, which was excellent and helpful. The projects you complete every week are very cool, and you would be proud of them. I enjoyed the class and would recommend that anyone interested in GIS enroll in this!
Winter 2022 - This class was entirely asynchronous when I took it. The lists of things you need to get done each week were very straightforward: lectures, weekly quizzes, and projects (with technical videos). The lectures were very clear and concise, like those in GEOG7 but added on some more concepts/ reviewed the old ideas from GEOG7. The weekly quizzes had multiple attempts, and they were open notes so that you could expect good grades from that portion. The projects were definitely the longest and most challenging part of the weekly assignment. Unlike GEOG7, especially in the second half of the class, you need to figure out how to do some stuff yourself. The technical screencasts would not walk you through all the processes. You will have a final project on any topic, very open-ended, but you are expected to use techniques you have learned from this class. Overall, I think it is a very useful class for people interested in learning GIS. The course structure was the same as GEOG7, so it is not hard for you to get used to it. However, I think I would have a better experience in the class if there were assigned time sessions (but voluntarily participate) that you could drop in together with other people and ask the TA/ professor the questions. GroupMe is very helpful, so please make one so you can connect with other people in the class. I went to the office hours, but there was such a long wait. My TA was responsive to the email, which was excellent and helpful. The projects you complete every week are very cool, and you would be proud of them. I enjoyed the class and would recommend that anyone interested in GIS enroll in this!