| The Virtual Geography Department (1996-2006)
was an effort to help geographers create innovative
learning and teaching resources in the web. It also
served as a clearinghouse for instructional materials
geographers wished to share with colleagues. The
Virtual Geography Department, Geographer's Craft Project,
and the web version of the NCGIA's Core Curriculum in
GIScience are examples of some of the very first open
educational resources (OER) created in geography, a
movement which is beginning to gain traction in geography
and other disciplines. Originally, materials were planned in eight major categories (listed below). The web sites maintaining these materials were based in geography departments all around the country and updated by volunteers. Although these eight web sites are gone, efforts have been made to maintain the educational resources list (linked below) and some of the sample materials that are hosted at the University of Colorado. Given the gradual rise in interest in OER, this site may be redesigned as a clearinghouse for the next generation of materials. Geography could well support its own Khanacademy.org or Wikipedia.org. |
| Original Work Groups | |
Cartography |
Physical Geography |
| Virtual
Fieldtrips |
Urban
and Economic Geography |
| GISciences/Remote Sensing/Statistics |
Earth's
Environment and Society |
| History
and Philosophy of Geography |
World
Regional Geography
and Area Studies |
| Sample Modules |
|