Maps are a graphical representation of information. They are useful tools that support learning, whether they represent geographic space (such as a map showing the geologic fault lines that run through Southern California or Haiti) or intellectual space (such as a concept map that helps to illustrate the connections within a complex story).

The act of mapping itself is instructional. When students read a historic text and plot out the sequence of events on a map, they can see how the pieces of the story fit together. Sketching a flow chart or building a physical model also creates understanding about how ideas or objects work together, how they’re connected and what might happens if something changes.

When we take a spatial perspective, we use our inherent capacity to learn through information that’s arranged spatially. Those arrangements help us understand what we’re seeing and how things are related to one another. We usually use representations of that information, including maps, globes, models, graphs, charts, etc. This information is also visual, and as we teach, we can help students develop graphicacy skills and become critical viewers of the information that confronts them each day.

Geographic information systems (GIS) is a powerful and versatile suite of tools that lets us organize, manage, analyze, display and communicate with spatial information. GIS can be used as software that is installed on your computer or accessed over a web browser, in 2-dimensions like a traditional map or 3-dimensions over a virtual globe (like Google Earth). GIS is used frequently on campus, in teaching, research, and operations. Its use spans many scales, from a full graduate degree (the MS GIS program) to single, stand-alone GIS-based modules or labs in many different courses.

Though there is no particular mandate that GIS must be used by the LENS Fellows, there are a wide range of opportunities and ways to incorporate GIS, as best suits each particular Fellow’s needs. If it’s appropriate, we will help identify the aspects of GIS that may be most helpful for each Fellow to learn and will make training opportunities available.

You do not have to have experience with maps, mapping or spatial tools; if you do, that will of course give you a “leg up” in starting your proposed project, but it is not required. As long as you are open to spatial thinking approaches, we can help you build a foundation for your Fellowship (for example, by attending the Short Spring Spatial Workshop or some of the LENS mini-mapping sessions).

It is more important to have clear goals and objectives for what you want to do with your Fellowship, and how you imagine achieving these goals, than to have prior experience with maps or spatial tools.

In order to begin the 2010 Fellowship year as quickly as possible, its theme (Mapping People) was chosen right away because it is consistent with a broad range of faculty interests and coincides with the Census Bureau’s (last) decennial census.

For the 2011 and 2012 Fellowship years, faculty will be asked to propose a theme that describes their particular interests when they submit their proposals. The selection committee will thus decide on a theme as they evaluate the proposals that complement each other.

A group of multi-disciplinary faculty may submit their proposals together, if they intend to work under a common theme. As a broad example, a mathematician, a physicist, and an artist could apply together to work in parallel under the theme of “Learning Through 3-Dimensional Representations.” Or, a political scientist, a biologist, and a sociologist might team up to examine issues around “Borders and Boundaries.”

In addition, starting in 2011 two faculty may submit a joint proposal to work on one project or class together, and share a single fellowship position and stipend. For example, two faculty co-teaching a course on Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” might decide to share a fellowship in order to develop a curriculum that includes spatial approaches or tools, such as an interactive map showing the pilgrimage route as described through key narrative passages or images.

In your proposal, be sure to describe your proposed theme for the year, and note whether you are applying as: (a) and individual faculty; (b) a group of multi-disciplinary faculty; or (c) two faculty sharing a fellowship.

The Summer Institute is central and very important. During that time, the Fellows will have the chance to explore and develop their ideas within a space that has both expert intellectual and technical help. You will have a chance to ask many new questions, gain many new ideas from experts and fellow peers, and learn some new technologies and methodologies. It is essential that the Fellows are able to participate in the full 5-day Institute and be willing to give their full attention to the experience.

There will be time to begin or develop the curricular component, but it will almost certainly take more time beyond this week-long event. You are not expected to have completed your curricular development work by the end of the Institute.

LENS Fellowship applications will be evaluated on three criteria:

• 1) The intellectual merit of the proposed mapping ideas (innovation, creativity, connections to new or existing curricula, connections to the year’s theme), (40 points).
• 2) The broader impacts of the proposed ideas (breadth, depth, or both; the ways in which students may eventually participate and/or benefit; the degree to which participating as a LENS Fellow may shape a faculty member’s work in their discipline/their department/the Institution, etc.), (40 points).
• 3) The likelihood of success (how feasible are any new technologies to be built or customized; how likely are data to be acquired and ready in a timely manner; how committed is the person to learning new technologies or incorporating new approaches into their pedagogy), (20 points).

The intention of the $5,500 grant money is to support a Fellow’s work with maps and mapping. We have designed the program to be as flexible as possible, to accommodate the wide range of faculty situations and needs. The funds could cover one course release (to cover the salary of an adjunct instructor), and any remaining funds could be provided as supplemental pay. Funds could also be reimbursed for project-related expenses (data, materials and supplies, travel, child care, etc.). Or, the entire grant can be dispersed as supplemental pay. In that situation, $500 of the grant goes towards benefits and the balance will arrive as part of your regular (taxed) paycheck.

Please be explicit in your Fellowship proposal about how you plan to use the stipend. If you choose to request a course release, the funds to cover the release will be made available to your department for the requested semester. If you choose to have all or part of the stipend disbursed as supplemental pay, these funds will be paid in two installments: half at the time of the Institute, and half at the end of the Fellowship year upon completion of your project. If you have further questions about the grant money, please contact the University’s grants administrator, Bob Baird (x-8371 or bob_baird@redlands.edu)