Within the MyGeo project, between December 2019 and January 2020, 3 focus groups were carried out, involving a total of 36 students from the University of Padua.
The main objective of the focus group was, on one hand to promote the acquisition of those skills related to the use of GIS in order to improve their chances to get a job in the GIScience field, on the other to collect participant’s perception on the project.
During the 3 focus groups, the same structure and organization were followed:
- presentation of the project, specifying characteristics and objectives
- viewing Module 2’s videos
- administration of the questionnaire
The first focus group was held on 13th December 2019 and involved 17 students of the Advanced Master on “GIScience and Unmanned System for the integrated management of the territory and the natural resources – with majors”.
The second focus group, which involved 17 students also in this case, was carried out on 20th December 2019, involving students of the course of Cartography and GIS, as part of the Bachelor’s Degree in History.
The third focus group, instead, was carried out on January 22nd, 2020 after a phase of publicizing the event through various media channels and was addressed to the general university students without any particular background or geographical knowledge.
Overall, the participants of the 3 focus groups showed positive feedback about the project format.
In general, considering the 3 focus groups carried out, it is worth noting that there is still enough confusion about the potential of GIScience tools, especially among bachelor students. On this basis and according to the feedback received, overall the project was seen as good means to understand what a GIS professional can do practically and acquire useful skills to get a job in the GIScience field.
The focus groups are linked to the Intellectual Output “Portfolio MY GEO”. For more information click here!
