Geodesign meets curriculum design: integrating geodesign approaches into undergraduate programs

The recent emergence of geodesign elicits broad questions about what to teach our students, and how to teach it. Geodesign bridges the geospatial sciences and geographical information system (GIS)-related techniques with the design professions to inform better land-use decisions. With its emphasis on real-world applications, information technologies, and cross-disciplinary problem-solving, geodesign lends itself to a variety of experiential, active learning strategies collectively known as learner-centered education (LCE). This paper explores how LCE, outcomes assessment, and curriculum design can together support geodesign-oriented undergraduate programs. Looking specifically at a new degree program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, the authors view geodesign education as a platform for promoting learner-centered approaches that at once transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries and are becoming increasingly important for employment opportunities. The example discussed herein illustrates how promising practices in curriculum design and LCE can inform geodesign education, thereby enabling other faculties to discover their own educational opportunities in geodesign.