Geoportti self-assessment tool (link: https://geoportti.utu.fi/) is the newest feature of the skills development resources provided by Geoportti. The tool helps to get a quick overview of the current confidence levels in different geospatial topics by supporting the user in the self-assessment of strengths and possible weaknesses in that topic. The planned release date is 1st of August.
The tool is aimed for students at higher education institutions, teachers, researchers and professionals working with geospatial topics and for people generally interested in these topics. In addition to the personal benefits gained from the reflection of own skills, the tool also collects the results to support research and the development of teaching.
“We are constantly developing geospatial teaching and learning methods and we are happy to add this tool to our repertoire. In addition to encouraging the students to think about their own skills and confidences we aim to improve our teaching so that it will better support the skills development of the students,” says Professor Risto Kalliola from the University of Turku (UTU).
“In cases where student identify areas of expertise that they wish to improve, we can suggest them with further studies or reading materials” adds Vesa Arki from UTU who has also been involved in the development of the tool. “We will now test the tool in the upcoming geospatial courses in UTU and use the experience we gain to perfect the features of the tool” Arki continues.
The tool can also prove useful in the comparison of job candidates’ confidence in a desired topic and for many other situations. “We would like to encourage others to use the self-assessment tool in different applications and welcome all ideas and feedback. Do not hesitate to contact us at geoportti@utu.fi” says Arki.
Visit the tools web page (link: https://geoportti.utu.fi/) for further instructions and information. Note that at the moment the tool is still under development.
Image 1: The summary page of Geoportti self-assessment tool shows a radar chart of the results. The user can also compare his/her the results with other groups.
The tools was developed by the Department of Geography and Geology together with IT services of the University of Turku as a part of the Open Geospatial Information Infrastructure for Research (oGIIR) (link: http://ogiir.fi/).