IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - March 2019 - 86

Education
Mariluz Gil-DOCaMPO, Juan OrTiz-Sanz,
TereSa reGO-SanMarTÍn, anD MarCOS arza-GarCÍa

A World Wide Web-Based Practice
That Disseminates Photogrammetry
Inspiring secondary students to pursue geomatics careers.

T

he D3MOBILE Metrology World League was established in 2013 with the goal of encouraging curiosity
about and interest in science (particularly geoscience) with
secondary students of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) grades 1 and 2. Presented as
an international championship, D3MOBILE introduces
students to the discipline of photogrammetry through
the e-learning methodology concept. Pupils' use of wellknown technologies, such as their own mobile devices
(smartphones or tablets), allows educators to develop attractive and challenging teaching procedures. All work
proposed for participants is presented using scientific,
technical, and professional language but in a more interactive format than with traditional textbooks or theoretical
classes. The challenges, which provide students with the
opportunity to establish their own learning objectives,
encourage both teamwork and individual responsibility.
This article reflects on the experience-carried out by
our Civil Engineering and Geomatics research group-
from an educational perspective during the organization
of the first five editions of this international concept-submission competition. Over this period, we tried to create
and improve a project-based learning (PBL) methodology that can be adapted to e-learning and daily classwork
at the high school level. This program is designed to be
easily implemented anywhere in the world regardless of
the number of participants. The obtained results demonstrate the potential for alternative teaching methods
combined with new technologies that engage students
in science learning and improve the perception among
students of the geosciences as a career opportunity.
The need for STeM profeSSionalS
There is growing concern around the world that society
is not preparing a sufficient number of students, teach-

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MGRS.2018.2876565
Date of publication: 19 March 2019

86



ers, and practitioners in the areas of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many secondary students have failed to achieve proficiency in math
and science, with many taught by instructors who lack
adequate knowledge of the subject matter [1]. This has
also been reflected in the reduced number of students
(mainly women [2]) who have recently enrolled in science degree programs at the university level [3], [4].
Academics and institutions involved in the fields of
photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial information sciences have been aware of a general worldwide
decline in the number of undergraduates embarking on
degree programs in geomatics [5]. The current difficulty
in attracting students is making departments and programs less viable, and there is a serious risk that a number of these smaller departments or programs will be
threatened with closure.
Paradoxically, never before have spatial sciences
graduates been in such high demand by the professional
market as they are today. The application of this scientific expertise is varied and has been extensively implemented in the fields of urban and regional planning,
industrial manufacturing, cultural heritage, environmental monitoring, and 3D design, among others [6].
Geomatics education is a transversal discipline that acts
as a bridge between scientific technical advancements
and practical applications.
Key iSSueS
STEM projEcTS ThaT EncouragE
SciEnTific vocaTionS
To address this situation, many interesting ideas and
projects have been proposed at the secondary school
level, such as implementing interdisciplinary projects
or research programs within scheduled courses or outside of them in the form of after-school classes. These
new approaches to PBL are necessary for developing
ieee Geoscience and remote sensing magazine

march 2019
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - March 2019
