At San Diego State University about 10 years ago a certificate in GIS was established requiring 27 units distributed almost equally between Geography and Computer Science. A few years later a San Diego Consortium made up of SDSU, Mesa College and San Diego city schools was awarded a grant by NSF-ATE (National Science Foundation- Advanced Technological Education) to develop a scalable skills certification program, articulate curriculum between institutions, and increase community awareness of GIS as a discipline and as a career. The GIS Test Bank is developed primarily to promote GIS education and career advancement. It is a web based application which can be accessed anywhere with an internet facility. It consists of various essay type and multiple choice questions with graphics from different GIS categories. The user has to provide login information in order to access the application. Once authenticated, based on the role as an administrator, faculty, teaching assistant or student, the user will be able to use the application based on the permissions given to them. Test bank can be used to prepare class tests, prepare for exams, give tests online whose scores will be automatically reported to the faculty, upload or access class lectures or handouts etc. The test bank initially emphasizes a class articulated between SDSU and community colleges
