Michael Solem

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Biography

Dr. Michael Solem is Professor of Geography at Texas State University. He also serves the American Association of Geographers as Senior Advisor for Geography Education and Co-Director of the National Center for Research in Geography Education. Michael has been principal investigator on several large-scale, federally funded projects spanning geography at all levels of education, focusing on professional development, international education, and teacher education. His publications include articles in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, The Professional Geographer, Research in Higher Education, Education About Asia, The Geography Teacher, the Journal of Geography in Higher Education, and the edited books Aspiring Academics, Teaching College Geography, Practicing Geography, and Learning Progressions for Maps, Geospatial Technology and Spatial Thinking: A Research Handbook. Michael currently serves as Treasurer for the International Geographical Union's Commission on Geographical Education. He is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Geography in Higher Education and Review of International Geographical Education Online. Michael has twice received the Journal of Geography in Higher Education’s award for promoting excellence in teaching and learning for his research on faculty development and graduate education in geography. He is the 2015 recipient of the AAG Gilbert Grosvenor Honors in Geographic Education.

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Publications:

Refereed Articles

2021

Thomas B. Larsen, Michael Solem, Joann Zadrozny & Richard G. Boehm (2021): Contextualizing powerful geographic knowledge in higher education: Data-driven curriculum design to interweave student aspirations with workforce applications, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, DOI: 10.1080/10382046.2021.1902622

Michael Solem, Coline Dony, Thomas Herman, Kelly León, Amr Magdy, Atsushi Nara, Waverly Ray, Sergio Rey & Rachel Russell (2021): Building Educational Capacity for Inclusive Geocomputation: A Research-Practice Partnership in Southern California, Journal of Geography, DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2021.1933140

2017

Lambert, D., & Solem, M. 2017. Rediscovering the teaching of geography. Forthcoming, Geographical Education.

Solem, M., & Boehm, R. 2017. Transformative research in geography education: The role of a research coordination network. Forthcoming, The Professional Geographer.

Kollasch, A., Lee, J., & Solem, M. 2017. Developing workplace skills and competencies in geography graduate programs. Research in Geographic Education, 19(1): 10-42.

Walkington, H., Dyer, S., Solem, M., Haigh, M., & Waddington, S. 2017. A capabilities approach to higher education: GeoCapabilities and implications for geography curricula. In review, Journal of Geography in Higher Education.

2015

Lambert, D., Solem, M., & Tani, S. 2015. Achieving human potential through geography education: a capabilities approach to curriculum making in schools. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 105(4): 723-735.

2014

Klein, P., Pawson, E., Solem, M., and Ray, W. 2014. Geography education for “An Attainable Global Perspective”, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 38(1): 17-27.

Huynh, N., Solem, M., & Bednarz, S. 2014. A Road Map for Learning Progressions Research in Geography, Journal of Geography, 114 (2): 69-79.

McKendry, J., Adams, J., and Solem, M. 2014. Employer perspectives on the value of geographic expertise, skills, and technologies. Research in Geographic Education, 16(1): 23-39.

Schlemper, B., Adams, J., and Solem, M. 2014. Geographers in business, government, and nonprofit organizations: Skills, challenges, and professional identities. The Professional Geographer, 66(3): 480-492.

Solem, M., and Balachandran, C.S. 2014. Internationalizing geography education: a focus on India, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 38(1): 7-16.

2013

Bednarz, S.W., S. Heffron, and M. Solem. 2014. Geography standards in the United States: Past influences, future prospects. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 23(1): 79-89.

Solem, M., Kollasch, A. and Lee, J. 2013. Career goals, pathways and competencies of geography graduate students in the USA, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(1): 92-116.

Solem, M., Lambert, D., and Tani, S. 2013. GeoCapabilities: Toward an international framework for researching the purposes and values of geography education. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 3(3): 214-229.

2012

Foote, K., Bednarz, S., Monk, J., Solem, M., and Stoltman, J. 2012. Rethinking postgraduate geography education in the USA: Issues and concerns, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 36(1): 57-64

Monk, K., Foote, K., and Solem, M. 2012. Rethinking Postgraduate Education in Geography: International Perspectives on Improving Practice, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 36(1): 25-27.

Ray, W., Muniz, O., Klein, P. and Solem, M. 2012. Effective online practices for international learning collaborations. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 2(1): 26-44.

2011

Solem, M. 2011. Towards a scholarship of academic practice. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35(3): 311-314.

Solem, M. and Ray, W. 2011. Thinking geographically about Asia: Case studies and collaborative projects for high school and undergraduate students. Education About Asia, 16 (Spring 2011): 59-61.

Solem, M., Hopwood, N., and Schlemper, B. 2011. Experiencing graduate school: A comparative analysis of students in geography programs. The Professional Geographer, 63(1): 1-16.

2009

Foote, K. and Solem, M. 2009. Toward better mentoring for early career faculty: Results of a study of U.S. geographers. International Journal for Academic Development, 14(1): 47-58.

Ray, W. and Solem, M. 2009. Gauging disciplinary engagement with internationalization: A survey of geographers. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 33(1): 103-121.

M., Lee, J., and Schlemper, B. 2009. Departmental climate and student experiences in geography graduate programs. Research in Higher Education, 50(3): 268-292.

Solem, M. and Foote, K. 2009. Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education in Geography:

A disciplinary project in professional development. International Journal of Researcher Development, 1(1): 11-28.