I began the GIS specialization in July 2023 at which time ArcGIS Desktop was the software that learners were provided in course 1 (Fundamentals of GIS). The specialization was revamped in October 2023 and I was given the option of continuing with the "old" specialization or moving to the revamped specialization, where the first two courses in the specialization were still applicable and counted toward completion of the specialization. I of course went with the newer specialization since the older material is becoming obsolete. The problem with the retooling of the specialization is that ArcGIS Pro is the software used in the new course material but no license has been made available to the learners who started with ArcGIS Desktop. Going back to the material for Fundamentals of GIS, I am only able to access the old material which doesn't offer the option of acquiring Pro. If you are a brand new learner then you get the new material and can download Pro. Many other learners are having this same problem, we've posted about it in the discussion forums several times, and the instructor - Eric Howard - does not engage in the the discussion because learners are supposed to help each other solve their problems. I get that but this is a content problem where resolution will need to come from course staff. I've engaged with many Coursera staff hoping this problem can be ultimately be addressed by UC DAvis but we just go in circles, where I am told to keep posting in the discussion forums to MIA course staff. Coursera staff also point me to the old material in Fundamentals that I already used for getting Desktop. The Coursera staff are speedy and professional in their communications but aren't able to offer any actual solutions or progress toward getting a Pro license. So, after all this, I have had to use a colleague's account to access Pro and move forward with the course content. Additionally, the presentation quality of the instructor videos has really gone downhill from the first two courses in the specialization. Nick Santos did a fantastic job clearly presenting the material in a professional and engaging manner. In contrast, Mr. Howard uses linguistic fillers throughout his speech: kinda like/kind of like, actually. It's annoyingly distracting. The videos appear to have been recorded at his residence and you can hear a young child crying in the background at various times. Some of the prompts in the discussion forum are in the wrong places. For example, learners are asked in week 1 what they learned from the course and if it fullfilled their expectations. One of the data fies that is provided is corrupted and will not download. Overall, I'm very disappointed with my experience in Geospatial Analysis with ArcGIS. UC Davis needs to remedy these problems.

Instructor needs to work on his audio setup as well as avoiding filler words such as "kinda", "like", or "uh" in every video as it impedes on understanding the material when it sounds like even he isn't sure about what he is saying.

The first course in the specialization had a lot more depth and information. This one restated a lot of concepts throughout the course. I would like there to be a project where we take our own raw excel data from start to finish in GIS. Good videos

Fun but practical assignments showing how to use vital tools in ArcGIS Pro

Great course! I like the explanations and demostrations using ArcGIS Pro

This course explains some Geospatial analysis in simple and clear terms.

Enjoyed learning in this specialization

gooooooood

great work