METHODS FOR INTEGRATING MODULAR AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Abstract

This article investigates how a modular teaching framework, enriched with cutting-edge digital technologies Geographic Information Systems (GIS), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, cloud platforms (e.g., Google Earth Engine) and blockchain micro-credentialing can revitalise geography education in Uzbekistan. Drawing on a synthesis of national and international scholarship and a pilot study in secondary classrooms, the paper demonstrates that GIS-supported data tasks, VR field simulations and AI-driven climate dashboards raise students’ conceptual mastery and spatial-reasoning scores by 17 percentage points over traditional instruction (p < 0.05). The study also confirms the external value of blockchain-secured “Geospatial Skill Badges,” provisionally recognised by universities and industry partners. Key implementation challenges teacher digital literacy, infrastructure gaps and curricular alignment are analysed, and a five-point policy agenda is proposed, including the launch of a national “ModGeo-Uz” training programme and creation of public-private Geospatial Innovation Hubs. The findings position modular digital geography as a strategic lever for cultivating the technologically fluent, analytically skilled human capital demanded by Uzbekistan’s knowledge economy.