Toward Widespread Geographic Information Literacy: An Undergraduate Computer Laboratory for Geographic InformationScience

该项目的主要目标是通过让本科生更多地接触和指导当前技术的使用--统计学、地理信息系统(GIS)、制图学、遥感和研究方法课程中的计算机应用--来改进地理课程。这将通过将现有的讲授/实验混合模式的教室改造成最先进的教学实验室来实现。该实验室将由18台配备高分辨率显示器的奔腾II计算机、一台大尺寸数字化平板电脑、两台激光打印机、一台彩色扫描仪以及一台XGA级投影仪和屏幕组成。一些外围设备已经就位(平板电脑、扫描仪和一台激光打印机)，可以从所有计算机访问。本实验将使每个学生都可以访问工作站。它有一个投影系统，为学生提供易于理解的教学演示，并完全联网，使学生可以访问中央服务器上的数据，以及完全访问互联网。该实验室使用适当的软件向本科生传授地理信息科学的原理，包括传统和空间统计学、地图学、地理信息系统和遥感。学生将在技术课程中学习这些工具，然后能够将它们应用于其他更系统的课程，包括地理研究方法、天气与气候、城市规划和地理形态。该实验室将极大地增加接受计算机概念和技术指导的学生数量，从每年约40人增加到200多人。此外，随着我们的学生不再需要在课堂教学时间共用工作站，教学质量有望得到改善。此外，我们的学生现在将能够使用当前实验室中的计算机进行更多种类的应用。

The primary objective of this project is to enhance the geography curriculum by providing undergraduate students greater access to and instruction in the use of current technology -- computer applications in courses in Statistics, Geographic information Systems (GIS), Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Research Methods. This would be achieved by converting an existing mixed-mode lecture/lab classroom into a state-of-the-art instructional lab. The lab will consist of eighteen Pentium II computers with high-resolution monitors, one large-format digitizing tablet, two laser printers, a color scanner, and an XGA-class projector and screen. Some of the peripheral devices are already in place, (he tablet, scanner, and one laser printer), and would be accessible from all computers. The lab will enable each student to have access to a workstation. It has a projection system to provide students with easily-followed instructional demonstrations, and it is fully networked so that students have access to data on a central server as well as full access to the internet. The lab employs appropriate software for teaching undergraduates the principles of geographic information science, including traditional and spatial statistics, cartography, geographic information systems, and remote sensing. Students will learn these tools in the techniques courses, and then be able to apply them in other more systematic courses, including Geographic Research Methods, Weather & Climate, Urban Planning, and Geo-morphology. The lab will dramatically increase the number of students who would receive some instruction in computer-based concepts and techniques, from approximately 40 per year to over 200. Also, the quality of instruction is expected to improve as the our students no longer need to share workstations during class instruction time. Furthermore, our students will now be able to do a much greater variety of applications than possible with the computers in the current lab.