The Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut is developing a geographic information science lab for improving the quality of instruction in the undergraduate program. This project will integrate geographic information science and technology into each level of the undergraduate curriculum. The educational goal is an evolution of skill development so that students receive a thorough understanding of concepts and models in geography that are enhanced and extended by the new technologies of geographic information systems. By first introducing students to these topics in pre-major courses, it is hoped that they can be intellectually stimulated and attracted to geography as a social and physical science; by incorporating further instruction in the core requirements of the major, it is hoped that all students graduating from the program will have a minimum proficiency in the new technologies; and, by having further reinforcement in advanced level courses it is expected that students could use the new technology easily in their chosen areas of topical expertise.
