This project is enhancing the instructional capabilities of the Farquhar Laboratory by upgrading the global positioning system (GPS) hardware and software. The department is adding two data collector kits, an educator's system Pro XR receiver, and a community base station. These items allow greater numbers of students to learn spatial mapping techniques more quickly and facilitate more sophisticated analysis of increasingly complex databases. The project adds to a curriculum containing a spatial literacy and mapping component that teaches students to collect, process, and interpret original data. The department's theory of curricular development is that the experiences of one instructor with successive student groups diffuses to a wider group of faculty and students as experimental efforts prove successful. For example, through in-house workshops and demonstrations, increasing numbers of students and faculty are beginning to see possible applications of GPS technology in their respective fields. *
