Integrating GPS and LIDAR Into Geoscience Education

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The project is integrating two geodetic technologies--Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)--into the undergraduate geoscience curriculum by 1) creating a new upper-level applications course at the University of Houston, 2) augmenting an existing field-methods course at the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association field camp with GPS and LiDAR applications, and 3) conducting professional-development workshops for college faculty to incorporate GPS and LiDAR into their own courses at different levels of the curriculum. The pedagogical approach scaffolds inquiry-based cases and uses freely available online software to overcome complex data-processing challenges, allowing students to focus on applications and problem-solving. Project assessment is addressing the efficacy of the curriculum on undergraduate learning of high-precision GPS and LiDAR methodologies, the extent to which GPS and LiDAR integration augments geoscience problem solving more broadly, and effective strategies for faculty development to incorporate GPS and LiDAR into other undergradaute geoscience courses. The intellectual merit of the project lies in its infusion of cutting-edge high-precision technologies, increasingly used by geoscience professionals, into the undergraduate curriculum for application to a host of compelling geoscience topics. Broader impacts include professional development and dissemination of four modules which, together with the underlying strategies, enable use at other institutions and/or levels of the curriculum. The project also uses GPS and LiDAR to increase engagement and impart workforce-relevant skills to geoscience majors, including a high proportion of students from underrepresented minorities at the University of Houston.