TEXAS A-AND-M UNIVERSITY LABORATORY FOR THE EXPLORATION OF ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES - TAMUS LEAP

Improvements in computer technology, particularly the explosive growth of Internet applications, have created unprecedented educational oppo rtunities, but with concomitantly little experience on how educators c an best take advantage of them. The Laboratory for the Exploration of Atmospheric Processes (LEAP) is a new 15-workstation computer laborato ry operated by the Department of Meteorology at Texas A&M University. The setup and use of LEAP in a variety of undergraduate and graduate c ourses are described. Particular emphasis is placed on applications th at use the World Wide Web or specialized meteorological software, with the aims of fostering greater discussion of computer-based teaching m ethods in meteorology and sharing and improvement of Web-based teachin g materials.