Developing Spatial Reasoning through Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technology

小型无人驾驶飞机系统也被称为无人机，是国民经济的一个高增长部门。这些由计算机控制的飞机可用于载人飞行过于危险或困难的情况。据估计，无人机技术对全国经济的影响为1000亿美元，年平均增长率为23%。无人机技术在许多不同的行业都有应用，包括农业、建筑施工、搜索和救援、电影制作、生态研究、消防、煤炭开采、国家和州立公园监控、经济土地开发和娱乐活动。无人机技术还可以作为下一代科学数据收集的技术平台，需要信息技术、地理空间科学和航空航空技术之间进行更大的合作。因此，无人机在普通人群中已经成为一种相关的科学产品，并提高了爱好者的科学素养。该项目旨在开发与小型无人机系统相关的行业特定课程。通过这种方式，它打算为科罗拉多州熟练的航空劳动力建立教育途径和工作管道网络，加强研究，教育和工业使用之间的一致性。科罗拉多西北社区学院将开发一个新的学术项目和教育途径，为科罗拉多准备下一代无人机系统技术人员。该学院是一所两年制的农村技术学院，设有航空专业。对当前计划的修改将导致加速计划，允许行业选择认可的教育方法来教育其无人机系统技术人员。该项目将与行业合作伙伴合作，将当前的无人机课程改编并实施为浓缩、加速和混合的课程形式，与科罗拉多州西北部的行业需求保持一致。在接受现场加速课堂培训计划之前，学生将自行完成初始在线资格预审考试，称为个性化STEM能力评估。在线、自定进度的评估将提供详细的概念模块，即时解决并随后纠正学生在考试前课程中的熟练程度差距，目标是保证每个学生的工作知识达到后续课程所需的技能熟练程度。在令人满意地完成在线评估先决条件后，学生将注册科罗拉多西北社区学院的加速/浓缩现场现场和课堂无人机系统课程。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A high growth sector of the national economy involves small unmanned aircraft systems, also called drones. These computer-controlled aircraft can be used in situations where manned flight is too risky or difficult. Drone technology is estimated to have a national economic impact of $100 billion, with an annual average growth of 23%. Drone technology has uses in many different industries, including farming, building construction, search and rescue, filmmaking, ecological studies, firefighting, coal extraction, national and state park surveillance, economic land development, and recreational pursuits. Drone technology also serves as the technological platform for the next generation of scientific data collection, requiring greater collaboration between information technology, geospatial sciences, and aviation-aeronautical technologies. As such, drones are already acting as a relatable science product in the general population and increasing the science literacy of hobbyists. This project aims to develop industry-specific curricula related to small unmanned aircraft systems. In this way, it intends to build the network of educational pathways and job pipelines for a skilled aviation workforce in Colorado, strengthening alignment between research, educational, and industry use.Colorado Northwestern Community College will develop a new academic program and educational pathway to prepare the next generation of unmanned aircraft systems technicians for Colorado. The College is a rural two-year technical college with an established aviation program. Modifications to this current program will result in an accelerated program that allows industry to choose an accredited educational approach for educating its unmanned aircraft systems technicians. Working with its industry partners, the project will adapt and implement current drone courses into a condensed, accelerated, and hybrid class format, consistent with industry needs in Northwest Colorado. Students will self-complete an initial online pre-qualifying exam, called an Individualized Competency STEM Assessment, prior to acceptance into the accelerated on-site classroom training program. The online, self-paced assessment will provide detailed Concept Modules that instantly address and subsequently correct students' proficiency gaps during the pre-exam curriculum, with the goal of guaranteeing that each students' working knowledge reaches the required skill proficiency needed for subsequent coursework. Upon satisfactorily completing the online assessment prerequisite, students will register for accelerated/condensed on-site field and classroom unmanned aircraft systems coursework with Colorado Northwestern Community College. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.