Improving Pathways into the Geospatial and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technician Workforce

随着为这些新兴技术开发新的应用，对地理空间技术和小型无人驾驶飞机系统熟练技术人员的需求继续增加。为了帮助满足这些需求，该项目旨在增加接受培训在多个学科中使用这些技术的学生数量。具体来说，Germana社区学院将创建新的学术途径，为学生提供进入技术劳动力的多种机会。在以前工作的基础上，将开发一门课程的在线版本，为学生参加FAA远程飞行员证书考试做准备，以增加学生的入学机会。学生将学习如何应用地理空间和无人驾驶飞机技术，以解决真实的世界问题，通过服务学习项目，将被整合到现有的课程。该项目还将支持专业发展计划和指导，以提高社区学院教师在这些技术领域的教学能力。 通过支持将地理空间和无人驾驶飞机系统技术整合到社区学院的技术课程中，该项目有可能增加学生进入技术劳动力队伍的机会。该项目的目标是：1）为Germana社区学院的学生开发新的途径，以追求地理空间技术和小型无人驾驶飞机系统的技术教育; 2）提供教师专业发展计划，将准备社区大学教师实施课程，将在这一领域的学生培训;和3）通过高中推广活动，增加学生在这些技术方案的数量和多样性。 Germana Community College的途径将包括两个可堆叠的证书，学生可以使用它们来完成应用科学副学士学位的要求。为了支持新的途径，将开发一个在线课程，以便利完成远程飞行员证书。教师将通过知识测试和学生展示飞行能力的视频来评估学生的学习情况。该项目将提供两个学院，培训社区大学教师实施与这些技术有关的课程的最佳做法。教师的培训将提供实践经验与技术使用基于项目的学习，将跨越不同的学科与参与者的兴趣一致。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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Demand for skilled technicians in geospatial technologies and small unmanned aircraft systems continues to increase as new applications are developed for these emerging technologies. To help meet these demands, this project is designed to increase the number of students who are trained to use these technologies in multiple disciplines. Specifically, Germana Community College will create new academic pathways that provide students with multiple opportunities to enter the technical workforce. Building on previous work, an online version of a course that prepares students for the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate exam will be developed to increase student access and enrollment. Students will learn how to apply geospatial and unmanned aircraft technologies to solve real world problems through service-learning projects that will be integrated into existing courses. The project will also support professional development programs and mentoring to increase the capacity of community college faculty to teach in these technical areas. By supporting the integration of geospatial and unmanned aircraft systems technologies into community college technical programs, this project has the potential to increase opportunities for students to enter the technical workforce.The goals of the project are to: 1) develop new pathways for students at Germana Community College to pursue technical education in geospatial technology and small unmanned aircraft systems; 2) provide faculty professional development programs that will prepare community college faculty for implementing courses that will train students in this field; and 3) increase the number and diversity of students in these technical programs through high school outreach activities. The pathways at Germana Community College will include two stackable certificates that students can use to complete requirements for an Associate of Applied Science degree. To support the new pathways, an online course will be developed that will facilitate completion of the remote pilot certificate. Instructors will assess student learning through knowledge tests and videos of students demonstrating their flying capabilities. The project will offer two faculty institutes to train community college faculty in best practices for implementing curricula relevant to these technologies. Training of faculty will provide hands-on experiences with the technologies using project-based learning that will span different disciplines aligned with participant interests. 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.