Improving Pathways into the Geospatial and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technician Workforce

对地理空间技术和小型无人驾驶飞机系统的熟练技术人员的需求随着这些新兴技术的新应用的开发而不断增加。为了满足这些需求，这个项目旨在增加在多个学科中使用这些技术的学生的数量。具体来说，德国社区学院将创造新的学术途径，为学生提供多种进入技术劳动力的机会。在以前的工作基础上，将开发一个在线版本的课程，为学生准备FAA远程飞行员证书考试，以增加学生的访问和注册。学生将学习如何应用地理空间和无人驾驶飞机技术来解决现实世界的问题，通过服务学习项目，将整合到现有的课程。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大学技术课程中，该项目有可能增加学生进入技术劳动力的机会。该项目的目标是：1)为德国社区学院的学生开辟新的途径，让他们在地理空间技术和小型无人机系统方面接受技术教育；2)提供教师专业发展计划，使社区学院教师为实施培训该领域学生的课程做好准备；3)通过高中外展活动增加这些技术项目学生的数量和多样性。德国社区学院的衔接课程将包括两个可堆叠的证书，学生可以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，以促进远程飞行员证书的完成。教官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。该项目将提供两所学院培训社区学院的教员，使其掌握实施与这些技术有关的课程的最佳做法。对教师的培训将提供使用基于项目的学习技术的实践经验，这些学习将跨越与参与者兴趣一致的不同学科。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。

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.