Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations and Maintenance Education and Training Project

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations and Maintenance Training Project at Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey aims to advance technician education and training in the rapidly evolving and critically important field of small commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). To this end, this project plans to develop a curriculum for a new academic program that will prepare students to work as technicians in operation, maintenance, and repair of small UAS. Through site visits and a national steering committee, the project will work with employers to identify current and future needs for technicians. It will use this information to create an associate degree program that aligns with the expectations of employers, manufacturers, and regulatory agencies. This new curriculum could benefit employers involved directly in the UAS industry, as well as employers in other fields such as agriculture, insurance, real estate, utilities, construction, media, and law enforcement/public safety. Project results will be shared with other community and technical colleges interested in training UAS technicians, with a special focus on building capacity for colleges that wish to develop an aviation technician program or to enhance current offerings. The project will promote diversity in the technical workforce by training all students in entrepreneurial principles and skills, and by supporting enrollment and retention of female students. The project aims to create a pool of trained technicians available for work in southern New Jersey, a region in which policymakers and government agencies are encouraging development of a robust UAS industry.

The project will define the skills and knowledge needed to enable a technician to maintain, upgrade, or repair a small UAS, and develop an innovative academic program that promotes the requisite student learning. Curriculum development will use a systematic approach to instructional design, based on the Dick and Carey model instructional model. This approach includes defining the needs, the audience, the tasks that students will need to master, as well as planning for student assessment and course/program evaluation. The curriculum will include education and training in aviation regulation, aviation weather, aeronautical knowledge, mechanical/electronic engineering, geospatial data collection, and computer science. The curriculum will also include three competency areas that researchers have identified for UAS technicians: hardware, software, and documentation and personnel issues. Drone manufacturers and employers will provide input to ensure that the program educates skilled technicians who can comply with FAA regulations for safe operation of small drones in the national airspace system. Industry experts conclude that the largest barrier in building a UAS maintenance knowledge base is lack of maintenance documentation for drones. The project will address this barrier by facilitating greater information-sharing by manufacturers. Project leaders have extensive professional contacts and collaborators in the UAS industry, as well as administrative experience and expertise in engineering curriculum development. The project plans to build on an existing aviation program at the college that can provide resources (e.g., equipment; teaching space; administrative support) and a sustainable source of new equipment and ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty. Other academic institutions, including Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, will provide input on the curriculum and related project activities. In addition, so that this program can build on existing expertise and experience in UAS technician training, the project leaders will make site visits to other community colleges with active UAS training programs, including Sinclair Community College in Ohio and Northland Community and Technical College in Minnesota.