As educational and training industries move more towards online learning environments, highly regulated aviation maintenance technician training programs are being allowed to also cautiously venture into distance delivery. But there are many questions that must be answered when considering how to do so effectively considering the highly technical, hands-on nature of the material. This chapter discusses some preliminary guidance about the affordances of educational technologies such as augmented and virtual reality tools and learning management systems and how they might be best utilized.
In mid-March, many schools in the United States were forced to stop teaching in-person classes and switch to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic; as a result, teachers had to quickly implement new technologies and instructional strategies in the classroom. This rapid pandemic response especially affected teachers and students in Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) programs around the country as AMT instruction is inherently hands-on in nature. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 FAA Part-147 AMT instructors and administrators from around the country in order to investigate the challenges they faced during the rapid pandemic response and the strategies and technologies they used to address them. In addition to the interview, all participants completed a survey that provided demographic information and expanded on some of the key interview topics. Thematic coding of the interviews and analysis of the data from the surveys was then conducted based on the Resilience Engineering Framework, resulting in the following themes categorizing the schools' responses to COVID: Preemptive Course Adaptation to Pandemic Disruption, Rapid School Response to Pandemic Disruption, Short-Term Course Adjustment to Pandemic Disruption, Long-Term Course Adjustment to Pandemic Disruption, and Challenges Faced by School Regarding Implementation of Course Adjustment. These themes effectively summarize the different phases of the response of the AMT schools to the sudden demands placed on them to adapt their hands-on curriculum to a virtual format. Ultimately, results from this study may help FAA and AMT administrators recognize the need for improved training and increased implementation of technology in the AMT curriculum to better prepare students and instructors in the event of future major disruptions.
Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic caused an abrupt change in educational programs worldwide, including workforce development education in community colleges. Given the hands‐on requirements of these programs, considerations for changes included if and how instructors and students could maintain academic continuity during the pandemic. This article focuses on aviation maintenance technology schools (AMTS) as a case study to understand how programs that rely heavily on hands‐on learning responded to COVID‐19 significant disruption to education. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must approve educational training for aviation maintenance careers, and the FAA requires specific hands‐on activities in the curriculum. Of the 182 AMTS in the United States, 143 are located within community colleges. We conducted 43 interviews with AMTS students, administrators, and instructors from 18 different community colleges. Following content analysis of the interviews, the authors identified six findings related to how these programs responded to the pandemic, with special attention to maintaining academic stability. The article advocates for integrating digital learning tools (DLT) to create resilient educational programs when disruptions occur. These tools allow for students to continue to asynchronously practice the procedures and familiarize themselves with the materials needed for projects, provide students immediate feedback on their learning, and save schools money on expensive resources when students require extra practice on certain skills and processes. The application of these tools is relevant beyond the pandemic, helping students in many scenarios succeed in the face of natural disasters, family obligations, and the need for extra learning resources.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a simulation with worked examples on the creation of episodic memories and the troubleshooting ability of maintenance technician students. Previous research shows that domain knowledge, conceptual knowledge, strategic knowledge, and episodic memories are all required to successfully troubleshoot. While domain, conceptual, and strategic knowledge can all be taught using traditional instruction, episodic memories require students to experience the actual troubleshooting of a fault. Simulations and worked examples are two instructional methods that have proven effective at teaching troubleshooting. This research specifically examined how a simulation combined with worked examples would affect 1) immediate troubleshooting abilities, 2) the creation of episodic memories, and 3) delayed troubleshooting abilities.This study was conducted in two stages and administered via a learning management system due to COVID-19 restrictions. The first stage included a pre-test, a training session using the simulation with worked examples, and an immediate post-test for near and far transfer of troubleshooting abilities. The second stage occurred one week later and included the final posttest for near and far transfer of troubleshooting abilities and creation of episodic memories. Answers to four troubleshooting questions on each of the pre-test and immediate and delayed post-tests were collected to determine any differences in the immediate and retained troubleshooting abilities. Answers to the solution mapping questions were collected to determine the creation of episodic memories.A repeated measure analysis of variance was conducted in SPSS to analyze the results of the troubleshooting pre- and post-tests. A correlational coefficient was used to determine any interaction between episodic memories and delayed troubleshooting abilities. Previous experience levels and participants' major of study were also examined to determine their effect on the results.The findings show the simulation with worked examples had a statistically significant effect on delayed troubleshooting abilities and the created episodic memories had a positive correlation with the delayed troubleshooting, both with a medium effect size. However, the simulation with worked examples had no statistically significant effect on immediate troubleshooting abilities. Levels of previous experience and participants' major of study had little effect on the results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden halt of in-person learning in Spring 2020, impacting millions of college students in the United States. Many schools opted to transition to online learning. Aviation Maintenance Technology Schools (AMTS) were no exception to the pandemic's effect on in-person education, but an immediate switch to remote learning was not possible. AMTS is highly regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the FAA must approve any change to their curricula or curricula delivery. These schools rely heavily on in-person and hands-on learning to train aircraft maintenance technicians. In Spring 2020, AMTS could delay learning until it was safe to resume in-person classes or switch to remote lectures. For varying periods, students could not complete many FAA requirements until they returned in person. Through a Resilience Engineering Framework, this NSF-funded research explores AMTS' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect on academic continuity. The research team conducted 43 semi-structured interviews and gathered over 200 surveys from administrators, instructors, and students at AMTS around the United States. Content analysis revealed that schools were under-prepared for any long-term program disruption. As a result, student learning suffered. We discuss our research in relation to the impact on academic continuity and identify some ways which help mitigate disruptions to kinesthetic learners.
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