Education Commons^™

Career Choice Motivation For Commercial Pilots, Brett Watts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Career choice motivation research studies the factors involved during a person’s decision-making process regarding which career to pursue (Skatova & Ferguson, 2014). These factors are often studied in individuals who have not yet entered the workforce, such as students. Although there is a significant amount of research on career choice motivations for doctors, dentists, and other related fields, research on career choice motivations for pilots is sparse. As air traffic is expected to grow at approximately 4.7% per year for the next 20 years (Federal Aviation Administration, 2022), a key factor in the aviation industry’s growth is the availability of …

Extracting A Body Of Knowledge As A First Step Towards Defining A United Software Engineering Curriculum Guideline, Anton Kiselev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In general, the computing field is a rapidly changing environment, and as such, software engineering education must be able to adjust quickly to new needs. Industry adapts to technologies as fast as it can, but the critical issue is a need for recent graduates with the necessary expertise and knowledge of new trends, technologies, and practical experience. The industries that employ graduates of computing degree programs aim to hire those who are familiar with the latest technical traits, tools, and methodologies to meet these needs, and the software engineering curriculum needs to respond quickly to these needs. Still, unfortunately, software …

The Exigency And How To Improve And Implement International Humanitarian Legislations More Advantageously In Times Of Both Cyber-Warfare And Cyberspace, Shawn J. Lalman

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study provides a synopsis of the following topics: the prospective limiters levied on cyber-warfare by present–day international legislation; significant complexities and contentions brought up in the rendering & utilization of International Humanitarian Legislation against cyber-warfare; feasible repercussions of cyber-warfare on humanitarian causes. It is also to be contended and outlined in this research study that non–state actors can be held accountable for breaches of international humanitarian legislation committed using cyber–ordnance if sufficient resources and skill are made available. It details the factors that prosecutors and investigators must take into account when organizing investigations into major breaches of humanitarian legislation …

The Influence Of In-School Time (Ist) And Out-Of-School Time (Ost) Learning Experiences On Aviation Career Entry, Andrew Koch

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Increased demand for aviation has created a skill and workforce gap. An understanding of how to increase this potential workforce is vital to ensure the ongoing success and sustainability of the commercial aviation industry. This research explores science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs as a potential avenue for increasing the available aviation workforce. Specifically, it explores how STEM programs and their associated learning experiences influence career entry.

Utilizing a mixed methodology approach, this research retrospectively explored the self-reported effect of out-of-school time (OST) and in-school time (IST) STEM experiences on aviation career development. Through interviews, a survey instrument was …

Student Engagement In Aviation Moocs: Identifying Subgroups And Their Differences, Jennifer Maddin Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to expand the current understanding of learner engagement in aviation-related Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through cluster analysis. MOOCs, regarded for their low- or no-cost educational content, often attract thousands of students who are free to engage with the provided content to the extent of their choosing. As online training for pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and small unmanned aerial system operators continues to expand, understanding how learners engage in optional aviation-focused, online course material may help inform course design and instruction in the aviation industry. In this study, Moore’s theory of transactional distance, which …

A Replication Study Of Personality Types Of Students In A Professional Pilot Baccalaureate Degree Program, Stephanie Gill Fussell

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The personality types and learning styles of students have been studied in several populations, yet the research analyzing aviation students is lacking. A replication study assessed the distribution of personality types of students enrolled in the aeronautical science baccalaureate degree program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). In addition, this study assessed aviation student learning styles. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Form M and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) were used to analyze the personality types and learning styles, respectively. Selection ratio type tables compared the distribution of personality types of aviation students to the traditional college student sample and …

The Effect Of Generation On Retention Of Women Engineers In Aerospace And Industry, Kristine Maria Kiernan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the nature and extent of differences between generational cohorts regarding the effect of family factors on retention of women in engineering, with an emphasis on women in the aerospace industry. While 6% of the aerospace workforce is made up of aeronautical engineers, an additional 11.2% of the aerospace workforce is drawn from other engineering disciplines. Therefore, the analysis included all engineering sub-disciplines. In order to include women who had left the workforce, women in all industries were used as a proxy for women in aerospace.

Exits to other fields were modeled separately …

Collaborative Audio Transcription And Repair As A Method For Novice Pilots To Learn Approach Briefing Crew Resource Management (Crm) Skills, William A. Tuccio Ph.D.

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The growth of aviation in scope, scale, and complexity increases the demands for student learning, including crew resource management (CRM) skills. Instructor facilitated methods have proven effective for CRM skill learning. This study investigated a method of collaborative audio transcription and repair based learning (CTRBL) offering the potential for reduced demand upon instructor resources for CRM learning. The theorybased CTRBL method was used in this study as a way for novice pilots to learn the CRM skill of conducting a crew approach briefing with a focus on risk mitigation. Learning methods used to develop the CTRBL method were drawn from …

Incorporating Industry Needs Into The Development Of An Undergraduate Degree In Commercial Space Operations, Yash Bipinchandra Mehta

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid expansion of the commercial space industry, not unlike the aviation industry in the early 20^th century, has left the industry facing unique challenges. As companies continue to expand, the need for a well-trained workforce becomes critical. The needed workforce must be specifically educated to enter the commercial space industry at graduation. To have a successful industry, a workforce must be trained in skills that meet the industry's needs. In that regard, this study consisted of a survey of leaders in the commercial space industry to identify the different skill-sets sought by the industry. The results of the …

Exploration Of Sensemaking In The Education Of Novices To The Complex Cognitive Work Domain Of Air Traffic Control, Travis J. Wiltshire

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Many current complex business and industry jobs consist primarily of cognitive work; however, current approaches to training may be inadequate for this type of work (Hoffman, Feltovich, Fiore, Klein, & Ziebell, 2009). To try and improve training and education for cognitive work, Klein and Baxter (2006) have proposed cognitive transformation theory (CTT), a learning theory that claims that sensemaking activities are essential for acquiring expertise that is adaptive and thus well suited for cognitive work domains. In the present research, cognitive task analysis methods were used to identify and assess sensemaking support in the instruction and learning of complex concepts …

The Development And Deployment Of A Nexrad Education / Training Module For Use By General Aviation Pilots, Erin Anne Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether an education/ training module on NEXRAD and its products developed using Instructional Systems design criteria would be effective for General aviation pilots. Numerous studies have documented that General Aviation pilots are in need of additional education and training on weather concepts. A thorough needs analysis and literature review determined that training was the best way to address this problem. An education/training module and assessments were developed from scratch using strict instructional design criteria. Sixty students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated in live testing of the module. Participants were separated into control …

Effects Of Online Training On Aircrew Monitoring Behaviors: A Field Study, Brian A. Potter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Data from aircraft accidents and line observation studies indicate that inadequate pilot monitoring is a growing safety concern. In the cockpit environment, pilots who fail to properly manage their workload commit more monitoring errors. Given the lack of training and educational programs available to pilots which emphasize improving their monitoring skills, more research is needed to assess the usefulness of types of training that can be used to improve pilots' monitoring. This research project sets out to determine if the potential exists to enhance pilots' monitoring skills through online training. For this study, 40 military helicopter pilots (participants) were divided …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Optimum Tutor Staffing Schedule Using Discrete Event Simulation, Tara Michelle Allen

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study utilized the discrete-event simulation (DES) approach to optimize the daily tutor cost for the Unified Tutoring Center, located at the Daytona Beach campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The simulation model was built using Arena version 12, and the objective of the study was to determine an optimum tutor staffing schedule to minimize operating costs, while also servicing as many students as possible and with the students experiencing a minimal wait time. Data was collected by videotaping four weeks (or 20 nights) worth of evening tutoring sessions, held Sunday through Thursday between 6-9pm. Two models, the General Study Room …

Moral Development In Pilot Populations, Erica Anne Diels

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Ethical issues are becoming more commonplace in society today and while most industries are taking steps to improve poor ethical decisions through ethics education, aviation is lagging behind in both understanding of ethical issues inherent to the industry and ethics education. In this study three groups of pilots (students, instructors, and faculty) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are examined in an effort to determine moral development level in terms of P score on the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT2) and two domain specific additional questions. It was hypothesized that differences would be found between the groups and that the moral development …

Distance Learning For Instrument Flight: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Virtual Mentor, Andrew S. Mendolia

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

PC-based flight simulators are sometimes used as an alternative to traditional forms of instrument training. This type of training typically requires an instructor to be present with the student in order to facilitate training. Flight instructors play many important roles in aviation training, one of which is the role of mentor. The premise of this study was to examine the use of synchronous web-based instruction for instrument flight via Microsoft Flight Simulator’s (10.0) “shared-cockpit” feature, where the instructors serves as a mentor from a distance. The results indicate that web-based instruction is no more effective than practice without instruction. Although …

Gender Differences In Preference For Learning Environment Among Aviation Education Students, Eric M. Moyer

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study investigated whether differences existed between sex, male and female, for the preference of three different syllabi describing three different learning environments. Learning environments consisted of collaborative, and individual, with the individual sub-divided into competitive, and individual while co-varying participants for credit hours. 264 surveys were administered to students in freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes in order to collect preference, and demographic data. The surveys were presented as three fictional syllabi differing only in class grading format, and a paragraph on the instructional philosophy of the professor. Instructional philosophies described the proposed environment of the class by enforcing …

An Investigation Of Skill Acquisition Under Conditions Of Augmented Reality, Russell P. Milham

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Augmented reality is a virtual environment that integrates rendered content with the experience of the real world. There is evidence suggesting that augmented reality provides for important spatial constancy of objects relative to the real world coordinate system and that this quality contributes to rapid skill acquisition. The qualities of simulation, through the use of augmented reality, may be incorporated into actual job activities to produce a condition of "just-in-time learning." This may make possible the rapid acquisition of information and reliable completion of novel or infrequently performed tasks by individuals possessing a basic skill-set. The purpose of this research …

Comparative Analysis Of Distance Learning And Traditional Instructional Delivery Methodologies In Selected Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Graduate Courses, James T. Gallogly

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

A causal-comparative study that evaluated the qualitative and quantitative data for selected Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate courses in both the distance learning and traditional classroom delivery methods. The population for this study was made up of two segments. The first segment consisted of all students that completed a particular Master of Aeronautical Science course through distance learning, with the instructor that developed the course. The second segment consisted of all students that completed a particular Master of Aeronautical Science course in the classroom environment with the instructor that developed the course for distance learning presentation. The primary instrument for this …

A Summative Evaluation Of Flightsafety International's Computer Assisted Instruction Known As "Principles Of Troubleshooting", Willie Don Middlebrooks

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The objective of this experimental research was to ascertain if cognitive skills developed by the "Principles of Troubleshooting" (POT) educational course improved aircraft fault diagnostic ability in aircraft maintenance trainees. Sixty randomly chosen Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students served as control and experimental subjects with the POT course as the independent variable. Because random assignment was possible, a posttest-only control group design was used. Thirty ERAU maintenance trainees who had received basic and advanced ERAU fault diagnostic training were administered the POT course. A practical test administered to both groups using two tailed t tests for independent means indicated improvement …

A Comparative Analysis Of Distance Learning And Traditional Classroom Learning For Mas 602, Mas 603, And Mas 605 At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mark C. Lyden

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

To be competitive for tuition dollars, ERAU's distance learning program must meet the needs and demands of prospective students. Consideration must be given to the quality of the instruction over a distance compared to the traditional classroom method. The results of this investigation provide additional information vis-a-vis to the quality of the off-campus programs. The group for the study will be 80 traditional university students and 145 distance learning students who have participated in MAS 602, MAS 603, or MAS 605. The descriptive approach was used to investigate this problem. Test and assignment scores of the two groups were examined …

Cognitive Learning Styles And Their Relation To Air Traffic Control Screening And Training, Vincent P. Galotti

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to show a relationship between the type of cognitive learning style that an individual possesses and their subsequent success at simulated air traffic control practical exercises. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory was utilized to determine dominant learning styles of 30 college students enrolled in a laboratory-based air traffic control course. The instrument was administered during the first day of classes in the Fall of 1990. Students were placed in one of four groups for statistical purposes according to learning style. The scores of simulated micro-computer based air traffic control practical exercises given at semester's end …