Abstract:

In the modern world of mature teaching and learning technologies, there remain areas where more traditional approaches exist. For example, a specific set of rules applies to the preparation of aviation and aerospace accreditations, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Powerplant certification. According to the FAA, students must perform highly prescribed projects to a specific level of comprehension and hands-on requirements. The FAA has established three levels of performances for practical projects.

Students in the Aeronautical Engineering Technology (AET) program at Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology are not required to pass Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification in order to graduate with the bachelor degree. However, this accreditation is highly sought after by original equipment manufacturer for their applied engineering jobs. To achieve the learning objectives of both bachelor degree and A&P certification requirements, AET faculty members employ project-based learning to develop skills through hands-on application moving away from instructor-centric traditional approach.

However, the FAA requires the traditional method of providing instructions only in the pure lecture setting with limited usage of modern methods of teaching and learning, such as online courses, self-learning, and video training on demand. This situation with A&P certification is different from allowing computer simulation and virtual reality to reduce human errors in flight training or preparation of medical specialists. Successful preparation of surgeons and clinicians is also depending on computer simulation.

The paper describes an initial stage in multilevel investigation of the effects of operational vs. non-operational equipment status on learning levels and the perceived workload for students in the Aeronautical Engineering Technology (AET) program. The goal is to provide evidence to support the implementation of a more advanced and well-established learning methods into the A&P accreditation, while decreasing cost for the program. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was used to determine the student’s perceived workload. The results of the NASA-TLX will help determine the effects of the student’s perceived workload on the student’s actual performance.

Because a limited size of the population, a series of t-tests with two-tail distributions and equal variance assumed were deemed appropriate and sufficient as an analysis method on the data. The tests evaluated the time to finish the designated projects (faster is better) and the TLX Scale instrument data after execution of testing on both nonoperational and operational engines. The findings did not find any significant differences between both scenarios. No evidence was found that operational equipment enhances the subjects’ performance and amplifies mental pressure to maintain the engines in airworthy condition. The data exhibited that students worked faster with less perceived work load on operational equipment, which was the opposite of what is believed to be true. However, the paper’s results may justify training facilities for using nonfunctioning equipment, because it is safer to use, cheaper to purchase and to maintain. The future studies may focus on the switch to computer simulation or virtual reality equipment.

Keywords:

Project-based learning, perceived workload, engineering technology, aviation, NASA Task Load Index.