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Review of the article “Practical Pedagogy for Embedding Drone Technology into a Business and Computing Curriculum”
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- Use of drones has expanded outside of military into business applications across multiple industries (Antanasov, 2006)
- European Commission performed an impact report and found that by 2025 drones will account for 10% of all air traffic (2015)
- The number of drone jobs in the US is set to exceed 100,000 by 2025
Pedagogical Approach to Drones in the Classroom
- As technology advances, the pedagogical approach needs to shift to include more technology-based competencies within curriculum
- Carnahan, et. al, (2016) find the inclusion of drones in curriculum improves student motivation and engagement (affiliate link)
- This allows for concrete examples of how STEM principles are applied
- Soft skills, or professional skills are valuable to employers. Things like teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills.
- Carnahan et al (2016) have created the SOAR model for drones in the classroom (affiliate link)
- this focuses on the student’s experience but follows research-based education on ethical, legal, and pragmatic uses of drone technology
SOAR model (Carnahan, 2016) (affiliate link)
S – safety and legal issues
O – operations, flight maintenance, and trouble-shooting
A – Active learning, engagement in solving problems
R – Research, practical applications
- This model has been successful in K-12 application of drones and can be successful in other types of drone education and training
Preliminary Assessment
- insurance company required a site risk assessment
- what drones will be flown
- safety plans
- site survey
- risk rating matrix
- activity and site specific location
- they conducted an assessment for every indoor and outdoor location where drone flights might occur
- used the gym and larger classrooms without expensive audio-visual equipment
- some outdoor sites were ruled out due to high voltage cables, CAA laws (UK)
- decided it was necessary to have a certificate pilot on grounds for any event such as seminars, research activities, etc
- decided it was necessary to train more staff to become certificated drone pilots
“Module Development and Pedagical Approach”
- Idries et al (2015) mention technical and non-technical needs in drone operations, including business processes and project management
- must first address drones from the business application point of view, how is this going to be applied in business?
- project management, risk management, operations, and scheduling need to be reviewed
- practical, hands on flying experience
Outcomes:
“Display knowledge of the legal framework in which drones operate.
Complete risk assessments and site surveys to industry standards.
Demonstrate confidence in operating a drone safely.
Successfully implement a practical project using drone technology.
Discuss potential future applications for drone technology”
(Kuzma, et al, 2018)
Each one of these outcomes are aligned to one of the components in the SOAR model. Some examples of projects they gave are:
- Constructing a 3d model of a building using aerial footage
- Constructing an annotated panorama for use on social media or developing a video presentation of a property
- Capturing high quality video footage for use in a film drama
- Exploring the potential for drone delivery of small packages
- Using drone photography and panorama stitching to assemble an isometric map of a large area
- Using drones as an educational tool for primary school students would appeal to Education students.
Some lessons learned:
- flying too many drones at one time can be problematic with too many radio frequencies
- flying in a gym limits the number of drones that can be flown at one time just due to space
- team wanted a trained and certificated pilot and assistant present for each flying session to meet safety requirements
- scheduling times accordingly to daylight hours
- weather can be problematic in the UK so had to book both an outdoor and an indoor location
- each lesson is going to be different in structure. Some topics will require more lecture while other topics require all hands on
- this technology crosses across multiple disciplines so it’s important to remember that when developing an educational program
- getting financial buy-in can be a challenge. There is the cost of the drones, batteries, propellers, netting, etc, then the cost for training
Sources:
Kuzma, J., Robinson, A., Dobson, K., & Law, J. (2018). Practical Pedagogy for Embedding Drone Technology into a Business and Computing Curriculum. Journal of Education and Human Development, 7(3), 1-9.
