Curriculum and Design
NFA has laid the ground work for your Curriculum, and it is also highly customizable. Just as no two students are alike, we embrace your creativity and allow you to adapt the program to your style of teaching.
Our gaming technology and associated scenarios fully support STEM textbook principles producing real life problem solving scenarios.
The syllabus and curriculum is designed to be grade specific and age appropriate while founded on sound core ethics and values. Our curriculum incorporates essential life skills such as personal responsibility, leadership, ethics, and adaptability.
Our curriculum includes
Flight Planning:
Calculation of Speed, Fuel, Distance, Lat/Long and Weather
Simulated Flight:
Propulsion Theory
Trajectory Analysis
Glide Slope Calculations
Ground vs. Air Speed Comparisons
Temp/Air Pressure and its effect on flight
Grid Coordinate Conversions
Specific class assignments include,
Weight and Balance calculations so the aircraft won’t stall (understanding weight, mass, center of gravity, and lever arm).
Understanding the basics of flight including altitude (distance to ground) and calculating air speed (how fast are you traveling).
Strengthen a wing strut on an aircraft to withstand higher g-force loads.
Calculating a bearing and distance to fly from a set of NS-EW coordinates (understanding how to convert Cartesian coordinates to polar coordinates and solve triangles).
Lead a Search and Rescue Missions
These are just a few of the exciting scenarios that today’s aviation professionals perform every day, utilizing their STEM education.
Evidence of Success
NFA is already seeing impressive results. Warrington Middle School in Pensacola, FL has completed one year of the ACE program and we are expecting even greater success for 2012.
Warrington has a total student population of 846 students.
92% receive free or reduced lunches,
25% (of all 7th/8th graders participate in ACE program.)
*ACE students scored significantly higher than non-ACE students on Math and Science FCAT
*ACE students in attendance 5% more than non-ACE students
*4% less likely to receive in-school suspension
The National Flight Academy curriculum will be based on accredited Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) principles. The program is designed to help prepare young adults to compete globally in the challenging technological future they will face.
UWF Curriculum Design Plan
The University of West Florida is well-positioned to be the lead in detailed curriculum planning for the National Flight Academy. The UWF team is populated with teacher/educators, instructional designers, technology innovators and game designers, script writers and retired military pilots.
Conceptual Framework
Based on the vision of the National Flight Academy and the physical structure that students will endure for 3—5 days, there are several theories and models that will form the underlying conceptual framework of the National Flight Academy curricular experience. To create this experiential learning environment, methodologies should be established to ensure that learners have the opportunity to develop knowledge structures that allow them to generate newly learned knowledge into their existing repertoire. The immersion in the learning environment will play a significant role, allowing knowledge creation that can occur quickly by interacting with the environment and “more educated others” throughout each day. This cognitive apprenticeship model should begin more formally in early mission planning and progressively reduce in subsequent missions.
The experiences will be situated in real-world contexts allowing students to make more solid connections between the concepts and why they are important. This exchange allows deep learning to occur more readily. The highly immersive curricular plan will be centered around a series of 12 real-world scenarios. The learning scenarios will include humanitarian assistance and disaster response, weather studies, air races, aircraft design, search and rescue, aerial firefighting and ballistic flight. Each learning scenario will be aligned specifically to Sunshine State Standards for Math and Science, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, National Science Education Standards, and 21st Century Skills. Consideration for the Florida Governor’s School will also be considered and referenced during development. Additionally, the core competencies of inquiry will be evident as teams of students are given a problem to solve based on the scenario. They will work collaboratively to decompose the elements of the problem through learning necessary new content and then work jointly to plot the course for the mission, deal with variables that may impede success and communicate these specific plans to team members and squadrons that are flying the missions in the simulator. After Action Reports (AARS) will be a critical component of this process as it will help to correct misconceptions and to visibly learn from errors made.
Each component of the curriculum will be driven by environmental considerations, meaning that the design of the entire experience will be focused on the immersive environment in which students will be working at the National Flight Academy. The complete design will take into account the functionality of the Ready Room, Joint Intelligence Center (JIC), Joint Operations Center (JOC), the Hangar Bays, and the environmental surroundings that students may experience in the galley, in their quarters, around the “ship” (throughout the museum) and in briefs by VIP.
Use Experimental Learning Scenarios
Twelve experiential learning scenarios will be developed in narrative form aligning to the areas of interest the National Flight Academy has identified. National Flight Academy will further work with UWF to specify the exact 12 scenarios and will serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the development of all. The narrative will be written as a compelling story reflecting situations that real aviators may encounter when planning for and flying specific missions. The SME will provide several issues that may be encountered to assist in forming an ill-structured problem that students will need to address in planning and while flying if conditions change. These real-world problems will be reflected through the authentic tasks that real aviators would encounter.
The first scenario developed will be related to hurricane hunting and will serve as the model for the eleven additional scenarios to be developed.
Detailed Curriculum Planning
Detailed lesson plans for the Ready Room events, the JIC, JOC and Hangar Bay will be included along with the listing of necessary resources to solve the problems (could be a web-based resource, a video or PowerPoint for the Ready Room, a series of multimedia objects to be used on the table in the JOC for collaboration, etc.)
NFA Online
National Flight Academy Online is comprised of four major components, including (1) prerequisites for attending, (2) teacher portal, (3) distance learning program areas (VTC, live streaming, etc.) and (4) alumni section.
Prerequisites for attending may include some form of student screening that would include (a) a sample mission with recommendations for a simple game to be developed online, (b) a detailed description of NFA for both parents and students, (c) grade-specific standards/prerequisites and (d) a brief tutorial on the fundamentals of flight. The tutorial may in some way be threaded throughout the game logic that UWF, NFA and NEAT develop.
Distance learning programming outreach to schools via the web will be an additional component. However, this scope of work will present recommendations that are feasible for year one operations and long-term recommendations for a full build-out of the website to present multiple cases using a multi-user gaming model in a virtual world. Through the Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG), teams will be able to accumulate points, compete for rankings, etc.
Please check our site often as we post additional information about our curriculum.
The Development Team
The UWF Team
The UWF Team is comprised of highly credentialed faculty in the fields of education, communications arts, instructional technology, engineering and computer technology, and computer science.
The UWF curriculum development group will work in cross-functional teams to support the curriculum development efforts of the National Flight Academy. Dr. Pam Northrup will serve as the principal investigator of the project and as such will serve on all team areas. Three cross-functional teams will be developed with the following expertise represented on each team: Teaching and Design, Innovative Technology and Mission Development. Each of the teams will work independently to achieve major project milestones, all three teams will collaborate to ensure alignment and project integrity.
Dr. Pam Northrup is the Associate Provost for Academic Innovation at the University of West Florida. She maintains responsibility for all aspects of distance learning, continuing and military education including strategic planning, change management, policy development, course development, faculty training, student support, external program marketing, and implementation. She has spent her career studying innovative technologies that may have an impact on teaching and learning with work in the area of mobile learning, policy development, embedded learning, distance learning, open educational resources, social collaboration, and learning object content development. Her most recent text on “Learning Objects for Instruction” provides a collection of practical applications of learning objects implementation. She has published extensively in the area and spends a great deal of time conducting presentations on academic innovation along with practical change management and implementation in organizations.
Teaching and Design
Dr. Joe Peters is a professor in the STEM areas and the primary author on the market-leading text Science in Elementary Education: Methods, Concepts, and Inquiries and the supplemental texts Concepts and Experiences in Elementary School Science and How to Teach Elementary School Science. He was also the consulting editor for the development of the book 365 Science Projects and Activities, author of the Prentice Hall & National Academy of Sciences Press National Science Education Standards Sampler, Editor Emeritus of the Journal of Elementary Science Education, and co-designer of Pearson Publishing’s Elementary Mathematics Methods Video CD and the Glen McKnight Case: A Video Ethnography of Fourth-Grade Constructivist Science Teaching. He is currently working on redesigning the MyEducationLab.com science education site for Pearson Publishing and is working with a major K-12 textbook publisher to align their science texts with the Florida Sunshine State Standards for science. He taught K-12 science before attaining a master’s degree in both natural sciences and environmental education and a Ph.D in science education. Dr. Peters was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and a Science Education Leadership Award from the National Science Education Leadership Association.
Dr. Charlotte Boling is an Associate Professor and Associate Director in the School of Education at the University of West Florida. Dr. Boling’s curriculum and administrative experiences include several Reading First! initiatives (Florida Online Reading Professional Development Program, Florida’s Reading Endorsement, Content Area Reading Professional Development, etc.), numerous publications, and oversight of several educational programs. Dr. Boling provides the expertise needed in overseeing the design, implementation, and evaluation of the NFA curriculum and brings a wealth of educational knowledge and experiences to the project. Dr. Boling received her doctorate from University of Southern Mississippi in Literacy Instruction with a minor in Instructional Design, a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Florida.
Jennifer Rohman has directed The University of West Florida’s Explore Summer Programs since 2006. Her background includes K—12 classroom experience. With a B.A. in communications, B.A. in elementary education and M.A. in special education, she has years of experience with elementary, secondary and special education management. She is involved with the Emerald Coast BEST Robotics Hub’s steering committee and is also a part of the University of West Florida’s Society of Women Engineers. Her role in K-12 education drives her dedication to UWF’s Explore Programs ensuring implementation and design of all programs, creation of curriculum, delivery of instruction, managing all staff members and instructors, and providing an overall structure for all programs.
Cindy Mersereau holds a master’s degree in educational leadership/education and training management/IT. She has worked as lead instructional designer on UWF’s Anytime…Anywhere Mobile Learning Partnership with the Navy, designing and developing mobile learning content for designated certificate programs, including Information Engineering Technology, Human Performance Technology and Arabic Language and Culture. Design guidelines involved making content accessible both online and on various mobile devices such as a PDA and UMPC, with key components in print format. She has also worked with a team to design and develop interactive and instructionally sound Operational Cultural Awareness Training products for Navy Sailors and personnel awaiting deployment to areas such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Formats for the cultural training products included stand-alone CD/DVD and online via Navy e-learning.
Mr. John Crane has worked with hundreds of educational faculties to develop online courses using systematic concepts of instructional design. Programs include oceanography and maritime studies, geographic information Systems, master’s in public health, and many others. Mr. Crane was instrumental in the design and implementation of UWF’s first, online foreign language program in Arabic. He worked closely with UWF’s Mathematics and Statistics department to develop an online master of science program in mathematical sciences. UWF is the only university in Florida, and one of a few in the United States, to offer the degree using interactive collaboration technology. His expertise in assessment and online learning led him to develop strategies for online academic integrity as well as tool-based solutions promoting good assessment practices in online learning. He is a retired lieutenant colonel of the USAF, a former fighter pilot and flight instructor.
Innovative Technology
Dr. Dave Dawson is a faculty member in the Department of Engineering and Computer Technology at UWF. He is a coinventor of two separate pending patents related to location based services (LBS) for rich media content delivery and reusable learning object-based or RLO-based instructional systems. He has piloted an instructional model for distributed learning, integrating a synchronous online collaborative environment, learning management systems and Web 2.0 tools such as podcasting to teach topics traditionally reserved for face-to-face labs. Dr. Dawson also coordinated the development and implementation of his department’s Information Engineering Technology B.S. degree program and has served his college in developing and implementing its technology strategic plan.
Dr. Dawson earned a Bachelor of Arts at Florida Atlantic University, a Master of Arts in communications from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Education degree in instructional technology from the University of West Florida.
Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science/Engineering and Computer Technology Departments. Her research interests are in educational software (serious games, simulations, visualizations and tutoring systems) and web server technologies. She has received both state and national awards in these research topics and developed software for K—12 students and college students in math, science and personal finance. She has also coauthored two books (Beginning Game Programming with Flash and Programming the Web with ColdFusion MX). Currently, Dr. Prayaga is working on designing software to tutor and improve word problem-solving skills for middle school students.
Bill Harrison is the Chief Technology Architect for the Academic Technology Center at the University of West Florida. His academic focus is in the area of instructional technology and learning objects with an emphasis on usability, accessibility and reusability. Mr. Harrison is currently conducting research and technical development for design and delivery of college-level courses via mobile devices. He also has expertise in numerous web development and computer networking technologies and serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Mrs. Karen Barth has worked at the University of West Florida for 19 years in the area of educational technology. With a bachelor’s degree in art, a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and work experience in engineering, she brings a unique blend of skills and talents to her projects. Mrs. Barth helped several faculty build live, interactive websites that tracked their progress on cross-country and international trips – long before there were web apps and tools to facilitate this activity. Currently, she maintains the UWF space on Second Life, works on mobile distance learning, leads faculty development web 2.0 applications and learning games. Mrs. Barth is the project lead for Operational Cultural Awareness Afghanistan and Pakistan. Her current research interests include serious games and the role of narrative in deep learning.
Mission Development
Dr. Brendan B. Kelly. specializes in rhetoric, political communication and forensic pedagogy. Kelly is the Chair of the Department of Communication Arts at the University of West Florida where he also serves as the Director of the UWF Forensics team (speech and debate). Since arriving at UWF in 2004, Kelly’s teaching, coaching and speech/political communication work has been recognized on multiple platforms including the 2007 UWF Distinguished Teaching Award, induction into the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame, and 2007 Eastern Michigan University Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Kelly currently serves as the President of the Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Association, the National Tournament Director for the National Forensic Association, and Vice Chair of the Argumentation and Forensics Division for the National Communication Association. Kelly earned his B.S. in public relations and M.A. in communication from Eastern Michigan University. He earned his Ph.D. in rhetoric and political communication from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Paul Sinor. Retired after more than 30 years in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel, Paul Sinor is unique in this field. He was selected by the Department of Defense to be the technical advisor for the television series Tour of Duty. He remains the only person ever actually assigned to a television series by the DOD. In 2004, he was recalled to active duty from retirement and was assigned to be the Army’s Entertainment Liaison to the Television and Film Industry in Los Angeles by the Department of the Army. In that capacity he assisted films supported by the U.S Department of Defense from concept through editing and worked on all facets of production, such as script re-writes, wardrobe and equipment selection, and training actors on weapons handling, tactics and military duties.
Dr. Vance Burgess directs the University of West Florida’s Online Campus. Each semester, the UWF Online Campus serves more than 5,000 individual online students enrolled in over 400 fully online course sections which account for almost 25% of the overall FTE of the university. He is the primary point of contact for the online campus support services and, as such, monitors all of the data for online student growth, retention, and support services satisfaction as well as designing and implementing a coordinated online student support system that improves support and satisfaction for our fully online students. Vance is a former U.S. Air Force C-130 Navigator with over 3,000 hours flying hurricane hunting, combat search and rescue, and special operations missions around the world.