Undergraduate Area of Emphasis in Unmanned Aerial Systems

Autonomous intelligent robots and, in particular, unmanned aerial vehicles represent a rapidly growing area within the 4th industrial revolution. The complexity, sophistication, and interdisciplinarity of the field create specific challenges for the engineering educational system. An area of emphasis (AOE) focused on unmanned aerial systems has been recently designed and will soon be implemented at West Virginia University, within the Aerospace Engineering Bachelor of Science (AEBS) Program. In this paper, the main educational objectives, strategies, and tools considered in the design and implementation of the AOE are presented. Four courses are required, which also qualify as technical electives for the general AEBS degree. Students may replace one of these courses by one from a secondary list. The learning outcomes of the course package are formulated to cover all six major categories of Bloom's Taxonomy. The design of the courses relies on the implementation of innovative educational methods, including active learning, experiential learning, and collaborative learning. These techniques are combined synergistically based on simulation and hands-on aircraft building and testing aimed at developing an effective framework for aerospace engineering education from a student-centered perspective that emphasizes student initiative, creativity, interests, and motivation.