Drone Support From the Ground Up

North Arkansas College (Northark) intends to fill a vital regional need in drone technology by developing and offering a curriculum to prepare uncrewed aerial system (UAS) operators who are skilled in piloting and mission design, and knowledgeable about operational maintenance and cybersecurity aspects of drones. Program graduates will earn an FAA Part 107 commercial drone license and be prepared to handle mission planning, day-to-day maintenance of drones, and identify cybersecurity challenges.

The program intends to also equip students with business skills needed to develop their own niche in the growing industry. Professional development will produce faculty who are knowledgeable and skilled in drone usage, including departmental faculty to teach UAS concepts and faculty outside the department who will adopt these technologies into content for their disciplines.

The college, the students who graduate, and the region will be able to support other industries who seek to add drones to their repertoire.

The project team intends to (1) develop and work closely with the Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT), composed of regional employers, to (2) develop a comprehensive training program that results in completion of the FAA part 107 commercial drone certification as well as training in piloting, networking, cybersecurity, maintenance, and data processing. This will require that (3) faculty be upskilled to ensure effective delivery of the UAS program.

The project intends to (4) recruit, retain, and graduate students with a focus on diversity. The program will include an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree with an embedded Technical Certificate (TC), a high school concurrent credit pathway, and micro-credential options for use in disciplines including agriculture, criminal justice, digital media, real estate, and construction.

Course outcomes should easily align with the existing Arkansas Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school UAS pathway for ease of use in concurrent credit. The team will share the project's best practices, including best practices to serve women, low-income students, rural students, and other underserved groups with other two-year colleges. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.