An Assessment of Intensive/Weekend Teaching Format of Aviation Education: A Case of Aviation Law

Although most universities in the United States (U.S.) have launched off-campus education for working adults, the quality of such an educational format remains skeptical to many educators who exchange knowledge mainly via on-campus lecture means (Elliott et al, 1978; Swenson, 2003 Spring). In order to further examine academic performance based on such a non-traditional channel, the rigor and integrity of off-campus education should be investigated '(Karwin, 1973). This study sought to evaluate the learning outcome of off-campus aviation education currently using intensivelweekend seminar format. Meanwhile, the main goals of this study also include the discovery of possible pedagogical gaps to continuously enhance off-campus teaching. Focus group was utilized as the research methodology. Purposive sampling was applied containing two groups of students, one on-campus and off-campus for another, recruited fiom aviation law class. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. The result showed flexibility of class study and convenient location of classroom were the two most attractive factors adult learners consider. In addition to opposing to a fully Internet-based aviation education, off-campus students' comments helped the researcher reveal specific pedagogical deficiencies that need to be reviewed for validating future educational service. INTRODUCTION Most universities were initially designed to serve students who were able to attend classes on campus. Since the 1970s, an increasing population of working adults learners who seek to return to college, maintain a full-time working status, and complete their degree without routinely sitting in classroom has thrown a pedagogical challenge to the higher education system in the United States (U.S.) (Elliottt et al., 1978; Husson & Kennedy, 2003). From the university's standpoint, how to accommodate those eager adult learners requires a special class design (Mott, 2000 Summer). To this end, intensive weekend classes, television broadcasting programs, and most currently, online Internet disciplines were provided (Scott, 2003). As an important partner of the higher education system in the U.S., Central Missouri State University (CMSU) is no exception to this observation. By creating satellite campuses/learning centers (Karwin, 1973) surrounding its main campus in Warrensburg, Missouri, the Department of Aviation at CMSU currently applies weekend intensive format conducting senior and graduate-level classes such as aviation law, airport planning and management, air transportation, system safety, and most other classes leading to the completion of undergraduate and aviation safety master degrees. Because there is no one-size-fits-all teaching fonnat (Fratt, 2002), the aviation department also provides regular lectures to students by hiring adjunct faculties teaching at one satellite campus. In order to discover the c m n t status of learning and teaching quality, the outcome of CMSU's intensive format education should be measured. By doing so, this study could help aviation educators further enhance class rigor and integrity. Furthermore, based on the results of this study, the aviation department can better serve non-traditional students and proactively maintain the credential requirements from accreditation agencies focusing on teaching and learning outcomes. JAAER, Fall 2005 Page 17 1 Lu: An Assessment of Intensive/Weekend Teaching Format of Aviation Ed Published by Scholarly Commons, 2005 An Assessment of Intensive Teaching LITERATURE REVIEW "Learning is celebrated and seen as a vehicle for citizens to build more life-sustainiig places to live, work, and enjoy" (Stein & Imel, 2003, p.93). In the aviation industry, proactive adult learners, who dwell in the changing aviation community, have consistently encountered problems, issues, and challenges associated with their daily work. that immediately require new skills and knowledge to deal with challenges. In order to elevate competitive ability and inventory a better workforce, many industries seek to promote employees' capability by motivating them to pursue more education (Husson & Kennedy, 2003). Educational researchers have conducted numerous researches in relation to teaching enhancement. Those researchers include Elliott and her research associates, Herrmann, Fox, and Boyl, Gadlbow, Wlodkowski and Westover, Scott, Phillips and Kelly, Caskey, and Husson and Kennedy. Elliott and her research associates (1978) remarked that the primary reasons for adult learners to participate in off-c8mpus education were: 1) inflexible working schedule, 2) enhancement of pefsonal skills, 3) personal interest, and 4) continuing needs of community semicesriented education. As the chainnan of the Missouri Department of Higher Education, Elliott concluded that the quality of faculty, a welldesigned class, a smoothly-run administrative unit, a sufficient source of student service, and a complete set of policies were essential to a successful off-campus education. Another distance learning study conducted by Hemnann, Fox, and Boyl in 2000 revealed that although the current technology is able to provide instructors appropriate tools for instructing, "how teachers adopt learning technologies is complex" (Hemnann, Fox, & Boyl, 2000, p.43). As a result, faculties may choose to avoid learning new skills themselves such as Internet system. Therefore, the so-called buly user-fiiendly environment for adult learners remains controversial if instructors could not train themselves well. Moreover, one of the most critical but unexpected difficulties of distance learning via Internet is that many adult learners lack technological capabilities or the equivalent devises, such as online skills and computers with which they should initially equipped (Hemnann, Fox, & Boyl, 2000). In addition to the aforementioned difficulties, most adult learners already have burdens of maintaining their full-time job, family relationship, and social life. They highly cherish their time and must utilize it in an extremely efficient fashion (Hemnann, Fox, & Boyl, 2000). Gadlbow (2003) remarked that those who cannot meet class schedules on campus due to time o r space barriers are now encouraged to learn over the weekend and in their free time (Gadbow, 2003). Rather than downgrading the quality of education in relation to intensive format, educational researchers (Scott & Conrad, 1992; Caskey, 1994; Wlodkowski & Westover, 1999) had discovered that "intensive courses yield equivalence, and sometimes, superior learning outcomes when compared to matched traditional-length courses" (Scott, 2003, p.29). Most recently, in Scott's study, some universities offer intensive courses to students in addition to the traditional version of higher education. Regardless of the sporadic concerns about rigor and quality of the program, h m the viewpoint of pedagogic researchers, intensive format of education is popular and welcomed by the adult learners (Scott, 2003). As the result of Scott's research (2003), students remarked that the characteristics and advantages pertaining to intensive format courses are: 1) Focused learning, 2) In-depth discussion, 3) Memorable learning experience, 4) Better learning abnosphere, and 5) Better performance. Phillips and Kelly (2000) noted that continuous consultation and advice pertaining to non-traditional learners plays a crucial role in determining learning performance, as well as directly deciding the success of an off-campus education. In reality, even though the off-campus students cannot attend traditional on-campus classes, fiom time to time, they would still like to communicate with their instructor in person. Unfortunately, although the amount o f distance education has been increased over the past decade (Cemero, 2000 Summer), many working adults still face baniers in terms of available sources and opportunities impeding them from receiving more education. For instance, Cervero (2000 Summer) argued that there are three critical components associated with continuous professional education (CPE), which educational researchers need to solve before evolving to another stage of the off campus education. First, the purpose of continuing education for working adults should be clarified (objectives of the program). Second, the pool of prospective students should be identified (understanding of the needs of students). And third, a qualified provider of continuing education should be available (an effective and efficient educating mechanism). Husson and Kennedy (2003) further echoed Cemero's arguments in their article and specifically dictated the essential factors of a successful intensive-format Page 18 JAAER, Fall 2005 2 Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, Vol. 15, No. 1 [2005], Art. 1 https://commons.erau. edu/jaaer/vol15/iss1/1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15394/jaaer.2005. 1505 An Assessment of Intensive Teaching education for adult learners. These factors are: 1) adult learner-oriented (environment), 2) high rigor of the education (quality), and 3) program accessibility (flexible schedule) (Husson & Kennedy, 2003), fiom which class coordinators/designers could detect the weakness, revise the program, and strengthen the curriculum of intensive study. Our Aviation Program Many collegiate aviation partners in the U.S. have provided distance education for years. Yet, to date, a specific measuring tool regarding the effectiveness of the intensive format aviation education provided to adult learners is hard to find in aviation area. In order to satis@ increasingly needed adult learners in the Midwest, Central Missouri State University has been encouraging all academic departments to initiate distance education and also maintain a competitive quality. Because students' comrnentdfeedbacks would directly benefit service providers, aviation faculties should periodically evaluate their teaching quality of aviation programs tha