Development of a Digital Avionics Curriculum for the Aeronautical Engineer

The focus of the research leading to this paper was the development of a comprehensive digital avionics curriculum that will serve the needs of aeronautical engineers who will be involved with the development, integration, testing, fielding, and supporting of avionics systems as part of the overall aircraft system. Research was conducted through a literature review, a thorough review of existing avionics programs, and the use of a Delphi Technique survey process. Based upon the findings from the reviews and the Delphi Technique survey process, a six-step curriculum development process was formulated as a method to build a course structure that will satisfy the needs of students enrolled in a digital avionics specialty course sequence. Utilizing the formulated process, a proposed three course curriculum was developed that will provide the avionics knowledge required at the correct level of proficiency while instilling the desired attributes within the aeronautical engineers. The development process and the resulting proposed curriculum will be presented