Modern Blanket Toss: Findings and Observations

2014 FINDINGS
INTRODUCTION
As part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Upward Bound program, students
from four rural communities in Alaska were given the opportunity to participate
in Modern Blanket Toss, a course on UAV flying and applications. In addition to
the Upward Bound goals of encouraging and supporting students in pursuing
higher education, the Modern Blanket Toss program aims to encourage students
to pursue STEM careers by giving them skills in communication, leadership and
cutting edge technology. Community involvement is an important component of
the project.
The specific objectives of the six week course in the summer
of 2014 were for the students to
1) learn how to safely operate small unmanned aircraft systems,
2) understand the basic concepts governing unmanned flight,
3) explore the applications of UAVs,
4) achieve a general understanding and awareness of STEM career fields, and
5) obtain knowledge of UAV applications, operations, and regulations.
PRE/POST STUDENT SURVEY
SURVEY DEVELOPMENT
The Pre/Post Student Survey was designed to measure levels and changes in the
student’s
1) content knowledge and science practices (indicator 1.a);
2) leadership and communication skills (indicator 1.b);
3) attitude towards science (indicator 1.c);
4)STEM career interest (indicator 1.d); and
5) engagement and excitement in project topics (indicator 3.b).
The survey included 5 open-ended questions and 58 Likert-scale items. The presurvey
was administered to students on paper in their first week of the Upward
Bound Academy. The post survey was administered on the last day of classes at
the Academy.
In the classroom the students learned safety rules and checklists. Despite an
unusually rainy and windy June and July, the students practiced flying UAVs in
teams several times each week. They focused their efforts on gathering data for
a map of the UAF frisbee-golf course. Through their teachers, guest speakers
and field trips they were exposed to several individuals working in STEM
careers.
Upward Bound students in the UAV 2014 summer course participated in three
levels of evaluation. First, they completed pre and post surveys about their
attitudes towards science and STEM careers as well as self-assessment of their
science, leadership and communication skills. Second, they completed weekly
surveys on satisfaction and recently covered content. Third, students and
teaching staff were interviewed at the end of the course to share their opinions
and successes.
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