Subject Matter Will Focus On Human Factors In Aviation Accidents

Human factors in aviation accidents will be the topic of the first massive open online course (MOOC) to be offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide in August.

The course, The Human Factor in Aviation, is free and open to the public. Registration opened Friday, with the class starting Aug. 19. Class size is limited to 500 students. “Our first MOOC covers a particularly timely subject, The Human Factor in Aviation,” said Worldwide Chancellor John R. Watret, Ph.D. “The recent incident in San Francisco has definitely made the industry and public more aware of the intricacies of aviation safety.”

The five-week course will focus on the psychological or physiological elements related to aviation disasters. The instructor, Dennis Vincenzi, is department chair of undergraduate studies in the College of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Worldwide and has more than 16 years of experience in human factors.

The MOOC is one way the university is adapting to the changing needs of today’s student. Students have the flexibility of viewing lectures and working on assignments based on their own schedules. There will be live sessions where students can watch the instructor and ask questions in real time. However, much of the learning is focused on students interacting with each other on discussion boards and through social media platforms such as Twitter.

FMI: http://worldwide.erau.edu/degrees-programs/free-online-courses/index.html