
DARTdrones Launches Innovative ‘Intro to Drones’ Course for High School Students
DARTdrones is thrilled to announce the launch of its new course, “Intro to Drones: Opportunities, Careers, and FAA Certification Readiness“, designed to introduce high school students to the exciting world of drones. This innovative program aims to engage young learners by exploring various career opportunities in the drone industry while preparing them for FAA certification.
Why the New Focus on Drone Workforce Development?
For years, DARTdrones was approached by teachers, college professors, and workforce development instructors seeking a course that they could teach to their students. The DARTdrones team knew it would be a tremendous undertaking to make our Part 107 Test Prep course easy for a teacher new to aviation to teach. The DARTdrones Part 107 Test Prep courses have historically always been taught by DARTdrones expert instructors who are manned aviation pilots. After intensive research about the future of the drone industry, the DARTdrones team could see a clear gap in the future need for professional drone pilots. The DARTdrones team decided to jump full force into filling this gap through licensing curriculum to other teachers, connecting employers with alumni, reconsidering industry certifications, and qualifying for and helping build state industry certifications. We believe this Workforce Development initiative is the future for DARTdrones!
Focused on Young Learners
The “Intro to Drones” course offers students a comprehensive foundation in drone technology, blending technical instruction with hands-on activities and collaborative discussions. DARTdrones prioritizes student engagement, ensuring that even the challenging aspects, such as preparing for the FAA Part 107 Certification Exam, are both educational and enjoyable.
Ongoing Support for Teachers
DARTdrones prides itself on our ability to support teachers along the way. We offer even non-aviation teachers the opportunity to successfully introduce students to drones through customized curriculum and an ongoing support structure. Teachers are always offered:
- Train the Trainers options – in-person, virtual, and private trainings
- Live question and answer sessions with DARTdrones Instructors
- Virtual check ins with other teachers teaching the same material
- Access for teachers and administrators to track student progress and test scores in our LMS system
Building the Course
DARTdrones is extremely grateful to have a team of developers dedicated to creating courses that help students and teachers grow in their drone journeys. Hear from Danny Burk, Chief Curriculum Developer at DARTdrones, on what his experience was while building our Intro to Drones Course!
What Sets DARTdrones Apart?
Most drone curriculum providers fall into 2 categories:
- STEM, which focuses on coding and building drones
- Game playing, which focuses on topics like drone soccer or drone racing
DARTdrones is neither of these. We focus on real world drone operations professional drone pilots are flying for their career. We’ve been training pilots at some of the largest drone programs in the US for over 10 years. Now, we are bringing that same training into the classroom, adapted for younger learners.
DARTdrones is committed to creating a comprehensive training that aligns with our enterprise drone program partnerships. Where we shine, is in our ability to provide pilot training on real-world drone use cases. Since we train the pilots at numerous large oil and gas companies, electric utilities, water authorities, and public safety agencies, we have inside knowledge on how to build out professional curricula to support their operations.
Take a Sneak Peak Inside Our Intro to Drones Course Content
- Year at a Glance
- Sample Practice Exercise: Lesson 3
- Sample Group Exercise: Lesson 1
- Unit 1 Materials List
- Unit 1 Standards and Objectives
- Careers in Drones: Sample Activity
Learn More
Learn more about the DARTdrones Intro to Drones course here or reach out to Mike McCann on our team.