EDUC-5373 | Week 4 | Digital Competency in Aircrew Training and Research-Informed Professional Development

Structuring Professional Development in Aircrew Training

The structuring of the Professional Development (Pilot/Boom Instructors) component of my Technology Integration Plan for the Aircrew Training System (ATS), will be based on a tiered virtual coaching model aligned with the ISTE standards. Building from Zimmer and Matthews’ (2022) research and analyses, instructors will first complete a digital competency pre-assessment. Based on these results, they would enter one of three support tiers (basic, intermediate, or advanced), receiving personalized coaching through Microsoft Teams. These virtual coaching cycles would focus on skill-building in LMS navigation, Computer-Based Training (CBT) administration, and immersive Extended Reality (XR) integration.

Additionally, Crompton (2023) found that when educators align their practice with ISTE standards such as Standards 2.2 and 2.5, measurable student learning gains follow. The research confirms that structured PD that develops digital design capacity is key to improving instructor effectiveness and aircrew trainee outcomes.

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What connections will you make between teacher learning and connected student learning? What must teachers be able to do to support their students? How does this work align with your vision and goals from Week 3?

Pilot/Boom ATS Instructors must be proficient in both using and teaching with digital tools to ensure that aircrew trainees become proficient in their use. This is especially important for those entering training with limited digital backgrounds. ATS Instructors must confidently guide students through CBTs, facilitate simulation-based training using AR/VR/XR, and support adaptive learning tools within the LMS. Zimmer and Matthews (2022) emphasize that professional development must be ongoing and part of their daily job routines. Training instructors to internalize digital practices will directly influence student learning within the schoolhouse.

This aligns with the Week 3 vision and goals I outlined, which emphasized bridging the digital divide through targeted onboarding, adaptive learning modules, and instructor development. If instructors are digitally fluent, students benefit from more responsive, engaging, and equitable learning environments.

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What structures are in place within your district, school, or organization already exist to support professional learning?

Within the aircrew training community, current support structures include instructor upgrade training, annual proficiency evaluations, and the LMS instructional support team. However, these are not designed specifically around 'digital fluency'. Most ATS instructor development focuses on pedagogy and safety compliance, not integration of emerging technologies. My TIP proposes enhancing current structures by embedding digital-focused modules, virtual coaching, and peer-to-peer mentoring opportunities. These additions will modernize the ATS professional development while remaining familiar to stakeholders.

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How will student/community learning and assessment be transformed by the TIP you are developing? What changes should be tackled to address international technology-mediated assessment expectations like the PISA?

The TIP will transform aircrew trainee learning by making it more personalized and digitally immersive. Aircrew trainees will complete pre-attendance digital literacy assessments and be assigned onboarding CBT modules tailored to their specific skill levels. Adaptive learning technologies will respond in real-time to trainee progress, reducing frustration and the need for instructor remediation.

This structure mirrors the technology-mediated problem-solving tasks found in international benchmarks like PISA (OECD, n.d.), which focus on how well learners use digital tools to reason, analyze, and respond to complex tasks. To align with these expectations, the TIP will also include training for pilot/boom instructors on guiding the respective aircrew trainees through simulations and digital decision-making activities. These assessments will be tracked via the ATMS LMS analytics, allowing instructors to intervene early and ensure mission readiness.

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References

Crompton, H. (2023). Evidence of the ISTE standards for educators leading to learning gains. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 29(4), 201–219.

Buttry, B. (2025). A Call to Action: Bridging the Digital Divide in Aircrew Training. EDUC-5353: Learning Technologies to Bridge the Digital Divide.

OECD. (n.d.). Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa.html

Zimmer, W., & Matthews, S. D. (2022). A virtual coaching model of professional development to increase teachers' digital learning competencies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 109, 103544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate2021.103544