Education Technology at Cirrus Design

With my kids grown and moved away and myself thoroughly immersed in my career, I see the most education technology at work—and school but I will primarily focus on the education technology from a corporate perspective. I started this assignment by brainstorming all the learning that occurs at Cirrus at all levels and for all purposes. I came up with the following: pilot training, field training, production training, and corporate learning. All are very different with different purposes and audiences. I then looked at how technology interfaces with each and to what degree. I will then grade each as to their degree of exemplariness with comparisons to the course readings.

Pilot Training: Critical to our success as an organization is our learning directed toward the pilots that purchase our product. Key to that success is our FTD or Flight Training Device manufactured by Frasca. (http://www.frasca.com/web_pages/brochures/Cirrus%20SR22%20bro.htm)
If the link doesn’t work, go to www.frasca.com then to General Aviation and then under Type Specific in the left margin, click on Cirrus SR 22 to the cockpit). Training devices differ from simulators in that simulators move while FTD’s are stationary. I’ve “flown” this FTD however and you feel as if you are flying from the visual picture your mind perceives. You can start from the hangar in the Duluth or any one of hundreds of airports in its library. Everything can be simulated from starting procedures, radio communications, and all aspects of flight (take-off, climb, cruise, approach to landings, and landings). The most critical component of this education technology is its ability to make pilots think—think about decisions, risk management, and judgment. Transformative in every sense, this FTD can take the pilot’s learning to levels and conditions not frequently encountered, if ever. When I flew in the FTD, I was placed at an airport out west and after taking off, was given an oil pressure failure alarm indicating engine failure and forced to make a series of decisions and take immediate actions. The pilot running the scenario was observing how I reacted and evaluating my decisions. Unable to find a suitable place to land, I pulled the chute (CAPS – Cirrus Airframe Parachute System) with one second to spare before I would not have had adequate altitude for the parachute to fully deploy. Following the scenario, I was debriefed as to my actions—done correctly or not so correctly. The effects were immediate and long-lasting. I flew later that afternoon (in a real plane) and encountered a challenge (not a CAPS deployment thankfully) while flying and reverting to what I learned earlier in the FTD, handled the situation. No matter the weather for flying, pilots can receive valuable training in real-life situations with real-life feel, overall making them better safer pilots. Advantages and limitations: Improves pilot decision-making, learning not weather dependent, pilot can experience and cognitively work through multiple scenarios not normally encountered in normal day-to-day flying. Limitations: Not totally realistic, visual graphics not ideal. FTD handles differently to some degree than real plane with respect to lag time in responses, etc.
Education Technology Grade: A This learning as per Hughes (2006) is transformative in every sense. Problem solving, redefining the process, transforming how people think, this education technology goes far beyond simply a tool or enhancing the learning but rather takes individual learning to a whole new plateau. As stated by Whitehead (1929) the learning is discovery, relevant, applied, varied, meaningful and attached to a greater whole. Orr (1991) too speaks of the development of the individual and real-world application. The FTD meets all the criteria of exemplary education technology.

Another example of available pilot training software is CATS – Cirrus Aircraft Training Software. A CD the pilot loads in his or her laptop, the program is a tutorial of Cirrus aircraft systems from the Pilot Operator’s Handbook to familiarize pilots as to the unique differences of Cirrus aircraft. Examples: Fluid moves through the illustrated fuel system or one can make the flight controls move with a few keystrokes. Advantages and limitations: Self-pace instruction for pilot, detailed in explanation. Limitations: 2-D, limited to no interaction with the technology.
Education Technology Grade: B- This learning as per Hughes (2006) RAT framework is at best, Amplification. “The medium (is) used to achieve a well-established purpose” as the student’s learning processes remain largely unchanged (Hughes, 2006). With this type of familiarization learning, there doesn’t exist a need to take this learning to an exemplary level of education technology. With this technology, the intent is to fulfill the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of knowledge and basic comprehension rather than be transformative learning of synthesis and evaluation (1956).

Field Services Learning: With authorized service centers (ASC’s) all over the world, aircraft maintenance personnel need to be familiar with the maintenance steps and requirements unique to Cirrus aircraft. www.cirrusuniversity.com is the primary way we make sure that our service networks domestically and internationally have the information required to service our aircraft. Maintenance personnel must go through the course and then go work on the aircraft. They must assimilate and synthesize the content in the courseware and transfer that information to hands-on activity. Advantages and limitations: Clear and concise maintenance instructions. Step-by-step instruction. Limitations: Lack of continued vendor support after initial roll-out consequently some information outdated. Also due to lack of vendor support, reoccurring software errors not corrected reducing effectiveness of learning. This is not “hands-on” learning essential to maintenance training.
Education Technology Grade: B+ This education technology, like the CAT software above, is Amplification according to Hughes RAT framework (2006). The learner isn’t necessarily transformed but rather receives a cognitive learning experience of aircraft maintenance procedures. The psychomotor aspect of learning, so key to maintenance training, is missing unlike in the FTD mentioned above (Bloom, 1956).




Production Technical Training: From an education technology perspective, Cirrus has the PDM system or Production Drawing Management system where production leadership and technicians can access the specific engineering drawings applicable to their build area via computer terminals located throughout the production floor. For example, mid assembly can access and see what’s changed with respect to their build on the production line. Advantages and limitations: Always current, always accessible. PDM replaced paper drawings on the floor. Limitations: Not all personnel are computer-literate and some have difficultly remembering the keystrokes to access the program. Due to infrequent access, technicians often forget how to navigate the program.
Education Technology Grade: C In this instance, McLaren (2003) would state that the subordinate culture (production technicians) is at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing and utilizing the education technology. Many of the production workers are resistance to the technology and computers as a whole and as the organization “goes paperless,” they are left further and further behind. Hughes (2006) would classify this technology as Replacement in that “the technology serves merely as a different means to the same instructional end.” In order to move toward exemplary education technology, a concerted effort would be required to move the subordinate culture to a more dominant role that embraces the technology.

Corporate Learning: Consists of instructor-led curriculum for topics like communication and teamwork, change management, leadership development, compliance courses like preventing sexual harassment, professionalism, and other “soft skill” curriculum. The only real technology interface with this application is PowerPoint. Advantages and limitations: On-site corporate trainer. Employees enjoy the classes but one could argue the long-lasting value of the teaching. Limitations: Retention of content, availability of classes and instructor, timeliness, instructor-led format, limited class sizes, limited times and restrictive times that classes are offered.
Education Technology Grade: D This area of learning has the most room for improvement for Cirrus and has shown the least amount of growth from a education technology perspective. Currently, the education technology interface with this learning is minimal at best. Hughes (2006) would define it as Replacement. Company-wide, there exist plenty of opportunities to explore e-learning. Challenges however include delivering e-learning in a manufacturing environment and accessibility to computer resources. As it applies to corporate learning, we have to be careful too not deliver “inert ideas” that are not attached to a greater whole, context, or strategy (Whitehead 1929). Orr (1991) too would question the process of instructor-led classes with their inherent passivity. To take corporate learning to an exemplary level, an effort to combine the strategic aim of the learning with transformative technology would be required.

Conclusion: As a corporate trainer and leader of the Learning & Development team at Cirrus, I consider myself a critical pedagogist—even if I am not surrounded by like-minded people that view learning the same way I do. Like McLaren, (2003) I frequently question (even if it’s unpopular) why we are teaching, training, and educating the way that we are. I think about the how and why of teaching just as much as the what. As much as possible, I strive for ways to improve retention, transference, and meaningfulness to all that the learning team delivers. Ideally, I don’t want us teaching or training for training sake. I start with the outcome desired, ending with instructional design, and as Orr states, “the way learning occurs is as important as the content of particular courses” (1991).
A final note: As a manufacturing organization, we rely on the expertise of vendors of education technology to create what we need with respect to training programs, training devices, etc. In that, lie some unique challenges in the relationship between Cirrus and the vendor chosen. We have on a couple occasions had a “falling out” with our vendor and consequently lost vendor support, developed software problems that we were unable to correct, resulting in a less-than-desirable final product. Education technology, as wonderful as it can be, is virtually worthless without solid support, regular and routine updates, and as Kelly would attest, “evolving” with every step along the journey.