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AVN8102 Applied Human Factors in Aviation

Semester 2, 2023 Online
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Business
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator:

Overview

Research has shown that human performance is often to blame for aircraft accidents. Whether it be errors made by pilots, by engineers, by air traffic controllers, or by others in the aviation system, the emphasis on improving human performance has been a focus of aviation for several decades. There are many safety critical elements within the aviation system, and each one is susceptible to breakdowns, simply because there are humans involved. Even with highly automated systems, such as in modern flight decks or in air traffic control centres, there are breakdowns caused by misinterpretation, incorrect data entry, or simple errors in automation management. Regardless of the discipline, there are now widespread regulatory requirements for safety-critical personnel to have human factors training, whether it be called crew resource management, non-technical skills, or some similar term.

This course will teach students entering the aviation industry in a managerial or supervisory capacity an in-depth knowledge of the human performance limitations which sometimes affect individual behaviour, and the ensuing risks to safety caused by such breakdowns. They will learn about possible vulnerabilities throughout the system, and not just in their specialty area and that there are systemic processes in place to mitigate for human performance failures across the aviation system. Having an in-depth understanding of human factors concepts across a broad range of disciplines will allow them to understand human factors implications and how they integrate factors across different elements of the aviation system.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. clearly articulate an in-depth knowledge of the early developments in aviation human factors, the conceptual differences in stages of crew resource management, and the integration of human factors training into safety management systems;
  2. describe the regulatory framework for human factors training within airlines, including the use of safety management systems as overarching mechanisms for facilitating training, the principal concepts of risk, and strategies for managing risk in aviation;
  3. apply in-depth knowledge of the principal human factors areas, including information processing, situational awareness, communication, decision making, workload management, stress, fatigue, and threat and error management;
  4. evaluate human behaviour assessment, including the use of LOSA, LOE and Behavioural Marker systems for assessing non-technical skills;
  5. demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the effects of human performance breakdowns across various safety critical components of the aviation industry;
  6. clearly communicate in writing human factors concepts within air accident investigation and human factors training initiatives.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. The history of human factors in aviation 10.00
2. Safety management systems and the management of risk 15.00
3. Human factors in aviation 40.00
4. LOSA, LOE and human factors assessment 15.00
5. Human factors in engineering and maintenance 10.00
6. Human factors in air traffic control and accident investigation 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Kanki, BG, Helmreich, RL & Anca, J 2010, Crew resource management, 2nd edn, Academic Press, San Diego, California.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Planning document No 10 2
Assignments Written Report 1 No 20 2,3
Assignments Written Report 2 No 30 2,3,5,6
Examinations Non-invigilated Time limited online examinatn No 40 1,2,3,4,5
Date printed 9 February 2024