AVIT 222 03: IFR Regulations and Procedures

I currently serve as Assistant Professor of Aviation, the Assistant Chair of Flight Academics, and the Part 141 Chief Ground Instructor at the University of North Dakota's (UND) John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. I have experience as an airline pilot, turbine flight instructor, and stage check airman and have operated various aircraft including the DeHavilland Canada Dash-8-100 and Dash-8-300, Beechcraft King Air C90GTi, and Pilatus PC-12. Currently, I teach a variety of courses including IFR Regulations and Procedures, Flight Instructor Certification, and Advanced Aircraft Operations.

I possess a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, a Master of Science in Aviation, and a College Teaching Certificate, all from UND. I am currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational Practice and Leadership with an emphasis in Instructional Design and Technology. My aeronautical qualifications include an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with multiengine land and DHC-8 ratings and a Flight Instructor certificate with single-engine, multiengine, and instrument ratings. I have been published as a contributor in various peer-reviewed academic journals and aviation periodicals.

A native of Norfolk, UK, I enjoy traveling with my wife and son. Additionally, I enjoy researching aviation history, finding opportunities to fly, and working on various projects.

• Instrument Flying Handbook – FAA
  (Available here or at other retailers)
• Instrument Procedures Handbook – FAA
  (Available here or at other retailers)

*NOTE: Additional materials may be required for the flight lab

In order to succeed in this course, at a minimum, you should be able to:

• Operate your own equipment
• Navigate in and use basic Blackboard functions
• Download and open electronic documents
• Create, save, and upload/attach electronic documents
• Send, receive, and manage email

Access and Log in Information

This course was developed and will be facilitated utilizing Blackboard. To get started with the course, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account page on the UIT website.

Course Overview

The academic content is organized into 3 blocks of training spread over 8 weeks. Each block contains a purpose, learning outcomes, and a variety of links to articles, video/audio files, and other instructional resources selected to enhance the learning experience and support the various topics. Quizzes, exams and assignments will be used to assess your comprehension. The Blackboard course site consists of the following:

Left side course menu links:

• Home: Displays a list of course announcements
• Faculty Contact Info: Contains contact information for the academic instructor
• Flight Ops Contact Info: Contains contact information for the Assistant Chief Flight Instructor
• Syllabus & Schedule: Provides tentative dates for each lesson and contains this document
• Textbooks and Resources: Contains links to PDFs of all texts referenced in the “Materials” section of this document as well as other educational tools
• Lessons: Contains content such as readings, assignments, and files organized by block and topic
• Exams: Contains exam information as well as the exams themselves (when made available)
• My Grades: Shows your individual gradebook
• UND Student Health: Links to the UND Student Health website
• UND Counseling Center: Links to the UND University Counseling Center (UCC) website
• UND Tech Support: Links to the UND University IT website

Resources

Many services are available to online students such as writing assistance from the UND Writing Center, free online tutoring from Smarthinking, and more. Visit the Student Resources page for more information. Students also have access to the UND Student Resource Site via Blackboard. It is recommended that you become familiar with the tools and tutorials within the site to better equip you in navigating the course.

Course Requirements / Expectations

1. The student will review the syllabus and course schedule posted in Blackboard.
2. The student will attend all scheduled sessions, either in-person or remotely via Zoom.
3. The student will complete and submit assignments, exams, quizzes, etc. on time. Central Daylight Time/Central Standard Time (UTC-5/UTC-6) will be utilized for due dates and times.
4. The student will participate fully and in a timely manner.

Communication between the academic instructor and students will primarily be via email and the Blackboard announcements tool. Students may also schedule a meeting with the academic instructor for additional tutoring or to discuss academic performance.

Announcements

Announcements will be posted in Blackboard on a regular basis. Be sure to check the class announcements regularly as they will contain important information about class assignments and other class matters.

Microsoft Teams

All students, staff, and faculty may access and communicate with Microsoft Teams via their NDUS Microsoft account. You may communicate with the academic instructor using this method, using either chat and/or video conferencing.

Email

You may communicate with the academic instructor via email (lewis.archer@und.edu). Due to high volume of emails, please allow 24 hours for a response. You will not receive a response outside of normal business hours (M-F 8 AM to 4:30 PM CDT/CST) and during holidays.

Meetings

You may schedule a meeting using the Starfish scheduling tool by clicking here. When scheduling, you may choose either a virtual meeting or an in-person meeting. To effectively manage my schedule, please be advised that appointments must be scheduled no later than 8 PM CDT/CST the day prior to the meeting.

Etiquette

When participating in class it is important to interact with your peers in an appropriate manner. Always use professional language (no netspeak) in your postings and emails. Please be respectful of your classmates at all times even if you disagree with their ideas.

This course consists of a series of assignments and assessments to assist you in achieving the course learning objectives/outcomes.

Block Exams (3) and Final Exam (1)

In accordance with the FAA-approved TCO, an exam will be issued upon completion of each block of training and at the conclusion of the course. Each block exam is worth approximately 17% of your total grade in the course. In accordance with the TCO and department policy, you must score a 76% or higher to pass the exam. If your score is less than 76%, you will be required to conduct a retake exam. Please be advised that the retake exam score will not be calculated into your cumulative course grade. Only the first-attempt score will be calculated into the cumulative course grade. If a student is unable to achieve a 76% or higher after two attempts at the respective exam, a review board may be convened consisting of the academic instructor, student, and Assistant Chair of Flight Academics to develop strategies for success.

The final exam is a cumulative assessment of all 3 blocks of training and is worth 20% of your cumulative course grade. In accordance with the TCO and department policy, you must score a 76% or higher to pass the exam. A retake will only be issued at the discretion of the academic instructor. The academic instructor has the authority to deny a retake of the final exam. If a retake is permitted, only the first-attempt score will be calculated into the cumulative course grade.

Exams must be completed during the regularly scheduled class session unless alternate arrangements are made with the academic instructor. At the discretion of the academic instructor, students who do not complete an exam during the regularly scheduled class session without prior notification may be subjected to a 10% grade penalty applied to that exam.

All retakes and make-up exams must be completed within 7 days of the original date of the exam or prior to the subsequent exam (whichever occurs first). Failure to comply will result in a grade of 0% for the respective exam. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange with the academic instructor for a retake or make-up exam.

Quizzes and Assignments

A total of 80 “points” are available in this category. A quizzes/assignments grade will be determined by taking the total number of points earned divided by 80 and multiplying by 100. As an example, a student who earns 50 points would receive a quizzes/assignments grade of 62.5%. Points will be gained from the following:

ALL BLOCKS: “Build-a-Test” Questions (3)

The objective of this is to develop your assessment skills and reinforce your understanding of the content. For each block exam (3 total), each student is expected to develop and submit 1 test question prior to the exam. Each submission must include any relevant diagrams or other information required to answer. A sample of these student-submitted questions will be incorporated into the respective block exam. Worth 10 points each (30 points total).

BLOCK 6 ASSIGNMENT: IFR Flight Plan

The objective of this assignment is to apply your knowledge and understanding of the IFR flight plan. You are expected to file a simulated IFR flight plan on Blackboard using accurate information for a local training flight with a UND Piper Archer. Worth 20 points.

BLOCK 7 ASSIGNMENT: SID and STAR Scenario

The objective of this assignment is to apply your knowledge and understanding of departure and arrival procedures. You will be required to respond to a series of scenario-based questions regarding a SID and a STAR. Worth 30 points.

BLOCK 8 ASSIGNMENT: Cross-Country Scenario

The objective of this assignment is to apply your knowledge and understanding of IFR cross-country procedures. You will be expected to plan an IFR cross-country flight with a method of your choice (paper or electronic) using established criteria. Additionally, you will be required to respond to a series of questions about your selected route. Worth 30 points.

Quizzes

Each lesson includes a 5 to 10 question quiz intended to assess your knowledge of the content and prepare you for the respective block exam. These quizzes are intended to serve as low-stakes formative assessments, with opportunities to review your performance and the correct answers to each question after submission. Worth 5-10 points each.

Flight Activity

Flight training is an integrated element of this course. Inability to maintain adequate progress or performance in either flight training or the academic class may result in failure of the course. Flight activity is worth 4% of your cumulative course grade and will be distributed as follows:

• Pass stage 129 oral on first attempt                 1%
• Pass stage 129 flight on first attempt               1%
• Pass stage 131 oral on first attempt                 1%
• Pass stage 131 flight on first attempt               1%

The VA requests the following information be included:

Grading Breakdown

Schedule

Near the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete an online course evaluation form (SELFI). Your feedback on the course is extremely valuable to me. I read my students’ comments carefully and use them to improve the course the next time I teach it.

• When the time comes, please let me know which aspects of the course helped you learn—and which aspects might be modified to help future students learn more effectively. 
• Please note that the course evaluations are anonymous and that I won’t see the results until after the grades for the course are submitted, allowing you to provide honest and constructive feedback. 

And if you have feedback to offer before the end of the semester, please let me know.

Late Work

All assignments must be submitted by the respective due date. The acceptance of late assignments is at the discretion of the instructor, provided that you contact the instructor before the due date. All requirements for this course must be completed during the course dates, with the exception of flight activity which must be completed in accordance with the policy outlined in this document under “Satisfactory Progress”.

Instructor Responsibilities and Feedback

• The academic instructor will strive to provide feedback on all assignments and activities within 7 days of the due date.

• The academic instructor will be available via email to answer questions, provide feedback, and offer advice.

• The academic instructor will treat all students with respect.

• The academic instructor will treat all students equally in accordance with the University of North Dakota’s non-discrimination policies.

• The academic instructor will carefully consider factors that may impact a student’s academic performance. Please be advised that, due to the regulatory nature of this course, exceptions and extensions to certain policies may be unavailable.

Attendance

The FAA-approved TCO requires each student to be presented with all material covered in any 14 CFR 141 flight course. To comply with this regulation, each student must attend every scheduled session. Absences are only permitted for valid reasons such as illness or unexpected situations that demand your attention. If a student is not present, it is the student’s responsibility to conduct a make-up briefing with a qualified flight instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to submit a signed ground certification (make-up) form for all missed sessions prior to the respective block exam. Failure to meet this requirement will prohibit you from taking that block exam at the scheduled time. This will result in a grade penalty of 10% applied to the block exam. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS.

Tardiness is both unprofessional and distracting. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each session. Failure to be present at this time may be considered an absence which would require a review of the recording as described above. If you have a legitimate reason for being tardy, please discuss with the academic instructor. Consistent tardiness will result in a virtual meeting with the academic instructor to discuss professionalism. As an aviator, you have a professional responsibility to plan wisely for an on-time arrival.

Academic Standards

Each student must achieve a cumulative course grade of 76% or higher to pass the course.

All aviation students are required to maintain a cumulative, institutional, and departmental GPA of 2.6 or higher. The 2.6 GPA is required to be admitted as an aviation major, to maintain status as an aviation major, to enroll in aviation courses numbered 200 or higher, and to graduate with an aviation degree.

Students are expected to maintain scholastic honesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating on an exam, plagiarism, and collusion. For detailed policy statements and procedures dealing with scholastic dishonesty, see Appendix B of the UND Code of Student Life.

Students must comply with all Aviation Department policies, especially those related to repetition of aviation courses, petitions, grade grievances, and student disposition.  These can be reviewed at https://aero.und.edu/aviation/current-students/policies.html.

Satisfactory Progress

If you are unable to complete flight training within the designated semester, the classroom instructor may issue a grade of “SP” (satisfactory progress) if your classroom performance and flight progress is deemed adequate.

In accordance with departmental policy and the FAA-approved TCO, students who are issued a grade of “SP” must complete all associated flight training (including the final stage check) within 12 calendar months from the first day of the respective ground school. The deadline for this class is January 31, 2023. If you are unable to achieve this, the “SP” will convert to an “F”. Once flight training is completed (within the 12 calendar month timeframe), the “SP” will be converted to a letter grade in accordance with academic performance and earned flight points.