Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Aviation Orientation (Online)

AVTN 1040-32I

Course: AVTN 1040-32I
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: AVTN
CRN: 31851

Course Description

This course will orient students to the SUU Professional Pilot Program and career opportunities in the broader aviation industry. The course will cover, among other topics, financial aid, transfer & articulation, pilot training regulations and procedures, key aviation organization such as the FAA and Air Traffic Control, career opportunities in general, commercial, and military aviation. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

No required texts. All information can be found online.

Learning Outcomes


Students will gain an understanding of:

  • A general overview of Aviation 
  • Introduction to regulations
  • Flight/Maintenance training in general
  • SUUs program specifics
  • Safety Culture and Safety Management Systems
  • Certifications
  • Careers

Course Requirements


Quizzes

  • The quizzes in this course are not designed to be overly difficult. All of the information is available and necessary resources are provided. 

Discussions

  • Each discussion topic is worth 10 points. 5 points for posting will be awarded for the student response to each topic and then an additional 5 points for responding to two peers. Students must provide two distinct and diverse responses in order to earn full credit. Credit will not be given for responses like "I agree" or "You're right."

Assignments

  • Point values for assignments vary. Students are graded primarily on their participation and their ability to follow directions.

Extra Credit

  • Potentially.

Course Outline

  • Week 1 - Let's Get Started
    • This week will give students an introduction to the expectations of this course.
    • Students will introduce themselves to their peers via discussion post.
  • Week 2 - An introduction to the Aviation Industry
    • Students will review a study provided by Boeing looking into the future demands of the aviation industry and share their thoughts.
  • Week 3 - How to be a successful student pilot
    • The class will review the requirements for aviation education such as written and practical exam standards.
    • Students will share their own study best practices.
  • Week 4 - The Aviation Program at SUU
    • Students will review the course offerings of SUU Aviation and create their Degree Plan to ensure success moving through the flight training program.
  • Week 5 -  Aviation Regulatory Agencies
    • Students will learn about the four main regulatory agencies in the aviation world and what they do. Students will share their understanding of that agencies mission and efficacy.
  • Week 6 - FARs and Pilot training
    • Students will receive a brief introduction into federal regulations and how it will affect their training and career.
  • Week 7 - Personal Branding
    • In an effort to help students plan ahead for career fairs, industry conferences, and other networking opportunities, they are asked to write and present their "Elevator Pitch." Elevator pitches will then be peer reviewed and feedback given.
  • Week 8 - Careers
    • Students will be asked to consider what their career goals are and develop the resume they will need to have in order to land their dream job.
  • Week 9 - ATP Certification
    • We will review what the ATP certificate is and students will decide whether it would benefit them in their career goals.
  • Week 10 - ATC
    • Students will learn about the role and importance of Air Traffic Control.
  • Week 11 - Safety
    • Students will learn about the human factors that will impact them in their aviation career.
    • Students will choose an incident report from the NTSB and create a slide deck presentation on the factors that impacted the accident and how it could have been avoided.
  • Week 12 - Mental Health in Aviation
    • Mental Health has been a hot topic in the world recently and the aviation industry is no different. Students will review hazardous attitudes and their impact on aviation professionals.
  • Week 13 - The Future of Aviation
    • Students will be asked to predict what the aviation industry will look like in the future and how that may impact their career prospects. 
  • Week 14 - Final
    • Students will write a short opinion paper on the future of the aviation industry where they will expound on their thoughts from the previous weeks discussion topic.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late assignments are worth half credit unless students have previous approval from the instructor.

Attendance Policy

This is an online class and does not require in person attendance.

Course Fees

There is no course fee for this class.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.