AVIA 475 Aviation Physiology

Aviation Physiology deals with the physical and mental effects of flight on air crew, personnel, and passengers. This course covers some of the physiological problems of flight, and will explore the use of devices that aviation physiologists and others have developed to assist in human compensation for the numerous environmental changes that are encountered in flight.

Since we are creatures of the ground, we must learn how to adjust to low pressures and temperatures of flight, effects of acceleration on the body, low visibility and its correlation to disorientation, problems related to physical and mental stress associated with flight, and many more contributors to the physical toll flight plays on the human body. Humans cannot expose themselves to such stressors without physical aids. This course seeks to explore these and many other facets of aviation physiology.

Textbook reading and lecture presentations

No details available.

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: Class Introduction

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will introduce him/herself to the class by answering some questions about him/herself in a discussion thread of at least 150 words. Each student must also reply to 2 other classmates.  Reply posts are required to be at least 100 words.

Discussions (8)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be least 500 words in length, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and cite from at least 2 scholarly sources published in the last ten years in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 250 in length, should further the initial discussion, and should cite from at least 1 scholarly citation published within the last ten years in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Case Analysis Assignments (2)

A Case Analysis is a critical analysis and evaluation of a specific case or subject. For this assignment, the Case Analysis will provide the student with a better understanding of a specific aviation mishap with regards to altitude physiology. The information gleaned from this assignment will assist the student with additional aviation knowledge which may help to prevent a future aviation mishap. Each assignment will be two pages in length, double-spaced and must include at least 3 scholarly references cited in current APA formatting. Acceptable sources include items found on the National Transporation Safety Board website and scholarly articles published within the last fifteen years.

One purpose of the Case Analysis assignments is to reinforce the course material through practical application. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E).

Diary Assignments (2)

Weeks 7 and 8 involve a diary assignment. One purpose of these assignments is to better understand the physiology of the human body and the impact that sleep deprivation and uncontrolled stress can have the body. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E).

Sleep Diary Assignment

Sleep is vital to the student’s health, well-being, and happiness. It is as essential to our daily needs as food and water. Many people incorrectly assume that sleep simply rests our tired bodies. Sleep recharges our body and provides the brain with the time it needs to provide optimal cognitive performance for the following day. This assignment will provide the student with an excellent opportunity to review his/her sleep patterns and see if he/she need to improve his/her sleep hygiene. Over the course of a seven-day period, the student will complete pages 4-5 of the provided National Sleep Foundation Sleep Diary assignment resource. In addition, the student will keep a separate journal detailing his or her sleep patterns over the time frame. The final page(s) of the journal should include a summary reflecting on the significance of the assignment and good and bad patterns that impacted sleep for the week. The student will also provide at least 3 references that support 5 habits that the student plans to implement to improve his/her sleep. The journal should follow current APA formatting and make use of a title and reference page.

Stress Diary Assignment

Stress occurs on a daily basis and can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes if not properly managed or controlled. In aviation, uncontrolled stress can lead to decreased pilot performance and possibly a mishap. Thus, the importance of understanding stress cannot be overlooked. This assignment will provide the student with an excellent opportunity to review some of the stressors the student experiences on a daily basis. The student will select one day of the week and complete a stress diary entry for that day by completing the provided Stress Diary Template.

Quizzes (5)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned modules: weeks. Three (3) quizzes are open-book/open-notes, contain 10 multiple-choice questions, have a 1-hour time limit, and allow for one attempt. The Quiz: Heart is open-book/open-notes, contains 5 multiple-choice questions, has a 30-minute time limit, and allows for one attempt. The Quiz: Fatigue is open-book/open-notes, contains 4 multiple-choice questions, has a 15-minute time limit, and allows for one attempt. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)