Aviation Systems

Throughout the entire semester, Aviation Systems, taught by Catya Zuniga, took place. This course approached the aviation industry as an integrated system, emphasizing the need for close collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure not only safety and punctuality but also sustainability. The focus was on understanding the interconnectedness of various factors within the industry and how their collective efforts contribute to the efficient operation of the entire system.

Catya guided us through the initial lessons via a website, and I am grateful for the considerable time she invested in putting it all together. After these introductory lessons, it was our responsibility to propose topics. Unfortunately, as a group, we were quite negligent in this regard, either failing to suggest specific subjects or proposing overly broad and generic topics that did not provide Catya with much direction. Ultimately, Catya decided to discontinue the lessons due to our lack of initiative.

As a group, we received multiple notices from Catya expressing dissatisfaction with our attitude, concentration, and motivation. She pointed out that, as an honors group, our engagement should have been much higher, and in this, I believe she was entirely correct. Our group was too passive, uninformed, and lax. We could have gleaned much more from the lessons and made better use of Catya's expertise.

One of the reasons for the low motivation was the highly theoretical nature of the course. Additionally, the classes lasted 2.5 to 3 hours, making it challenging for me to maintain focus. Catya's knowledge is extensive and very academic; she mentioned also teaching at the University of Mexico, her home country. Her academic teaching style made it difficult for us to grasp the material. We should have communicated this, but we did not.

I have learned that active involvement is crucial, involving not only proposing topics but also actively participating in discussions. As a group, we fell short in this aspect, underscoring the importance of self-motivation and engagement in the learning process.

Clear communication with the instructor is paramount. If the material is perceived as too challenging, it is important to communicate this openly. Indicating difficulties provides the instructor with the opportunity to make adjustments or revisit certain topics.

Optimally utilizing available resources, especially the instructor's knowledge, is something from which one can gain a lot. The group could have derived more from the lessons by actively leveraging Catya's expertise. This emphasizes the importance of actively seeking and utilizing available learning resources.

The ability to adapt to a challenging academic approach is crucial. It is essential to acknowledge difficulties and communicate them so that adjustments can be made, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the learning process.

In conclusion, I believe that active participation, clear communication, and optimal utilization of available knowledge are crucial aspects to get the most out of the study. It is critical to indicate difficulties, and the ability to adapt contributes to a positive learning dynamic, promoting the quality of the learning process.