Human Factors in Aviation Management
Contact hours 12 Hours face to face + Blended
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
In this unit students will learn and apply the concepts of human factors to the analysis, optimisation, and management of human work in aviation systems. Students will be able to recognise and apply the principles of human factors to situations in which the relationship between the human operator, task, environment, and/or technology are incompatible or problematic. Students will then develop potential solutions to address the identified human factors issues.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Identify and understand the influence of psychological factors such as personality, communication, attention, vigilance, and workload on human performance in aviation
- Recognise and discuss important models of human information processing in relation to errors
- Evaluate the human factors issues associated with advanced technology in the aviation environment
- Identify and analyse the challenges associated with managing complex socio-technical systems in aviation
- Communicate effectively as an aviation professional within diverse teams, across the structure of an aviation organisation
- Explain the importance of the individual, the team and the organisation's contribution to the effective performance of work
- Develop self-awareness of individual and group competencies required to manage people effectively within team-based work structures
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Workshop | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study Report | Group | 35 - 45% | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
| Essay | Individual | 30 - 40% | 1,2,3,4,6 |
| Online Quizzes | Individual | 20 - 30% | 1,2,3,4,6 |
| Presentation | Group | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
Content
- Describe the principles of the human factors discipline
- Describe and explain models of human performance
- Evaluate human factors research
- Identify common psychological issues associated with human operators in aviation operations
- Explain human information processing and decision-making models and their limitations
- Describe the role of teams in the aviation environment
- Outline the fundamental principles of safety culture and its impact on an aviation organisation
- Describe and assess the human factors issues associated with advanced technology in the aviation environment
- Demonstrate through creative and informed written and verbal communications the application of theory and current research to practices and developments in human factors in aviation
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.