Air crash investigators - comments on a pedagogical strategy to increase intrinsic motivation in order to enhance student learning

Aircraft Systems for Aviators is an undergraduate course undertaken by prospective pilots in a School of Engineering and Information Technology. Usually, the course content of this type of course is mostly factual-type information. The present study introduced a teaching strategy loosely based on the television program Air Crash Investigators as a source of intrinsic motivation. Learning outcomes, as measured by exam results, were compared to a control group who did not experience the study of air accidents and incidents associated with aircraft systems. Results show that the use of air accidents and incident scenarios had a positive effect on learning outcomes. The rationale employed to justify this claim is discussed with recommendations for further investigation into the effects of arousal versus performance in a learning environment.