2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Transportation services facilitate access to resources and opportunities, but who decides where and how these services take place? What if you could be part of that conversation? This project examines an approach for empowering individuals in the design and decision-making processes that drive the adoption of emerging technologies such as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). AAM, also referred to as air taxis, encompass a new form of sustainable aviation offering short to mid range services within a city or connecting suburban and rural areas to cities. The implementation of AAM operations is not seamless; community acceptance and adoption are significant barriers that must be overcome by engaging with local communities to ensure all members are considered when informing decisions, policy and integration of AAM operations. To do so, we used a backwards design approach to design a first-year engineering seminar. Through the course, students will learn about AAM and actively participate in the design of AAM routes, taking the role of community stakeholders. Students will be involved in the design, and assessment of sample AAM case scenarios that delineate trade-offs between factors such as cost, location of operations, and expected community impact. Student focus group discussions will be conducted and facilitated using a think-aloud protocol to evaluate factors influencing their decision-making. Students’ positionality and contributions throughout the process will be documented via reflective journals to further understand their sense of collaboration and empowerment as participants. Student responses will be evaluated via a thematic analysis and used to derive a user-centered design approach to AAM implementation. The following work-in-progress paper focuses on the relevant literature and methodology used to design the course.