CS 176.2 Applied Drone Projects
Course Syllabus

 

Course Description

This course builds on your FAA Part 107 knowledge and applies it to real-world drone projects. Students will complete a variety of technical, creative, and team-based assignments, culminating in a self-directed capstone project. Emphasis is on safe operations, FAA compliance, technical accuracy, creativity, and professional-quality deliverables.

 

Each student will complete:

• One Individual Technical Project
• One Individual Creative Project
• Capstone Project (student-designed, instructor-approved)

 

Each project includes:

• A written plan (objectives, flight plan, FAA/safety considerations)
• A final product (map, model, video, or analysis)
• A reflection (lessons learned and applications)

 

Course Expectations

• All flights must comply with FAA Part 107 regulations.
• Students must conduct pre-flight safety checks and log their flights.
• Projects should be documented with both visuals (maps, videos, models) and written reflection.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Class Meetings

This is a lecture-lab combo with in-person class lectures.

The class schedule is complicated, so here's a list of the meeting days & times:

• Monday, January 12th - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, January 26th - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, February 2nd - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, February 9th - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, February 16th - no class meeting
• Monday, February 23rd - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, February 28th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45pm
• Monday, March 2nd - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, March 9th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, March 14th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45pm
• Monday, March 16th - no class meeting
• Monday, March 23rd - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, March 28th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm
• Monday, March 30th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, April  4th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm (field trip)
• Monday, April 6th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, April 11th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm
• Monday, April 13th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, April 18th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm
• Monday, April 20th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, April 25th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm
• Monday, April 27th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, May 2nd -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm (rain make-up day)
• Monday, May 4th - 6-9:00 pm
• Saturday, May 9th -  in-person lab 11am-2:45 pm (rain make-up day)
• Monday, May 11th - 6-9:00 pm
• Monday, May 18th - 6-9:00 pm

 

Instructor Contact

Donald Laird

Email: dlaird@santarosa.edu

Phone: (707) 524-1809

Office Hours:

• M 5-5:50 pm

I try my best to respond to emails within 2 work days. You must put the class section number in the subject line of any email you send to me.

 

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

AI Usage

Use of ChatGPT (or other similar tools that generate text) is allowed in this class for assignments, but only in order to provide you with a starting point/inspiration - not complete the entire document. If you utilize tools such as ChatGPT for any part of the assignment (from idea generation to text creation to text editing), you MUST properly cite the AI tool used. Failure to cite is considered a violation of the SRJC’s Cheating and Plagiarism policy. Violations could result in failure of the assignment or failure of the course

 

Textbook

None

 

Supplies

Required:

16 or 32gb UHS-I MicroSD card to store your photos and videos

Access to printer to share your project proposals

Flash drive or cloud storage to share your project deliverables

 

Software

To be discussed in class

 

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: 1/12/2026

Day Class Ends: 5/18/2026

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: 1/26/2026

Last Day to Drop with refund: 2/2/2026

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: 2/23/2026

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: 2/23/2026

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: 5/11/2026

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: 4/17/2026

 

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it. A student may be dropped from any class when that student's absences exceed ten percent (10%) of the total hours of class time. Ultimately, however, it is the student's responsibility to drop if not planning to finish the course. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact the instructor.

 

Attendance

Attendance in this course is very important, both for the information presented and for the opportunity to experience the provided flight time. This is especially true for the scheduled lab flight days.

Students who fail to attend the first class meeting may be dropped by the instructor.

 

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online in your student portal or file the P/NP form with Admissions. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by the deadline given above. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade.

 

Instructor Announcements

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences. Be sure to turn on Canvas announcements in your student portal in order to receive these announcements immediately after they are made.

 

Late Policy

All assignments are due when specified, unless other instructions are given. A late submission will receive up to a 50% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement.

 

Exams

There will be an online final exam. The material comes from the class lectures and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the exams by the due date.

 

Grading Policy

Click the “Grades” link in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade about once a week and post grades and comments in the Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A	90%
B	80%
C	70%
D	60%

 

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the final exam to pass the class.

 

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. Students are encouraged to share information and ideas, but not their work.

All written work is to be original; plagiarism of any kind will result in a failing grade on that assignment. Students who plagiarize or cheat may be suspended – for one or two class meetings by the instructor – and referred to the Conduct Dean for discipline sanction, in cases of egregious violation. Please see Policy 3.11 for Academic Integrity .

 

Special Needs

If you need disability-related accommodations for this class, such as access to notes, test taking services, special furniture, etc., please provide the Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter) from the Disability Resources Department (DRD) to the instructor as soon as possible. You may speak with the instructor privately during office hours about your accommodations. Please contact DRD if you have not received authorization for accommodations. DRD is located in the Bertolini Student Center on the Santa Rosa campus, and Jacobs Hall on the Petaluma Campus.

 

List of assignments

Note to students: the assignments listed below do not include all course content. To view all course content, go to Modules.