Semester-Long Elective

This course introduces students to the engineering design process, problem solving, and the ideation process. Students delve into design thinking associated with creating various hand-made solutions to given scenarios and “problems”. This course serves as an introduction to the tools and techniques used in a modern maker space and will integrate arts, engineering, and physical movement. Students will explore the world of engineering and its connected career fields and disciplines in this course by:

• The introduction to the concepts of 3d design, modeling, and fabrication.
• Focusing on the design process and its application. Through hands-on projects, students will apply general engineering standards during the modeling process. 
• Learning the basics of using hand tools, hand-held power tools, and shop-mounted power tools. 
• Emphasizing that the engineer is a team worker who needs strong skills in problem-solving and communication.

Introducing students to the basics of project management and collaboration, many aspects of the design process will be group-based with rubrics that will reflect their respective efforts and willingness to collaborate. This course counts towards either STEM or Visual Arts requirements and may be taken again as an Advanced option.