Three foundation courses are required for all engineering students.  Typically, students take one per year for the 9th through 11th grade years.  A fourth course, chosen from the specialty courses, is required to complete the PLTW program, as well as to satisfy the DPS requirement for a 4-course “concentration”.  With faculty approval, and as scheduling allows, students may choose to take as many additional engineering courses as are offered.

 

Foundation Courses

 

Introduction to Engineering Design (IED)

The major focus of this course is to expose students to the design process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and human impacts, engineering standards, and technical documentation.   The course assumes no previous knowledge, but students should be concurrently enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science. Students dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects. They work both individually and in teams to design solutions to a variety of problems using 3-D modeling software and use an engineering notebook to document their work. This course is generally taken in the 9th grade.

 

Principles of Engineering (POE)

POE   is a rigorous survey course of engineering.  Through problems that engage and challenge, students explore a broad range of engineering topics, including mechanisms, the strength of structures and materials, and automation. Students develop skills in problem solving, research, and design while learning strategies for design process documentation, collaboration, and presentation.  To be successful in POE, students should be concurrently enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science.  This course is generally taken in the 10th grade.

                

Digital Electronics™ (DE)

From smartphones to appliances, digital circuits, which are used to process and control digital signals, are all around us.  This course provides a foundation for students who are interested in electrical engineering, electronics, or circuit design. Students study topics such as combinational and sequential logic and are exposed to circuit design tools used in industry, including logic gates, integrated circuits, and programmable logic devices.  This course is appropriate for 10th or 11th grade students.  Other than their concurrent enrollment in college preparatory mathematics and science courses, this course assumes no previous knowledge.

 

​

Specialty Courses

 

Aerospace Engineering (AE)

This course propels students’ learning in the fundamentals of atmospheric and space flight. As they explore the physics of flight, students bring the concepts to life by designing an airfoil, propulsion system, and rockets. They learn basic orbital mechanics using industry-standard software. They also explore robot systems through projects such as remotely operated vehicles.The course is appropriate for 11th and 12th grade students interested in Aerospace.It is recommended that students are concurrently enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science courses and have successfully completed of POE.      

 

Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA)

In CEA, students learn important aspects of building and site design and development. They apply math, science, and standard engineering practices to design both residential and commercial projects and document their work using 3-D architectural design software.  CEA is appropriate for 11th or 12th grade students, and while completing POE is a pre-requisite, this course assumes no previous knowledge.

 

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)

Manufactured items are part of everyday life, yet most students have not been introduced to the high-tech, innovative nature of modern manufacturing. This course illuminates the opportunities related to understanding manufacturing. At the same time, it teaches students about manufacturing processes, product design, robotics, and automation. Students will apply knowledge gained throughout the course in a final open-ended problem to build a factory system.  CIM is a high school level course that is appropriate for 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students.  It is recommended that students are concurrently enrolled in grade level mathematics and science courses and have successfully completed IED.

 

Computer Science Essentials (CSE)

CSE is an excellent entry point for new high school computer science (CS) learners.  All students will experience the major topics, big ideas, and computational thinking practices used by computing professionals to solve problems and create value for others, whether it be through app development, web design, or connecting computing with the physical world. CSE introduces students to coding fundamentals through an approachable, block-based programming language where they will have early success in creating usable apps. As students sharpen their computational thinking skills, they will transition to programming environments that reinforce coding fundamentals by displaying block programming and text-based programming side-by-side. Finally, students will learn the power of text-based programming as they are introduced to the Python® programming language.

​

Computer Science Principles (CSP) (Called AP Computer Science Principles in course catalog)

Using Python® as a primary tool, students learn the fundamentals of coding, data processing, data security, and task automation, while learning to contribute to an inclusive, safe, and ethical computing culture. The course promotes computational thinking and coding fundamentals and introduces computational tools that foster creativity. CSP students develop programming expertise and explore the workings of the Internet. Projects and problems include app development, visualization of data, cybersecurity, and simulation. All components of this this course are aligned to the AP Curriculum Framework standards and the AP CSP assessment. Students completing the course will be well-prepared for a first course in Java or other object-oriented language.  Students should be sophomores in good standing.

​

Computer Science Applications (CSA) (Called AP Computer Science in course catalog)

Introduces students to computer science through programming. Fundamental topics in this course include the design of solutions to problems, the use of data structures to organize large sets of data, the development and implementation of algorithms to process data and discover new information, the analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing systems. The course emphasizes object-oriented programming and design using the Java programming language.

 

Cybersecurity (SEC)

SEC engages students in interdisciplinary real-world challenges that help them develop the computational thinking and computer science knowledge and skills to be successful in any career path they take. This course exposes students to the ever-growing and far-reaching field of cybersecurity and allows students to explore concepts such as secure information technology systems, protection against cyber threats, and the ethical impact of cybersecurity situations.  Students in SEC establish an ethical code of conduct while learning to defend data in today’s complex cyberworld.

​

​

 

​

​