Freshman Makayla Fox works in the computer program "Inventor," which is the main program used in the Engineering class. Photo by: Ellen Smith
By Ellen Smith
Plymouth High School has added a number of classes to its ranks over the years, and this year is no exception. Mr. Ken Robinson has been teaching this year’s new engineering class, and as school comes to a close, many students have made sure that they have taken advantage of it.
Engineering class is not an average class. The name of the class is “Introduction to Engineering,” and students get to participate in many hands-on activities and have lots of time to work in-class. “[Introduction to Engineering] is a beginning level class where we learn terminology and how to draw using a CAD system called Inventor. We spend a lot of time…using this program.” said Mr. Robinson. In terms of the Core 40 requirements for high school, this class is an elective. “[The class] is part of a new study to promote ‘STEM’ which is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.” Mr. Robinson said. Intro to Engineering gives students a chance to learn about engineering in high school, and is targeted for students interested in math, science, and/or engineering. The class took place during the first two trimesters of the school year.
Freshmen Tristan McCallum and Makayla Fox, Junior Zoe Mack, and Senior Cody Pozil all took the class during the two trimesters it was offered. They all signed up because of future interests. Mack said the class “has the CAD program I need to know for college.” Pozil took the class because “it will directly apply to my college major-electronics engineering.” Even though McCallum is a freshman, he took it to learn about “all the aspects of engineering.” “This class offered me new opportunities,” he said. Fox said she took the class “because I was interested in architectural engineering.”
Intro to Engineering is mainly a project based class. A typical day involves mainly “hands on projects on the computer, or making your designs on the 3-D printer,” said Pozil. “The 3-D printer is a lot like a normal one,” said Fox, “you still print from the computer, but in 3-D images instead of 2-D ones.” This new piece of technology was central to the projects in class. “We worked on many different projects,” Mack said, “including creating a puzzle cube on the computer, then [making] it with wooden blocks. We created packaging for [the cubes], designed a train, and various other things.” McCallum enjoyed “having the opportunity to draw and create my own unique computer generated drawings for projects.” Design was the main focus for the class.
In its first year, Introduction to Engineering has had much success, and students were quite satisfied with it. “I think [the reception] of the class [among students] went over very well for its first year,” Mr. Robinson said. Mr. Robinson had to take classes and prepare for teaching this new class. “Each Project Lead the Way class that you teach requires you to attend a two week class at a university. My training was at IU/Purdue Kokomo. [The classes] were long days. It started off at about 7:30 a.m. and ended between 9:30 and 10 p.m.”
“Next year the Intro to Engineering class will already be undergoing changes. “The class will move much faster than this year’s class, because the 7th and 8th graders at Lincoln are learning most of the basics that I had to teach this year.” said Mr. Robinson.
Having an engineering class in high school gives students a chance at even more preparation for the future, and it has benefited them in many ways. Pozil said he liked the class a lot because “This class helped teach me the proper processes in design and drafting, which I will have to use for the rest of my life.” Mack liked “that I learned a new CAD system, and how to create things with it. Then [we] actually made some of the things we created on the computer. This will help me with the skills I need to know for [my future career in] architecture.” Fox definitely recommends this class to others, especially people that are good with technology, and vouches for the class frequently. “I had a lot of fun in the class,” she admitted, “and I am not the greatest with technology.”
Even though it is only in its first year, the new engineering class is already making quite an impact on its students.