Introduction to Engineering Design (Period 6)

Introduction to Engineering DesignTM (IED) is a high school level course that is
appropriate for 9th or 10th grade students who are interested in design and
engineering. The major focus of the IED course is to expose students to design
process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and
human impacts, engineering standards, and technical documentation. IED gives
students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of course concepts
through activity-, project-, and problem-based (APPB) learning. Used in combination
with a teaming approach, APPB-learning challenges students to continually hone
their interpersonal skills, creative abilities and understanding of the design process.
It also allows students to develop strategies to enable and direct their own learning,
which is the ultimate goal of education.
The course assumes no previous knowledge, but students should be concurrently
enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science. Students will employ
engineering and scientific concepts in the solution of engineering design problems.
In addition, students use a state of the 3D solid modeling design software package
to help them design solutions to solve proposed problems. Students will develop
problem-solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create
solutions to various challenges that increase in difficulty throughout the course.
Students will also learn how to document their work, and communicate their
solutions to their peers and members of the professional community.
Introduction to Engineering Design™ is one of three foundation courses in the
Project Lead The Way® high school pre-engineering program. The course applies
and concurrently develops secondary level knowledge and skills in mathematics,
science, and technology.