FaithManor Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Hi Everyone, DH and I have been asked to teach a basic engineering class at a high school level. It will be a night class so students from any school or homeschool in the county will be able to sign up. We have local grant funding for it and can charge up to $400.00 for teaching fees and textbooks/supplies per student. Since so few students know anything about mechanical drawing, we want to start with some basic practical drafting. We have identified a book for that. However, we then need to move into a textbook after. I have looked at CK-12 Introduction to Engineering for High School because it was free on kindle. It was not really an engineering course but more of a hard sell on engineering as a profession with a unit on the connections between science and math. Not what we need. Suggestions? Normally for things like this in our homeschool, we use freshman level college texts. I am willing to go that route if they are very introductory/basic. The rocket team members all want to take the course and after completing LIfe Cycle Design with NASA and designing and launching their mile high rocket are going to be well past some of the basics for sure, but since there could be up to 20 more students in the class 10th-12th grade so they will have algebra 1 (that's the prerequisite that the foundation is allowing us to set) but not necessarily more than that unless they took algebra 1 in 8th and went on to geometry in 9th, nervous about a college text. We will definitely be stretching many students and love teaching math so could probably manage an algebra 2 based text with students who struggle. I am more used to teaching physics and chemistry so not certain what introductory engineering texts require in terms of mathematics and physics background. We are pretty excited about the opportunity. We have a facility that will let us use a conference room for free, and I will also be teaching a fashion design and quilting class (one semester of each) as well as an ecology course. Dh will be teaching a space exploration course too. It is going to keep us crazy busy next year, however, it is too good to pass up. All of the costs will be paid for by the foundation so in an area where schools have so little extra to offer students, and many families are low income, this is one way for them to get some special educational opportunities. They will have an opportunity to enter a regional science fair with their end of year engineering projects, and I have a line on a textiles exhibition for the students of the sewing class as well as a DNR opportunity for the students in the ecology class. If this works out, the following year I am going to offer an Art History course and a Music Literacy course as well as help dh with another technology/math based course. We have to get our syllabus together for each course by April 13th, and while we've managed to nail down the other courses, we haven't come up with the curriculum yet for the engineering. Hoping the Hive will come to the rescue! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Have you looked at any of the Project Lead the Way textbooks. That's what local schools use around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyx4 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 A nearby high school uses this for freshmen: https://www.iat.com/courses/engineering/ Engineering the Future:Science, Technology, and the Design Process ISBN-13: 978-1559539647 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Thanks, I will look at both of these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I would suggest that you consider teaching some basic Physics and some basic Calculus. You might look on the IEEE web site (http://www.ieee.org/index.html) and on the ABET web site (http://www.abet.org/wp-signup.php?new=abet.org) and possibly you will get 1 or 2 ideas on those web sites. I would *strongly* discourage anyone contemplating an Engineering Major from attending a university that is not ABET accredited. GL with your course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 I would suggest that you consider teaching some basic Physics and some basic Calculus. You might look on the IEEE web site (http://www.ieee.org/index.html) and on the ABET web site (http://www.abet.org/wp-signup.php?new=abet.org) and possibly you will get 1 or 2 ideas on those web sites. I would *strongly* discourage anyone contemplating an Engineering Major from attending a university that is not ABET accredited. GL with your course! Oh yes, We know about the ABET thing. This is for high school, for getting their feet wet. Most of our local schools have cut back their electives to the bone thus offering the course. The course we are teaching doesn't have to be accredited to count for homeschool and private school students as a science elective on their high school transcripts. That said, we have high standards, LOL! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I would not cover drafting - possibly cover reading engineering drawings which is still an important skill This college text looks very interesting: K.S. Rattan and N.W. Klingbeil, Mathematics for Engineering Applications, Wiley sample syllabus http://www.etcs.ipfw.edu/~moor/127/ENGR12700SyllabusF16v2.pdf It seems the ones designed for high school students did not look that interesting to me. Some Trig should be a pre-req as well. [i have researched this topic in the near past to perhaps teach a free summer short course along with colleagues from work but I was derailed by a chronic illness] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I would not cover drafting - possibly cover reading engineering drawings which is still an important skill This college text looks very interesting: K.S. Rattan and N.W. Klingbeil, Mathematics for Engineering Applications, Wiley sample syllabus http://www.etcs.ipfw.edu/~moor/127/ENGR12700SyllabusF16v2.pdf It seems the ones designed for high school students did not look that interesting to me. Some Trig should be a pre-req as well. [i have researched this topic in the near past to perhaps teach a free summer short course along with colleagues from work but I was derailed by a chronic illness] +1 for no Drafting. I took several semesters of that in Jr. High and possibly in High School. I was good at it. Now, I think everything is done with a CAD Application. I think my BIL has AutoCAD on his laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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