[EricH]

Originally Posted by safiq10

If I were making the AP class I would build it to be similar to AP 2D/3D Art. Students would submit an original work in CAD/Pictures/ETC and have to explain the engineering concepts behind the design, in addition their would be a written exam where students are tested on the basics of engineering.

This way students would be able to showcase a part of the robot that they may have designed and get to learn more about Engineering through the math/physics realms.

A PDR/CDR type of work? And a (much) lighter version of the FE Exam?

Folks, I think we've got a winner here. Real question is going to be convincing the Powers That Be that such a plan is feasible. (It also works for non-robotics students, too, as they can pick some other problem to solve.)



For those that don't understand the acronyms:
--PDR is Preliminary Design Review. "This is the problem I am trying to solve, here are some concepts that I came up with, this is the concept that I am proceeding with because X, Y, and Z factors favor it." Usually done to get approval for detailed design.
--CDR is Critical Design Review. "This is the problem, this is my solution, here's a bunch of math and cool stress pictures to back up my thinking." Usually done to get approval to build a prototype (or final product).
--FE Exam is the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. 8 hours of test, 4 hours on general concepts and 4 hours on major specific ones, give or take a bit. For an AP type of class, though, you'd probably stick to really basic general concepts spread around any engineering discipline not already covered by an AP test.