I am in an "Introduction to Engineering and Design" class at a community college this quarter.
The class consists of very little lecture time, quoted from my syllabus: "Topics include: disciplines and opportunities in engineering, engineering fundamentals (e.g. basic dimensional analysis), creativity in problem solving, building group skills, investigation of professionalism, ethical issues, and the historical impact of engineering on human societies."
We have three projects, two of which have been completed already:
1. We had to disassemble a broken/malfunctioning object and explain what was wrong and what could have been improved/it's fatal flaws. Ex. RC helicopter, a PlayStation, a leaf blower. With a report, we were given two weeks.
2. Toothpick bridge- this is popular in high school and college from what I can tell. There are many variations, but our goal was to be economical and meet weight requirements. We used a $:Newton ratio and the lower the score, the better you had done. 2.5 weeks and a report.
We are just starting our third project, which is an automatic mini golf/Rube Goldberg machine stated simply. We have nearly a month and this counts as our final. I would be happy to elaborate on any of the projects if it interests you.
To get kids interested in STEM, I believe these hands on projects are very important. To be able to see how things operate and to put skills to work makes the learning process much more enjoyable and encourages kids to further their education. One of the best things is that in this class/FRC something new is always happening. It isn't a consistent sit in a desk for an hour to hear a lecture. Curriculum variance might be the term I am looking for. Having each class fulfill a different role of the FRC team may be part of what you are looking for? FRC is a year-round commitment, so I'm not sure how well it could be implemented as a final/mid-term.
Resources that may help:
code.org
http://www.learnengineering.org/
Some questions I have:
- If this is for kids, teens, and adults, will this school be offering some kind of degree?
- Do the kids attend a different school for their language/history classes/etc.?
- How are the age groups separated, if at all?
- I am mainly looking for a fuller intent and goal of this school in order to better understand the situation and hopefully help with any knowledge/ideas/resources I can.
- Are there any standardized tests or anything of the sort that must be prepared for by the kids/teens?