Thoughts on Project Lead The Way

[Danielle H]

First of all, to respond to Pavan, I believe the difference between what a student actually gets out of the program depends a lot on the teachers and their methods of teaching. I'm learning a lot about Engineering through the courses, and PLTW was actually part of what got me interested in Engineering in the first place. (The other part of that being FIRST, of couse.)

Right now, I'm currently enrolled in Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering. (The reason my school is allowing me to take both is because I'm a senior that kind of unconventionally got involved in the program by helping pilot the Biotechnical Engineering course.) I've learned a lot about software and the logical process of solving a problem, already, and we're not even through the first semester.

In IED, we've gone through a typical design problem (Puzzle Cube) and worked step-by-step through the process of coming up with a design, fabricating that design, and creating a proper write-up of the project as a whole. It's been really helpful to me who really approaches problems in a haphazard way. I now know the logical process on how to go about things, and I'm earning college credit along the way.

In POE, we've already done career reports on different fields of Engineering. This is helping most of the students A LOT grasp just how large the engineering field is, and how many different needs can be met by engineers. In my class, we have presentations on everything from Weapons Engineers to Acoustical Engineers to Pneumatics Engineers. Also, we've gone through FisherTecknik with making marble sorter. That taught us BASIC programming in a software called RoboPro, and shows how computers have to interact with their parts in the proper form in order for something to be successful.

All in all, the PLTW classes have taught me a lot about engineering and about how to work in groups with other people. By combining the necessary computer skills with the necessary communication skills, our teachers work to give us a better understanding of the various fields and skills involved in Engineering, and I'd say they're doing a pretty good job.

(And, by the way, about the college credit thing... some schools offer it as a tech credit, and others offer it as an Engineering credit. Because I'm taking IED, I have gotten out of a drafting class at Tri-State University. And Tri-State offers renewable scholarships for students just because they've taken 2 PLTW courses at a certified school and gotten a B or better.)

All in all, the PLTW courses are very beneficial to high school students, and I wish you luck in formulating your own opinion on the subject.

--Danielle Hurley
Team 393