Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program

This second-year foundation course of engineering exposes students to some of the major concepts they will encounter in a postsecondary engineering course of study. Students employ critical thinking, creativity, innovation and engineering concepts in the solution of engineering design problems. Principles of Engineering Design™ (POE)  follows a proven hands-on, real-world problem-solving approach to learning, engaging students on multiple levels and exposing them to areas of study that they might not otherwise pursue. They discover the answers to questions like how are things made and what processes go into creating products? Students have an opportunity to investigate engineering and high-tech careers and to apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges. Students will continue to use industry-recognized 3D modeling software learned in IED in the previous year. They'll design, test and construct device-think machines and robotics. Topics include mechanisms, energy, statics, materials, and kinematics. Throughout POE, students apply the design process, acquire strong teamwork and communication proficiency and develop organizational, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students also learn how to document their work and communicate their solutions to peers and members of the professional community. To be successful in POE, students should be concurrently enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science. POE is intended to serve as one of two foundation courses within the Project Lead the Way course sequence.