BVExcel Courses

 BVExcel Courses are offered in the afternoons or evenings at one of the school in the Blackstone Valley.   All classes are FREE and are added to your school transcript at .5 credit/ semester.  Check out our current course offerings and registration for more information.

2D Game Design

GameMaker Studio 2 is a complete development environment for making games. It comes with a comprehensive set of tools and lets you create games for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, HTML5, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. It is the fastest way to make and export a game to any platform. It uses drag and drop technology on its building platform. It also uses Program C to create interactive games. It teaches programming logic. It contains hundreds of tutorials to walk the students through building interactive games until they have the comfort level to start creating their own from scratch.

Health Care Essentials

This course is designed to expose students to future opportunities in the healthcare industry by surveying a wide spectrum of health care occupations and equipping them with the entry level knowledge and skills that apply to a variety of health careers. Students will learn principles of person-centered care, professionalism, safety, communication, privacy, and ethics. This course will prepare students for future opportunities in the healthcare industry by providing training and certification in CPR and first aid.

Careers in Construction

This course introduces students to the skills and knowledge required for the carpentry workforce.  Emphasis will be placed upon tool operation and safety while students gain the skills required to fabricate projects. These projects range from small birdhouses to Adirondack chairs, and from skateboard ramps to tool sheds.  Additionally, the skills and procedures of correctly finishing a project will be covered.  Our curriculum has been approved by the North Atlantic Carpenters Training Fund (NASTF).  This curriculum will prepare students for their apprenticeship in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC).

Cybersecurity & Coding

Cybersecurity introduces the tools and concepts of cybersecurity and encourages students to create solutions that allow people to share computing resources while protecting privacy. Nationally, computational resources are vulnerable and frequently attacked. In Cybersecurity, students solve problems by understanding and closing these vulnerabilities. This course raises students’ knowledge of and commitment to ethical computing behavior. It also aims to develop students’ skills as consumers, friends, citizens, and employees who can effectively contribute to communities with a dependable cyber-infrastructure that moves and processes information safely. With emphasis on computational thinking, this course provides an excellent entry point for students to begin or continue the Project Lead the Way Computer Science K-12 experience. This course will expose students to a diverse set of computational thinking concepts, fundamentals, and tools, allowing them to gain understanding and build confidence. Students will use visual, block-based programming and seamlessly transition to text-based programming with languages such as Python to create apps and develop websites, and learn how to make computers work together to put their design into practice. They will apply computational thinking practices, build their vocabulary, and collaborate just as computing professionals do to create products that address topics and problems important to them.

Graphic Design

Become a graphic designer.  Learn about design, typography, photo retouching, vector graphics, and much more as you study Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.  This hands-on class will give students an opportunity to express themselves through digital art and design.  Explore design concepts in a project-based Graphic Design Bootcamp, where you’ll work on designs for your portfolio to show prospective clients or colleges. 

Food for Thought

This course is designed with the belief that food is a shared bond among all people. It tells stories and is connected with all kinds of learning. In this course, we will learn through food. We will be cooking, but we’ll also look at how the process can teach us about a variety of subjects by collaborating to create and adapt recipes. How does the chemistry of ingredients play a role in the final product? How do the senses influence our reaction to what we eat? How have recipes been modified due to migration? Whether you are someone who wants to learn some basic cooking skills or you dream of a future as a contestant on Chopped, this class is a fun way to build and enhance your food skills as well as your collaboration and problem solving skills.

Introduction to Electronics

This 16 week course is intended to give students a grounding in basic electricity/electronics using both practical and theory tuition methodologies. At the conclusion of the course students will be able to identify common electronic components, their function, schematic notation, basic electronic formulae, use of hand tools and soldering.  Instruction for this class will be conducted in the BVHUB’s new, sixteen-station fully equipped, electronics classroom.

Intro to Health Careers

This course is designed to expose students to the healthcare industry by surveying a wide spectrum of health care occupations and equipping them with the entry level knowledge and skills that apply to a variety of health careers.  Anatomy and physiology will be studied to provide a preliminary background for the terminology needed to proceed to future education and medical careers.  Students will become knowledgeable in the prevention, interaction, and care of patients.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice real-world, hands-on skills related to the medical/health care field through the use of patient simulators.

Manufacturing I/ Intro to Welding

This course will provide students with a broad understanding of traditional methods of the manufacturing process as well as the automated manufacturing industry.  An emphasis will be placed on workplace safety, measurement and blueprint reading, and the engineering design process.  Manufacturing Technology will also focus on the basics of drafting, drafting standards, and utilization of CAD commands.  These skills will culminate with a project that uses a computer to design a prototype.  The will include testing and evaluation as well as cost of materials analysis.  An introduction to welding will be incorporated into the second half of the course.  Course content includes the following topics: Blueprint Reading, CAD Drawing, Measurement, Safety, Shop Math, Introduction to Welding- MIG & Stick welding, and Introduction to Design (using laser cutter, 3D printer).  Students will earn OSHA 10 credentials through this course.

Manufacturing II/ Advanced Welding

In the Manufacturing II/ Advanced Welding course, students will continue to learn the CAD fundamentals, as well as design and prototype more advanced projects.  A more inclusive cost analysis is also conducted while working through the projects.  The second half of the course will include advanced welding topics such as TIG & pipe.  Course content includes the following topics: Blueprint Reading, CAD Drawing, Measurement, Safety, Shop Math, Welding- TIG & pipe, and Introduction to Design (using laser cutter, 3D printer).  Students will earn the MACWIC I credentials through this course.

Pottery

Welcome to Pottery!  Over the 17 week introductory pottery course you will be working with clay for hand building and wheel throwing techniques.  You will create several ceramic pieces and learn various decorating techniques.  There will be a sketchbook, reading assignment, and inspirational research assignment to accompany each project.  At the end of the course there will be a final presentation of your work in the format of a class critique.

Programming for Collaborative Robots

This 16 week course is intended to give students a grounding in robotics using Universal Robots UR3 COBOT systems. These are commonly used in industry and students will learn how to program them and to perform a series of projects, culminating in a multiple robot pick and place project.  Successful completion of this course will result in earning a UR Certificate of Completion, an industry recognized credential. 

Robotics

This robotics course will provide our students with the opportunity to work in teams to build VEX robots from scratch using the microcontrollers, motors, sensors and the many construction building parts. Students will have the opportunity to program Lyxmotion robots to build automated assembly lines. The field of robotics provides many different career pathways for students. Students who gain experience in Robotics in high school courses will have job opportunities upon graduation or may choose to expand their knowledge with work in this area in college. A course such as the BVExcel Robotics one we are offering provides students with many opportunities for a future career.

Video Lab

This course will take you on a journey across several styles of film and video creation.  From the basics of setting your exposure and checking your sound, to editing a final news segment or short film, this course will lay out a strong foundation in video and film production. Giving students a platform to share ideas and concerns through News and Film will be our focus. Your viewpoint is important and deserves to be heard (and seen). Students will complete the following projects: create personal video segments and short films to explore stories and ideas important to them, learn about the technical aspects of video production and film making, Explore video and film as a means of storytelling, and gain knowledge about the photographic concepts behind film and video productions. Students will leave the course ready to pursue; photographic studies, advanced video/film studies, and A/V career pathway with local professional, video production companies, T.V. stations, corporate clients and personal creative work.