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We have a multitude of field trips and guest speakers to engage with the public and ensure that our curriculum follows the current trends of industry and most desired jobs. We also have multiple student-leadership opportunities including SWENext, First Robotics, and student summer internships before their senior year. Many students on top of these, pursue other smaller competitions or participate in other STEM related activities.
Below you can find links to each course and summaries of key projects and concepts they learn as participants in this pathway.
Here's a quote from a 2021 Senior and their perspective on why the Engineering Pathway is valuable:
Castro Valley High School has a 4 year engineering pathway. Our Engineering pathway began in 2017 and is now composed of 4 main courses: Introduction to Engineering Design (IED), Principles of Engineering (POE), Civil Engineering & Architecture (CEA), and Engineering Design and Development (EDD). Students are eligible for college credit through Chabot College upon completing year 2 and year 4 of pathway provided they earn a B or better.
In the first year course, students learn the basics of the engineering design process and are offered an overview of many different fields of Engineering. They learn precision measurements, concept sketching, and 3D modeling of design products in Autodesk Inventor. They are exposed to manufacturing processes and mechanical engineering drawing symbols. Most importantly they learn organizational skills and keeping an Engineering design notebook.
In the second year course, students are introduced to many of the physics concepts behind several engineering fields. From simple machines to make tasks easier to robotics to autonomous control so robots do tasks for you. They learn about forces, mechanical advantage, power, electricity, circuits, renewable energy, material properties, strength of materials and analyzing the best solution for various design challenges including: Truss Bridge Design, solar car design, marble sorter design, autonomous vehicles, and more. Students contain to build their 3D modeling skills and learn how to use a laser cutter and a 3D printer.
Civil Engineering & Architecture is our first specialized course in this engineering pathway. In this course, students are exposed to several aspects of the building services industry. Students move from 3D modeling to building and information modeling, learning Autodesk Revit, one of the most widely used programs in construction today. They not only get an overview of the history of architecture but also get to learn about architectural styles. From there, they apply that knowledge to designing a sustainable home and then city planning and commercial building design.
Lastly, the fourth year course is known as the capstone course in our engineering pathway. Having developed their knowledge of the engineering design process throughout their first three years, they now have an opportunity to apply this knowledge to forming an engineering design team and designing a solution to help solve a real-world problem. They meet with and talk to professionals all over the related industries and learn how to put together an engineering portfolio to showcase their work. From brainstorming to testing a prototype to presenting their work to the public, this class showcases and demonstrates the students' desire to become engineers in the world.
Introduction to Engineering Design is the first step on the journey in the Engineering Pathway. In this course students get an overview of the profession of Engineering. Here is the opportunity to learn about all the different types of engineering and the sorts of things engineers do. The main emphasis is on learning the engineering process. Students will get a chance to take different projects from an initial idea all the way to a finished product. They will learn how to work in teams, put entries in an engineering notebook, and write design briefs. Hands on experience includes conceptual sketching , design drafting, annotation, isometric drawing, dimensioning, and product fabrication. Students will also learn how to use precision instruments and hand tools. In our computer lab, and maker space, students get introduced to project management, design briefs, 3D modeling, laser cutting, and 3D printing . There will be instant design challenges and other opportunities to enhance creative thinking. In the spring, students have a chance to get certified in AutoDesk Inventor or AutoDesk fusion 360. Students enrolled in this course have access to this software for free. Finally, engineering pathway students can look forward to field trips, guest speakers, and finished projects they can be proud of in the years to come.
This is the second year course in our Engineering Pathway focused on physics like simple machines, energy, electricity, structural engineering, statics and then coding and robotics. Principles of Engineering is stocked full of good projects, reminders of the engineering design process and a chance to let students see and understand the physics concepts behind why certain ideas work and why certain things don't work. The students begin with simple machines and how they make our life easier to learning to code robots that are structurally stable and accomplish exciting tasks!
Civil Engineering and Architecture, the third year course in our Engineering Pathway specializes in the design and construction of residential and commercial building projects. Students learn about design teams, architecture, communication methods, building codes, and technical documentation. More importantly, CEA students will acquire specialized skills that can be readily used in the building services industry.
This is our capstone course. The students form teams based on interests to problem solve and find solutions to real-life problems in their community and more so the world. This class is focused on project-based learning and has constant reminders of the engineering design process in designing a solution and making sure it meets the original goal or intentions first decided upon by their team early on.
Here's a list of past years (2022-23) project presentations:
MakerSpace Organization: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/makerspace-organization/home?authuser=0
Mahjong Shuffler: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/mahjong-table/home
Repurposed Electric Bike: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/repurposed-electric-bike/home?authuser=0
Homerwork Bot: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/portfolioforthehomerwokbot/home
2020-21 projects:
Sustainable Mini-Homes: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/eddproject-sustainablehousing/home
Auto-Sorting Recyclable Bins: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/auto-sorting-waste-bins/home
Magnetic Transportation: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/magnetictransportation/home?authuser=0
Time Management: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/time-management/home?authuser=0
Car Security: www.engineering.gq/
UV Shopping Cart Cleaner: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/uv-cartcleaner/home
Court Control: docs.google.com/presentation/d/13iQ06Q_Ji8DNznBlJCb9SNZX6RKMNCFKt3mmaiOoQEY/edit#slide=id.p
Pop Socket Innovation: https://sites.google.com/cv.k12.ca.us/innovation-pop-socket/home?authuser=0
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