Course name:
Introduction to Engineering Design (IED, 1 year) - PLTW

Description:
Introduction to Engineering Design^TM (IED) is for students who are interested in design and engineering. The major focus of the IED course is to expose students to design process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and human impacts, engineering standards, and technical documentation. IED gives students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of course concepts through activity-, project-, and problem-based (APPB) learning. Used in combination with a teaming approach, APPB-learning challenges students to continually hone their interpersonal skills, creative abilities and understanding of the design process. It also allows students to develop strategies to enable and direct their own learning, which is the ultimate goal of education.

Students will employ engineering and scientific concepts in the solution of engineering design problems. In addition, students use a state of the 3D solid modeling design software package to help them design solutions to solve proposed problems. Students will develop problem-solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges that increase in difficulty throughout the course. Students will also learn how to document their work, and communicate their solutions to their peers and members of the professional community.
The course applies and concurrently develops secondary level knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology.
The course of study includes:
 Design Process
 Modeling
 Sketching Measurement, Statistics, and Applied Geometry
 Presentation Design and Delivery
 Graphic Design
 Engineering Ethics
 Engineering Drawing Standards
 CAD Solid Modeling
 Reverse Engineering
 Consumer Product Design
 Innovation Marketing
 Virtual Design Teams

Articulated: No

UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Century High School
• Santa Ana High School
• Segerstrom High School
• Valley High School

Course name:
Principles of Engineering (POE, 1 year) - PLTW

Description:
Principles of Engineering (POE) is a foundation course of the high school engineering pathway. This survey course exposes students to some of the major concepts that they will encounter in a postsecondary engineering course of study. Through problems that engage and challenge, students explore a broad range of engineering topics, including mechanisms, the strength of materials and structures, automation, and kinematics. The course applies and concurrently develops secondary level knowledge and
skills in mathematics, science, and technology.

Students have the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of course concepts through activity-, project-, and problem-based (APB) learning. By solving rigorous and relevant design problems using engineering and science concepts within a collaborative learning environment, APB learning challenges students to continually hone their interpersonal skills, creative abilities, and problem solving skills. Students will also learn how to document their work and communicate their solutions to their peers and
members of the professional community. It also allows students to develop strategies to enable and direct their own learning, which is the ultimate goal of education.

Articulated: No

UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Century High School
• Santa Ana High School
• Segerstrom High School
• Valley High School

Course name:
Computer Science and Software Engineering - PLTW

Description:
Students work in teams to develop computational thinking and problem solving skills. The course covers the College Board’s new CS Principles framework. The course does not aim to teach mastery of a single programming language but aims instead to develop computational thinking, to generate excitement about the field of computing, and to introduce computational tools that foster creativity. The course also aims to build students’ awareness of the tremendous demand for computer specialists and for professionals in all fields who have computational skills. Each unit focuses on one or more computationally intensive career paths. The course also aims to engage students to consider issues raised by the present and future societal impact of computing.

Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills. Problems aim for ground-level entry with no ceiling so that all students can successfully engage the problems. Students with greater motivation, ability, or background knowledge will be challenged to work further.

The course is designed to cover all learning objectives in the College Board’s 2013 draft CS Principles framework. In specific CSE projects and problems, students create artifacts and associated writing for CS Principles performance assessment tasks. Alignment with CS Principles Learning Objectives and with CSTA Level 3B Objectives is indicated in the PLTW CSE Curriculum Framework at the activity level. Alignment with NGSS, Common Core, and other standards will be available through the PLTW Alignment web-based tool. Activities, projects, and problems will be provided to the teacher in the form of student-ready handouts, teacher notes, and supplementary materials, including code, instructional videos, and online practice questions as appropriate.

The course is planned for a rigorous pace, and it is likely to contain more material than a skilled teacher new to the course will be able to complete in the first iteration. Building enthusiasm for rigorous computer science among students is a primary goal of the course. Teachers are encouraged to emphasize content that will be fresh and exciting to students, and the course is structured to facilitate local adaptation to a particular group of students' prior knowledge and experience.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Valley High School

Course name:
Principles of Biomedical Science - PLTW

Description:
From the moment students walk into the Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) classroom, they are immersed in the mysterious death of Anna. They are asked to investigate, document, and analyze evidence to solve the case.

The Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) course provides an introduction to biomedical science through exciting hands-on projects and problems. Students investigate concepts of biology and medicine as they explore health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, sickle-cell disease, hypercholesterolemia, and infectious diseases. They will determine the factors that led to the death of a fictional woman as they sequentially piece together evidence found in her medical history and her autopsy report. Students will investigate lifestyle choices and medical treatments that might have prolonged the woman’s life and demonstrate how the development of disease is related to changes in human body systems.

The activities and projects in PBS introduce students to human physiology, basic biology, medicine, and research processes and allow students to design experiments to solve problems. Key biological concepts, including maintenance of homeostasis in the body, metabolism, inheritance of traits, and defense against disease are embedded in the curriculum. This course is designed to provide an overview of all the courses in the biomedical science program and lay the scientific foundation for subsequent courses.

Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Saddleback High School

Course name:
Human Body Systems (HBS) - PLTW

Description:
In the Human Body Systems (HBS) course, students examine the interactions of body systems as they explore identity, communication, power, movement, protection, and homeostasis. Students design experiments, investigate the structures and functions of the human body, and use data acquisition software to monitor body functions such as muscle movement, reflex and voluntary action, and respiration. Exploring science in action, students build organs and tissues on a skeletal manikin, work through interesting real world cases, and often play the role of biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries.

Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills.

The following is a summary of the units of study that are included in the course for the 2014-2015 academic year. Alignment with NGSS, Common Core, and other standards are available through the PLTW Alignment webbased tool. Activities, projects, and problems are provided to the teacher in the form of student-ready handouts, teacher notes, and supplementary materials, including resource documents, student response sheets, and presentations.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes

Offered at school:

• Saddleback High School

Course name:
Engineering Design and Development (EDD) - PLTW

Description:
Engineering Design and Development (EDD) is the capstone course in the PLTW high school engineering program. It is an open-ended engineering research course in which students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a well-defined and justified open-ended problem by applying an engineering design process.

Students will perform research to select, define, and justify a problem. After carefully defining the design requirements and creating multiple solution approaches, teams of students select an approach, create, and test their solution prototype. Student teams will present and defend their original solution to an outside panel. While progressing through the engineering design process, students will work closely with experts and will continually hone their organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of the design process.

Engineering Design and Development is a high school level course that is appropriate for 12th grade students. Since the projects on which students work can vary with student interest and the curriculum focuses on problem solving, EDD is appropriate for students who are interested in any technical career path. EDD should be taken as the final capstone PLTW course since it requires application of the knowledge and skills introduced during the PLTW foundation courses.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Century High School
• Santa Ana High School
• Segerstrom High School

Course name:
Design and Modeling (DM) - PLTW

Description:
In this unit, students begin to recognize the value of an engineering notebook to document and capture their ideas. They are introduced to and use the design process to solve problems and understand the influence that creative and innovative design has on our lives. Students use industry standard 3D modeling software to create a virtual image of their designs and produce a portfolio to showcase their creative solutions.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: No

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Villa
• Willard

Course name:
Automation and Robotics (AR) - PLTW

Description:
Students trace the history, development, and influence of automation and robotics. They learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation and computer control systems. Students use a robust robotics platform to design, build and program a solution to solve an existing problem.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: No

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Villa
• Willard 

Course name:
Flight and Space (FS) - PLTW

Description:
The rich history of aerospace comes alive through hands-on activities, research, and a presentation in the form of a short informational video. Students explore the science behind aeronautics and use their knowledge to design, build and test an airfoil. Custom-built simulation software allows students to experience space travel.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: No

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Villa
• Willard

Course name:
Medical Detective - PLTW

Description:
Medical Detectives (MD) explores the biomedical sciences through hands-on projects and labs that require students to solve a variety of medical mysteries. Students investigate medical careers, vital signs, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, as well as human body systems such as the nervous system. Genetic testing for hereditary diseases and DNA crime scene analysis put the students in the place of real life medical detectives.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: No

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Villa
• Willard

Course name:
Energy and Environment (EE) - PLTW

Description:
Students investigate the impact of energy on our lives and the environment. They design and model alternative energy sources and participate in an energy expo to demonstrate energy concepts and innovative ideas. Students evaluate ways to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency and sustainability.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: No

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Villa
• Willard

Course name:
App Creators  - PLTW

Description:

This course will expose students to computer science as a means of computationally analyzing and developing solutions to authentic problems through mobile app development, and will convey the positive impact of the application of computer science to other disciplines and to society. Students work in teams to create simple apps for mobile devices using MIT App Inventor®. Students explore the impact of computing in society and the application of computing across career paths and build skills and awareness in digital citizenship and cybersecurity. 

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes (g)

Offered at school:

• Carr
• Lathrop
• MacArthur
• McFadden
• Mendez
• Sierra
• Spurgeon
• Villa
• Willard 
• Advanced Learning Academy

Course name:
Aerospace Engineering (AE) - PLTW

Description:
Aerospace Engineering (AE) is the study of the engineering discipline which develops new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration.

The course explores the evolution of flight, flight fundamentals, navigation and control, aerospace materials, propulsion, space travel, orbital mechanics, ergonomics, remotely operated systems and related careers. In addition the course presents alternative applications for aerospace engineering concepts.

Utilizing the activity-project-problem-based (APPB) teaching and learning pedagogy, students will analyze, design, and build aerospace systems. While implementing these designs, students will continually hone their interpersonal skills, creativity, and application of the design process. Students apply knowledge gained throughout the course in a final multi-media project to envision their future professional accomplishments.

Aerospace Engineering is a high school level course that is appropriate for 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students interested in Aerospace. It is recommended that students are concurrently enrolled in college preparatory mathematics and science courses and have successfully completed the Principles of Engineering (POE) course.

AE is one of the specialization courses in the Project Lead The Way high school engineering program. The course applies and concurrently develops secondary-level knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology.

Articulated: No


UC "a-g" approved: Yes

Offered at school:

• Segerstrom High School