CAD and COVID-19

Today I began a unit on Computer-Aided Design (CAD) with my engineering students. Because a background in CAD was not a prerequisite for the class, but many of the students have expertise given various roles on our school's competitive FRC Robotics Team (Ellipse 6814), my goal was to curate resources and develop a learning cycle that could engage all students. Below is the workflow for this unit that I plan to implement with the goal of continuing to use the current COVID-19 Pandemic as a lens.

• Step #1: Survey student experience with CAD using a private class form.

• Step #2: Curate resources so students can obtain basic skills in a chosen CAD program.

• Step #3: Challenge students to use new skills to perform a simple, specific CAD task that beginners can access and experienced designers can amplify. Evaluate the range of class submissions for evidence that the floor is low and the ceiling remains high.

• Step #4: Ask students to read bout ways in which CAD (3D printing specifically) is being used during the COVID-19 Pandemic here and survey students about areas where CAD can be leveraged but are not observed in the article.

• Step #5: Challenge students to use their newly acquired CAD skills to create a prototype to one of the ideas suggested above.