As in most US high schools, Grandview High School’s Technology and Computer Science Department used to focus on 2D draſting. However, unlike many schools, this suburban high school had educators who foresaw that designers and engineers—not draſters—will win the technology jobs of the 21st century and that their calling card will be 3D. So aſter years of teaching draſting classes using AutoCAD ® 2D soſtware, the technical educators at Grandview High School decided to investigate 3D CAD technology. One of six high schools in the Cherry Creek School District south of Denver, Colorado, Grandview had its first brush with 3D with Autodesk Inventor ® soſtware during the 2003–2004 school year. But according to Department Coordinator Jay E. Moore, the faculty did not find that solution to be user-friendly or its curriculum to be flexible. “I was aending the ITEEA (International Technology and Engineering Educators Association) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, when I came across SolidWorks ® ,” Moore recalls. “It was my first real introduction to 3D. I found the soſtware to be user-friendly and very intuitive. Within moments, I was using SolidWorks and realizing how beneficial it could be for our kids.” His colleagues back at Grandview agreed, and the school implemented SolidWorks Education Edition soſtware for the 2005–2006 academic year. Since then, the solution has had a positive impact at Grandview. Enrollment in technology classes has grown. Other high schools in the Cherry Creek school district have adopted SolidWorks soſtware and the Grandview curriculum, and Grandview has enjoyed success at national design and engineering competitions, including the 2011 Technology Student Association (TSA) CAD Championship. By 2012, more than 1,500 SolidWorks licenses were active throughout the Cherry Creek school district, including some at its middle schools. “The effectiveness and sophistication of our program took a big turn for the beer when we standardized on SolidWorks,” Moore stresses. “Many students that come out of our program go on to excel at some of the most demanding engineering schools in the country. The decision to move to SolidWorks has improved our program tremendously.” CASE STUDY GRANDVIEW HIGH SCHOOL Educating the engineers of tomorrow with SolidWorks Education Edition Challenge: Make sure high school students are prepared for college and careers in design, engineering, and technology. Solution: Implement SolidWorks Education Edition soſtware in the school’s Technology and Computer Science Department. Results: • Increased enrollment in technology classes • Certified SolidWorks skills for over 100 students • Produced TSA national CAD champion and several top ten finalists • Introduced simulation technology to high school students Using SolidWorks Education Edition soſtware, grandview High School techn ology and Computer science students have enjoyed remarkable success at national design and engineering competitions.
Transcript
As in most US high schools, Grandview High School’s Technology and Computer Science Department used to focus on 2D dra� ing. However, unlike many schools, this suburban high school had educators who foresaw that designers and engineers—not dra� ers—will win the technology jobs of the 21st century and that their calling card will be 3D.
So a� er years of teaching dra� ing classes using AutoCAD® 2D so� ware, the technical educators at Grandview High School decided to investigate 3D CAD technology. One of six high schools in the Cherry Creek School District south of Denver, Colorado, Grandview had its fi rst brush with 3D with Autodesk Inventor® so� ware during the 2003–2004 school year. But according to Department Coordinator Jay E. Moore, the faculty did not fi nd that solution to be user-friendly or its curriculum to be fl exible.
“I was a� ending the ITEEA (International Technology and Engineering Educators Association) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, when I came across SolidWorks®,” Moore recalls. “It was my fi rst real introduction to 3D. I found the so� ware to be user-friendly and very intuitive. Within moments, I was using SolidWorks and realizing how benefi cial it could be for our kids.”
His colleagues back at Grandview agreed, and the school implemented SolidWorks Education Edition so� ware for the 2005–2006 academic year. Since then, the solution has had a positive impact at Grandview. Enrollment in technology classes has grown. Other high schools in the Cherry Creek school district have adopted SolidWorks so� ware and the Grandview curriculum, and Grandview has enjoyed success at national design and engineering competitions, including the 2011 Technology Student Association (TSA) CAD Championship. By 2012, more than 1,500 SolidWorks licenses were active throughout the Cherry Creek school district, including some at its middle schools.
“The eff ectiveness and sophistication of our program took a big turn for the be� er when we standardized on SolidWorks,” Moore stresses. “Many students that come out of our program go on to excel at some of the most demanding engineering schools in the country. The decision to move to SolidWorks has improved our program tremendously.”
C A S E S T U D Y
GRANDVIEW HIGH SCHOOLEducating the engineers of tomorrow with SolidWorks Education Edition
Challenge:Make sure high school students are prepared for college and careers in design, engineering, and technology.
Solution:Implement SolidWorks Education Edition so� ware in the school’s Technology and Computer Science Department.
Results:• Increased enrollment in technology classes• Certifi ed SolidWorks skills for over 100
students• Produced TSA national CAD champion and
several top ten fi nalists• Introduced simulation technology to high
school students
Educating the engineers of tomorrow with SolidWorks Education Edition Educating the engineers of tomorrow with SolidWorks Education Edition
Using SolidWorks Education Edition so� ware, grandview High School techn ology and Computer science students have enjoyed remarkable success at national design and engineering competitions.
Creating a 3D curriculumA major contributor to Grandview’s success was the ease and fl exibility with which its technical educators could introduce SolidWorks so� ware and create a vibrant curriculum. The school uses the so� ware in its Technical Drawing; Engineering Design; Senior Design; Technical Education I, II, and III; and Robotics and Technology classes, combining engineering design, 3D design and woodworking, and introductory CNC machining.
“With SolidWorks, we can do more hands-on design with real-world projects, which keeps our students interested and learning,” Moore notes. “We continue to push the curriculum forward and have added simulation technology to the mix. Now, students can model a design in SolidWorks, then run stress analyses, aerodynamic fl ow simulations, and even use SolidWorks Sustainability so� ware to estimate the carbon footprint of their designs.”
“SolidWorks really drives our curriculum,” adds Alan Ridlund, a teacher in the department. “I can’t imagine teaching the curriculum that we teach without SolidWorks.”
Certifying student CAD skillsThe Certifi ed SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) and Certifi ed SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) programs are not just for teachers at Grandview. Over 100 Grandview students have earned CSWA certifi cation and a handful has even passed the more diffi cult CSWP examination.
“We’ve added certifi cation into our curriculum,” explains Rob Combs, a teacher in the department. “This has enabled us to add depth and support tie-ins to our manufacturing machinery resources. SolidWorks has advanced our program and empowered our students. We even had one student who obtained a teaching assistant position to teach SolidWorks during his fi rst year at college.”
2011 TSA national CAD championSolidWorks knowledge also helped students pursue opportunities to compete in design competitions. Former Grandview student Brent Last, who went on to study at the Colorado School of Mines, was a freshman when he fi rst learned SolidWorks so� ware, a junior when he earned his CSWP certifi cation, and a senior when he won the TSA National CAD Championship in 2011.
The competition required students to create a 3D CAD model of an object within a specifi ed time. Last not only successfully created the model in SolidWorks CAD, he also ran a SolidWorks Motion study to determine torque in the main screw, conducted a stress analysis on the base of the part, and then created an animation of his results.
“I like SolidWorks because it’s easy to use and allows you to really visualize, simulate, and study your design,” Last says.
“WITH SOLIDWORKS, WE CAN DO MORE HANDS-ON DESIGN WITH REAL-WORLD PROJECTS, WHICH KEEPS OUR STUDENTS INTERESTED AND LEARNING.”Jay E. MooreTechnology and Computer ScienceDepartment Coordinator
Grandview High School20500 E. Arapahoe Rd. Aurora, CO 80016 USAPhone: +1 720 886 6500www.ghs.ccsd.k12.co.usVAR: Career and Technical Training (CATT), LLC, Windsor, CO, USA
Grandview High School graduate Brent Last, shown at le� with Technology and Computer Science Department Coordinator Jay E. Moore, used SolidWorks to win the 2011 Technology Student Association (TSA) National CAD Championship.
