Columbia International College is excited to announce a new Technology Design course for students in grade 11 (TDJ3M) and grade 12 (TDJ4M). Successful students will be able to use the credit as a University/College Prep level course.
“One fundamental aspect of any robotics program will be the opportunity to develop leadership skills.”
The new program will offer students a chance to investigate user needs, estimate labour and material costs, analyze material characteristics and illustrate design solutions using traditional and computer-based methods. Students can expect to acquire the basic design skills required for post-secondary studies in engineering, manufacturing, architecture and construction.
Krist Hayes, a teacher in the Social Sciences and Humanities Department who also oversees the Co-op Program will be running these courses. “We’re excited for students to learn how to design robots with a purpose using CAD software such as Fusion 260 with the intention of 3D printing their designs,” says Krist. “The students will be programming the robot software such as Ardunio and running real world tests with their robots.”
Krist explains the benefits of learning about a topic like robotics is how students will learn physical designing, sketching and 3D modeling. “One fundamental aspect of any robotics program will be the opportunity to develop leadership skills. The course assignments will often be very project based and there will be teamwork-based activities,” explains Krist.
For students unsure what the Technology Design courses (TDJ3M and TDJ4M) can help regarding the job market, Krist explains, “The courses will expose students to theories and methods that will open doors to potential career paths in engineering, manufacturing, programming and architecture.”
“The courses will expose students to theories and methods that will open doors to potential career paths in engineering, manufacturing, programming and architecture.”
The new Technology Design course was created based off the success of the Robotics Club at CIC, which was a student driven initiative. Many students at CIC are interested in pursuing careers in STEM industries and the Robotics Club offers students a space to learn. Notably, the Robotics Club created a Morse Code Printer that the students built and coded in the semester of 2019.
With the success of the Robotics Club and a new course for students to take, Krist and his team are considering starting a Columbia competitive Robotics Team. The registration for the Fall 2020 season would be in the spring. “I’m hoping that once we have developed students with the right combination of experience, skills and the interest to compete, we can hopefully be the Ontario Champions come spring 2021,” says Krist.
For students interested in learning more or have additional questions about the Technology Design course or the Robotics Club, can go to the Course Fair on Wednesday October 23, 2019. The Course Fair will be held in the Ainsliewood Gym from 11:00AM to 12:45PM.