Carl Junction High School

CAPSTONE

This 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. This class is designed for 12th grade students, as it requires the student to be highly engaged in the project that they have chosen and continue to work independently throughout the entire school year.

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.

Capstone 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, Capstone is appropriate for students who are interested in any technical career path. Capstone should be taken as the final capstone PLTW course since it requires application of the knowledge and skills introduced during the PLTW foundation courses.

Capstone is the senior-level capstone course in a four-year engineering pathway offered at Carl Junction High School. This course is designed to be a final offering to students who have completed the IED-POE-CIM pathway. Students may also choose to take Capstone as a final offering in the IED-CEA pathway.  (One-credit, one-year practical art elective for grade 12) Prerequisite: Instructor Permission