The walls which separated different functions in careers of business, design, and manufacturing have eroded through the evolution of CAD technology. Students, now more than ever, need to receive an education that has them working in the roles they could find in industry. I created instruction for my Advanced Mechanical class. The students used the SOLIDWORKS software to brainstorm, create, and design their final products. Student work from this course was submitted to the State and National SkillsUSA competitions. The external review of the students’ work earned them Gold at the state level in 2021, 2022 & 2023 and Gold at the national level in 2021. I have found that this type of instruction promotes critical thinking, engages students through active learning, creates meaningful connections, and increases student motivation to learn. The SOLIDWORKS software allowed the students to visualize the designs of the other students and collaborate to make a better design.
