Science teacher Fred Brown is now teaching Intro to Engineering.

He thinks highly of this class.

“I think it’s an excellent class,” he said. “Students can learn some basic CAD programs.”

Brown said that the work they do in his class is helpful for college.

“A former student is at Clemson, and her younger brother is in this class, and she is doing the same kinds of things in her class at Clemson,” he said. “She said that he is going to be so much further than her when she started.”

The class provides Brown with a different way of teaching.

“It is very little of me standing up and lecturing,” he said. “I’m more of a facilitator, and the students have activities and projects that they’re working on and developing and creating, so my job is to support them.”

Brown said that the skills students learn in this class are helpful for the real world.

“In the real world, they’re learning how to be problem solvers, and that’s what an engineer is, a problem solver,” he said. “You use math, you use science, but none of this class is specifically a math or science class because you’re pulling from different areas of your understanding. You learn to work in a group and solve specific problems.”

One of the benefits of the course is that it is an honors-level course that can lead to college credit.

“If you score high enough on the final then it does count for the same GPA that dual credit or AP counts, so it’s a good way to boost your GPA if you’re looking for a rigorous class,” Brown said.