D O S P U E B L O S H I G H S C H O O L
Product Innovation & Design
[ Non-DPEA Students ]
Industry Sector: Manufacturing and Product Development
Pathway Description
Students are introduced to innovative product design work & learning spaces focused on design factors such as aesthetics, format, geometric shape and form, perspective drawing, scale, proportion, and presentation techniques. This course incorporates Product Design & Invention - a cross curriculum collaboration between Art & Design, Physics, Product Design & Engineering. Students begin to use computers and tools as a medium/tool for design of project components such as: Designing, rendering, sketching, inventing, model making, CAD, 3D printing, 3d Modeling, manufacturing & product development.
This pathway exposes students to tools, machines, processes, and enables students to experience the process of translating an idea into a finished product. Class projects will include "real world" design projects from industry, guest speakers and industry field trips with possible internships, employment and college credit to generate cross curriculum education, as well as critical thinking across the board. Students will demonstrate language arts, mathematics, and scientific knowledge and skills required to pursue the full range of post-secondary and career opportunities by solving problems using critical thinking skills (analyze, synthesize, and evaluate). The students will work independently and in teams using creativity and innovation, and demonstrate use of concepts, strategies, and systems for obtaining and conveying ideas and information to enhance communication in the workplace by completing required training, education, and certification (i.e., Solidworks and AutoCAD) to prepare for employment in Product Design.
This course is academically challenging and involves substantial reading, research and writing of design proposals and use of math in building prototypes. Students use problem-solving with laboratory/ shop work by creating working prototypes of their products. Students use analytical thinking, as well as factual content to research, problem solve and create working products. Students verbally & visually present their product concepts to the class, and receive lectures from guest speakers and the instructor, and incorporate their learning to develop skills and cultivate interest in Product Design.
Hard work does pay off and if you put your mind to something that you want to do, it'll turn out great.
Skills Acquired
Students acquire knowledge and skills in a sequential, standards-based pathway program that integrates hands-on, project-based, and work-based instruction. Curriculum standards included in this sector are designed to prepare students for technical training, postsecondary education, and entry to a career. Students will learn the basic product design and development process as it relates to the design of a product, line of products, system design, or services. They will learn and apply research methodologies as a means to identify a need, problem, or opportunity for a new product, product line, system design, or service. They will also learn and apply various ideation techniques to develop ideas and concepts. Students will apply various two-dimensional (2-D) graphic and/or three-dimensional (3-D) modeling techniques to development concepts. They will develop a concept into a well-defined product for prototyping, produce a prototype of a product and evaluate the prototype to determine if it meets the requirements and objectives. Students will learn and apply basic business and entrepreneurial principles and identify potential markets and/or other business opportunities for distribution of the product. They will produce a package design concept for a product or line of products and create a presentation of the product, product line, system design, or service.
Work Based Learning Activities
The primary work-based learning activity for this class is our culminating project for the semester, which is to design a product for a local company. Students will research companies that they want to design a product for. They will contact them by writing an introduction letter stating who you are, what they want to design for them, timelines, etc. Students will meet with the company to discuss the project they will design for them. They will create a design and follow up with the company weekly on due dates, deliverables, presentation, feedback, etc. Ultimately, students will present their final design to company executives and the class for evaluation. Other work-based learning activities will include guest speakers from local companies in applicable fields and field trips when possible.
Product Innovation and Design Courses
Course Catalog
| Course Title and Description | Type of Course | UC a-g | Dual Enrollment |
|
Product Innovation & Design 1 (Pending 2022-2023) |
Introductory |
g | YES |
|
Product Innovation & Design 2 (Pending 2022-2023) |
Concentrator |
g | YES |
|
Product Innovation & Design 3 (Pending 2023-2024) |
Capstone |
g | YES |
Product Innovation and Design Instructors
Chris Mollkoy
I am the first person in my family to graduate from college. It was not easy but I am thankful for the opportunities that were given to me. I grew up with four learning challenges as a boy, which included having ADD, ADHD, visual dyslexia and auditory dyslexia. Despite struggling academically, I had a teacher and coach that changed the course my life would take. My high school wrestling coach, Dick Werschke was also a Calculus teacher. He is a second father to me. I saw the effort and love that he put into his teaching and coaching and was inspired to follow in his footsteps. I was an average student in high school but I excelled in sports. Eventually, I earned an opportunity to wrestle in college at UC Davis. I had no idea what major to choose while in college, but I did know that I wanted to become a teacher and coach. Looking back, I feel like I had to work harder and longer than most of my peers, but I earned a BA in English and a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English. I was a high school wrestling coach and English teacher for 7 years before I burned out on grading papers. I decided to take a year off and do construction for the summer and “give my brain a rest and just work with my hands”. I was hooked right away, and decided to switch my career path at 30 years old. I began as a laborer and finished by obtaining my contractor’s license and starting my own finish carpentry company. I was coaching wrestling at a local high school and the principal knew that I was a former teacher. She asked me if I ever wanted to get back into teaching as a woodshop teacher. I applied the next day and have been teaching Construction Technology ever since. It doesn’t seem that long ago, but so much has changed with our pathway and how I teach my students. In 2018, I was awarded the Marvin Melvin Award, which is given to the Santa Barbara County Department of Education’s teacher of the year for CTE. In 2020, I won Harbor Freight’s Tools For School’s Prize for Teaching Excellence. The prize was a $50,000 cash award that was awarded to 18 of the top CTE teachers in the nation out of over 600 applicants.
I love my job and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to impact students' lives for the better. Everyday, I wake up excited for what the day will bring and how I can help students grow in their woodworking skills and mature as individuals.
(805) 968-2541 Ext. 4602
cmollkoy@sbunified.org
Michael Eckberg
Our Sponsors
Tradart
a non-profit focused on promoting career development and workplace preparation programs that allow students to learn skills and gain competency as they work toward their professional goals. They have supported us financially by purchasing wood, supplies and tools that are needed to run our shop effectively.
Partners In Education
which is a non-profit that provides soft skills training, and paid student internships to assist disadvantaged youth in finding their own potential while working with local businesses in preparation for entering the workforce. Throughout the years, several students have taken advantage of PIE’s resources and secured work after their internships have ended.
The Santa Barbara Contractors Association
is actively involved in both Tradart and Partners in Education, and supports the work we are doing by assisting in obtaining internships for students or facilitating speakers.
Santa Barbara City College’s Construction Technology Program
which allows all the high school programs to teach Dual Enrollment classes and for students to get college credit towards a skilled trades certificate and future employment in that field. It has been a prosperous relationship, which has allowed my students to continue their education focus and reach their long term goals.
Buena Tool
Tom Good and the crew at Buena tool have been such a blessing to my program. He routinely discounts our purchases for the students, locates hard to find tools, and makes regular deliveries to each of the schools in our district.
Channel City Lumber
They also donate wood and supplies, as well as deliver it to the high school.
