The real world — it’s a phrase sometimes used to provoke high school students. But in Scott Rockey’s introductory engineering design class at Elma High School, real world scenarios don’t intimidate, they motivate the students.

The students are learning engineering concepts as they measure small wooden blocks using calipers. The blocks, according to the online retailer who sold them to Rockey, are supposed to measure ¾ of inch. The students will calculate the tolerance of what that particular retailer thinks is acceptable.

“These are cheap wooden blocks and so there will be a higher tolerance for blocks that are outside of the ¾ inch size,” Rockey said. “If you were making parts for NASA, then the differences would be minimal but you’d also be paying a lot more.”

Freshman Kaelyn Burgher explained how she used calipers to check the size of wooden blocks and also demonstrated how she and her classmates designed and built puzzle cubes.

“You had to build each piece separately on a CAD (computer-aided design) program and then colored them to match what they looked like on the program,” Burgher said. The puzzle pieces were made of six wooden blocks and the puzzle cubes could be assembled in different ways. Burgher explained that part of the assignment was to figure out the mass of the cubes and to figure out why the pieces may not have weighed the same.

“It’s because some of us used more glue or more paint on the blocks,” Burgher said. “And now we’re measuring how the blocks vary in size too.”

Burgher said she took the class to challenge herself and because she enjoyed her pre-engineering class last year.

“I like having a challenge and this has pushed me to actually figure out things. It’s not an easy class to get an ‘A’ in,” Burgher said. Even though she excels in engineering, math and sciences, Burgher has plans to be a social worker, possibly with Child Protective Services.

“It’s a total possibility that I end up in engineering, though,” Burgher said.

Rockey said the classes include a lot of math and understanding of science concepts and provided real world projects for the kids to explore.

“We allow for some creativity in problem-solving. They are given a real-world task and they can get creative in how they solve it,” Rockey said. “They have to think through all the steps to the solution. They are thinking like engineers — thinking through the logical, sequential steps to arrive at the answer and then apply it.”

Rockey’s engineering class is part of a curriculum called Project Lead the Way (PLTW), which according to Christi Kershaw, Career and Technical Education (CTE) director at EHS, provides a real world application of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that the traditional class curriculum does not offer.

“It increases the rigor of the class through quality, intentional instruction of material taught rather than more assignments. It has sparked in depth problem solving, reflection, and asking what if?” Kershaw said in an email. She said the program is in its third year at EHS and the school has invested over $40,000 in equipment and $15,000 in professional development and training.

Tyler Renz and Rockey are both certified PLTW instructors at EHS. Four engineering classes are offered at the school and include introduction to engineering design, computer integrated manufacturing, principles of engineering and engineering design and development. Some of the classes are not always offered and some have pre-requisites.

Kershaw said EHS selected Project Lead the Way because CTE and STEM are the future of education, and the classes teach industry-level skills in a hands-on, interactive manner that is certified and recognized by business partners.

“This winning combination engages our students with more depth and purpose of learning as well as skills needed to be successful in the 21st century. Students need to team together to ask why and what if more in today’s society and economy,” Kershaw said. “We need to teach kids to learn how to solve the problem independently and cooperatively as information and best practices continue to evolve every day in this ever-changing world.”

In Rockey’s computer integrated manufacturing class, students are making robots and programming them to perform certain functions. Students, in groups of three, hunker down at tables with gears, tracks, batteries, engines, and other robot parts, and work collectively to ensure their robot will be able to function.

Each robot is supposed to run along a black track of tape and perform functions at several stops. One of the functions is to drop a load of wooden blocks. Each group in the robotics class has devised a different system for their robots. One uses a belly dump where two flaps open and the blocks fall beneath. Another uses a panel to push the blocks out of the back. And, yet another uses a traditional dump truck system where the bed of the machine lifts one side to empty the load.

At one table, junior Payton Day is busy placing tracks on his group’s robot. The tracks are rubberized and will help the robot grip the slick, tile floor. Day works alongside sophomores Brycen Poston and Cameron Donofrio.

“Sometimes you have to compromise,” Day said of working in a group. “I mean, I don’t but they do.”

Donofrio said he appreciated the freedom given in a classroom environment like the robotics class.

“We don’t have to be confined to do things a certain way,” Donofrio said. “We do what we want within reason.”

Rockey, he said, was on hand to help. And Rockey said that type of student creativity was important.

“This class fosters creativity. They do what they need to do and figure out different ways of doing it,” Rockey said. Creativity, functionality and ability to meet deadlines are the criteria Rockey will use to grade the students, which he said is also a real-world scenario.

“If you don’t meet a deadline and you’re a manufacturer — you’re not going to get paid,” Rockey said.