Dave Dolmage Project Lead The Way gives high school students a chance to try engineering, electronics courses. Students at Waukee High School now have an opportunity to earn college credit in a nontraditional course: shop class. But you won't find these students making table lamps, rather they're learning about engineering and digital electronics. Currently there are three classes offered through the program that students may take for college credit. The classes are Introduction to Engineering Design, Principals of Engineering and Digital Electronics. Working together with a program called Project Lead The Way, which seeks to give students opportunities to apply what they've learned in their math and science classes in practical experiences, Waukee teachers are giving students a leg up on college. Industrial technology teacher John Kotz said that in addition to giving students a chance to earn college credit, the classes also give students a chance to "try out" engineering to see if it's a good fit. "It gives them a very good idea if they want to pursue this before they spend money on these classes at the college level," Kotz said. In order to become certified by Project Lead The Way, Waukee educators were required to assess whether the school was providing a level of education that was comparable to what college students would receive in first-year engineering classes. Participating teachers were also required to attend a two-week program during the summer before they could teach the classes. The program, which has been offered at Waukee since 2007, just received its certification this year. "College professors want to make sure that we're offering the same level of education that they are," Kotz said. The lure of college credit has also helped draw in nontraditional industrial technology students, something that Kotz believes is great for the program. Project Lead The Way also places an emphasis on attracting female students, something that has always been difficult for industrial technology teachers. "The program does expose more kids and that's why it was initiated," Kotz said. Student Aaron Graham said the classes have helped him identify what he wants to do when he gets to college. The senior from West Des Moines is taking Principles of Engineering this fall, and he already knows he'd like to pursue a degree in engineering from Iowa State next year. "I already have an idea of what to expect, I'll know what engineering will be like at the college level," Graham said. "I think this will give me an upper hand." Programs like Project Lead The Way give students who plan to attend college a leg up on their peers. When Graham enters college next fall, the credits he has earned from Principles of Engineering as well as the Advanced Placement courses he has taken will me an that he's starting school almost a semester ahead of his fellow students. "It'll help me save some money too, and that's always a good thing," Graham said. Des Moines Register