Intro to CAD

Matt_Shields

Are you using our Intro to CAD curriculum?  We'd love to know how it's going.  Share teaching tips, post pictures of your models, tell us your favorite unit, or let us know how you've expanded or extended it.  

Ste_Wilson

I'm having a look at this now.  It's really good stuff!

雷_潘

如何在onshape中创建汽车曲面外观的设计，请大佬们教教我

cassie_banka

Implementing all of it this year.  I did teach the first two units over the summer for some summer camps.  I love the animated gifs, but would also like to see video tutorials and printable step-by-step tutorials to accompany the interactive lesson.  Students (especially middle school age) found it difficult to toggle between Onshape lesson tab and model tab without forgetting what they read.  

Mr_Hodgson_SARCHS

I'm going to use this to help teach my Year `10 Design Tech class OnShape. I was using the fundamentals course and this is an excellent additional set of resources. Looking forward to see which pupils race ahead and get all the tasks completed.

cassie_banka

@Matt_Shields Additionally, a set of dimensioned multi-view drawings for each part of the skateboard would be highly beneficial.  Not only for students to start reading dimensioned plans, but for teachers to quickly check part creation accuracy.  As of now, I have to scroll through the written instructions to find where the dimension is typed or if it's included in the GIF... it is time consuming.  Do you happen to have these already created and I'm missing it?  Thanks so much for ALL the time your team has spent creating this amazing resource.  I also appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback.  We're better together.

Matt_Shields

Hi @cassie_banka.  I love this idea.  Great feedback.  We are actually working on some drawings lessons.  I think including drawings for each part of the skateboard (and the lessons beyond) will be a nice addition.  Stay tuned!

cassie_banka

Thanks, @Matt_Shields.  Woohoo! Drawing creation and dimensioning standards are beneficial.  Also learning to look at a drawing first to figure out how to create the part without step-by-step guidelines is also a good skill.   I will be digging in to Unit 3 and beyond for the first time this semester.  I believe there are some 3D printing opportunities coming up, which is exciting.  Perhaps also consider designing for laser cutting as well?  Our robotics team needs the skills to create a tabbed object (like a tabbed box) that can be laser cut and then assembled into something like a 3D box.  There are many generators out there, but I think it would be cool to explore how to create these pieces to fit together (with tolerances) in CAD.  Lastly, I *JUST* saw the release for CAD in Robotics.  This is SUPER exciting.  I teach VEX currently, but our HS team is dominate in the FRC world.  Love that OnShape is creating a resource to connect CAD and robotics.  I'll be watching for the VEX addition.  I'd be happy to pilot for you!  I teach a MS Robotics class using VEX EXP this semester and another one next. You all rock! The education support is what sets OnShape apart from all others.

Matt_Shields

You teachers rock, @cassie_banka!  More VEX resources coming soon, promise.  Also, we are working on a laser cutting lesson.  In the meantime, if you go to the Projects section of the Learning Center, the Useless Box and the Robot Arm are good examples of laser cut projects.

dvora_celniker

I love the updates to Unit 1 so far. Excited to use the curriculum again this semester. I love @cassie_banka idea about have a set of drawings for at least the teacher to reference. 
 

Ed_Charlwood

Matt_Shields said:

Are you using our Intro to CAD curriculum?  We'd love to know how it's going.  Share teaching tips, post pictures of your models, tell us your favorite unit, or let us know how you've expanded or extended it.  

 "The Intro to CAD - Unit 2 - Designing a Skateboard" is brilliant, engaging, and effective.

The only minor issue for us not in America is with the units being in inches.

It would also be useful to have a version of the finished board or part drawings available in the public library. 

How about some open-ended extension challenges - design a grind rail using the sheet metal tool or frames tool, or reverse engineer and improve a skate tool?   

Thanks for such a great resource, Ed

alex_bevin758

Would anyone from Onshape Education be interested in joining a webinar for TENZ (Technology Education New Zealand)? I believe that more technology teachers should become familiar with Onshape, and I am a member of the committee and would be eager to lead the webinar.

Moreover, New Zealand is in the process of revising its NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) standards, and this could present an excellent opportunity for collaboration to align the Onshape curriculum with our future standards. This would be particularly relevant for the new pilot conceptual standard, which constitutes 30% of the year's course. (In addition, our prototyping standard could be aligned with FEA features as well).

alex_bevin758

For our students who require a reader-writer, having text-to-speech or videos would be beneficial. While I have utilized a chrome extension to accommodate this need, having a video available would benefit all students.

alex_bevin758

A comment bank could prove to be immensely helpful. For example:

2D drawings are generally used to convey design concepts and manufacturing instructions to individuals who will be physically assembling and making the components, similar to how Lego sets come with a set of instructions. Conversely, DXF or STL files are generally used to communicate information to CNC machines (robots).

alex_bevin758

In the past, I created my own instructional videos on how to use Onshape for designing, but I discovered that while proficient students appreciated this approach, those who lacked a foundational understanding of the "why" behind CAD often became frustrated and developed negative associations with the software. This year, I adopted the curriculum base approach, and the results have been outstanding. Though progress has been slower than with the previous method of following exemplar projects from my videos, I have completed Unit 1 and am impressed with the curriculum's focus on "the end in mind" from a design engineer's perspective. The structure clearly reflects high-level thinking, and I am grateful for the time you and your team have dedicated to it. For example, students quickly learn that the "dogbone link" is a dynamic element that updates in the part, drawing, and assembly. This is a valuable concept to understand early on, and it is generally learned through trial and error on the job.

alex_bevin758

During my lesson, I advised students to keep four tabs open in Google Chrome: Google Classroom for submitting their assignments, a student workbook Google Doc for recording their learning progress, and two Onshape tabs. One tab was reserved for following the instructions, while the other was dedicated to navigating Onshape.

It's possible that the curriculum's creators intended to minimize the number of Onshape tabs that students had open, as I noticed that instructions for streamlined navigation using the "alt+tab" command were provided. However, in my experience, it was simpler for students to have two Onshape tabs open simultaneously.

alex_bevin758

I was hesitant in teaching students early in the course about assemblies and interference detection in unit one. My thinking is that I have struggled with the mating features in assemblies in OnShape and I wanted to steer clear of it. My initial thinking was 'Wouldn't it be better to go with multibody parts at first?' However, I found the unit one course was made to be just a top-down introduction and was not as intimidating as I expected. I'm still weary of mates in OnShape as it can be really tricky to work with. Is this just me and my initial Solidworks bias or are there others that have the same problem? All in all unit one is a great tour of Assemblies, Parts (features), and Drawings and it's better to take the time (if you have it) to introduce it properly. 

alex_bevin758

Will teachers have the ability to develop their own OnShape lessons in the future? It would be fantastic to have the option to integrate video features into my own lessons. 

alex_bevin758

It would be beneficial if [student responses] were pre-highlighted in Google Docs, as it would simplify the grading process.

alex_bevin758

Having a background in design engineering, I can provide my own context to the teacher's slides. However, those with less industry experience may find it challenging to fully comprehend the material. To address this, I suggest including teacher notes or a video with more context in the future. While I understand the desire to avoid overloading teachers with information, providing additional context could be tremendously helpful.

alex_bevin758

In my "Bluetooth Speaker" lesson, students design enclosures for kits we purchase. I provide pre-designed parts for them to assemble in the OnShape assembly, and I've also introduced the finger joint and slice simulation features, which have been especially useful for laser cutting. Later in the year, I plan to incorporate casting parts from 3D-printed components. However, I prioritize using laser cutting as a teaching tool, as it is an essential manufacturing process in the real world.

 https://cad.onshape.com/documents/9093469123c7f5f1df01c529/w/aee04ad58dc68bf0f851c8f6/e/29c22e871e9a2413432cdb61?renderMode=0&uiState=63fab27d6e5f8622a5c99488

john_baglio621

Matt_Shields said:

Are you using our Intro to CAD curriculum?  We'd love to know how it's going.  Share teaching tips, post pictures of your models, tell us your favorite unit, or let us know how you've expanded or extended it.  

I am just starting to play with Onshape and the Intro to CAD curriculum now.  I need to learn it so I can teach it to upper schoolers next year.  I am very impressed by the thoroughness and amount of materials.  I already have run into a few difficulties, however.  

For example: 
- In lesson 1.1 the video that shows how to navigate the Scavenger Hunt in the park goes very fast and has no way to watch the video segments again.  Once I hit continue the previous clip disappears.

- I appreciate the presence of GIFs as a way to capture the attention of and seem relevant to teens.  However, the effect is a bit cringe as GIFs go stale pretty quickly and they distract kids who are working really hard to learn something really difficult.  I would suggest still images that are focused and something interesting and provides some CAD-related "wow" factor.

jennifer_kuhowski

Matt_Shields said:

Are you using our Intro to CAD curriculum?  We'd love to know how it's going.  Share teaching tips, post pictures of your models, tell us your favorite unit, or let us know how you've expanded or extended it.

jennifer_kuhowski

I used the entire curriculum last year and absolutely loved it. Thank you for a great product and support.
Here are my comments and questions.

• I didn't realize that there were updates to the Unit 1 curriculum. Is there a changelog location showing updates from last year?
• I agree with cassie_banka that having a printed version of the directions would be helpful. 
• Is there a way for me to edit the Onshape Documents? Some lessons needed additional time to complete (for most students) but leaving all of the steps and instructions allowed some students to move too far ahead. It would be nice to be able to release once section at a time instead of all at once (1.2-1.4)

jennifer_kuhowski

I used the entire curriculum last year and absolutely loved it. Thank you for a great product and support.
Here are my comments and questions.

• I didn't realize that there were updates to the Unit 1 curriculum. Is there a changelog location showing updates from last year?
• I agree with cassie_banka that having a printed version of the directions would be helpful. 
• Is there a way for me to edit the Onshape Documents? Some lessons needed additional time to complete (for most students) but leaving all of the steps and instructions allowed some students to move too far ahead. It would be nice to be able to release once section at a time instead of all at once (1.2-1.4)

jennifer_kuhowski

My students just finished Unit 3 and they LOVED it! I made the 3.3 brick creation into a separate project. I uploaded images of a few "toy brick basic designs" and told the students to assemble something with their new brick configurations. Then they had to create the 4-view drawing and submit the BOM.
I will be showcasing the designs on our website.
I'm attaching a few examples.
.

Matt_Shields

Wow!  Amazing work!

emily_locke190

We did this curriculum a year ago and I love the changes!!  I was selling people on the skateboard and Legos, so I'm glad that part didn't change :-)  I'll continue to post comments as I go through this time.  I do have a couple quick comments which are things that remain unchanged from last time.

Videos in the lessons - I don't find it easy to follow the way they are broken up into small segments and it's not easy to go back and pause.  Personally, I think the videos would be better if they were continuous and allowed users to pause when they wanted. 

Printables - I would also love if portions of this were easier to print. Like the Scavenger Hunt list, as an example.  Otherwise it can involve a LOT of clicking back and forth between tabs/documents.  Or even a full printable of each lesson so the kids could have a physical copy next to them while they were working in the Onshape document.

dvora_celniker

I overall love this curriculum and its progress.

I wish there was more focus on creating detail drawings with full dimensions as that is a critical skill in work as an engineer to manufacturing. 

Also, I am running into trouble with the Skateboard extension Making the Trucks Realistic 2.5.2 When we finish Step 12 it looks like this...

and I need to go in to Sketch 7 and fix a constaint and redraw some lines to fix it. I have made sure I followed all directions for completing the truck correctly leading up to the extension. Any thoughts? Anyone else running into this issue? 

amy_brudin

@Matt_Shields Lots of great suggestions here since the new revision came out a year ago. Will any of these suggestions (printables, dimesional drawings, improved video navigation) be available for use during the 2023-24 school year? Would love an update! Thanks!

Matt_Shields

Love these suggestions!  We have made some incremental changes and updates as the product as evolved over the last year.  We are also working on a system to make these changes even more frequent.  One of the coolest things about Onshape is that it updates roughtly every 3 weeks.  But that makes curriculum writing a challenge 

We are also about to release a full Drawings Curriculum, which might meet the needs of some people who are looking to do more CAD drawings in their classes.  Stay tuned!