OP here. Thanks very. much for your responses—very helpful.

DC signed up for one of these for 8th grade at TPMS. I didn't even know it was an option. It seems like a waste of time, but I guess they get this requirement out of the way.

My kid took part 1 of each of these courses over 2 different summers to get the tech credit. Both were very introductory. The main difference is as you would expect, I think. The computer science course focused on how computers work and had programming assignments and the engineering course focused on the engineering problem solving process and had CAD-lite assignments.

Anonymous wrote:For kids who are really just hoping to get the technology requirement out of the way -- what is the difference between the foundations of computer science technology and the foundations of engineering courses? Is one better than the other, or more useful? Is there a basic syllabus posted anywhere for these courses? Are the summer school classes especially hard given how compressed they are, or are they doable? TIA.

I always recommend the computer course for students who are only looking for tech credit. The software for the engineering course can be difficult. Depending on what a student wants to do in life, both can be useful. If my child could take one in the summer, they would do it unless they want to move on to higher courses. If they aren't interested in either topic, get it out of the way. MCPS got rid of the software applications course years ago and that was a huge disservice to students. The programs that were taught in that course help in all careers and now students are still stuck between intro to coding or intro to engineering.

For kids who are really just hoping to get the technology requirement out of the way -- what is the difference between the foundations of computer science technology and the foundations of engineering courses? Is one better than the other, or more useful? Is there a basic syllabus posted anywhere for these courses? Are the summer school classes especially hard given how compressed they are, or are they doable? TIA.