Other
American Society for Engineering Education: E Gfi: Think Like a Bird!
Students learn about wildlife habitats, environmental engineering, and the complexities of nest construction by attempting to design and build a nest themselves. This activity can be done individually or with a partner.
Other
American Society for Engineering Education: E Gfi: Activity: Keep a Cube
In this activity, student teams in grades K-6 explore the design process by engineering a way to keep an ice cube from melting for 30 minutes. [6:00]
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Career Technical Education Research
This lesson plan is designed to help students document their research for a year long capstone project. (Creating an Engineering Report)The students will be following the requirements for the Siemens Math, Science Technology competition....
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: This Is How We Roll!
Young scholars take on the role of engineers who need to design a roller coaster. They will explore the history of roller coasters, the different types, and the many things that can affect the success or failure of a roller coaster....
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Defining an Engineering Design Problem With Paper Airplanes
For this fun lesson, you will be the "customer" ordering a paper airplane, and your student teams will be engineering companies that will manufacture planes. Before they start making planes, they need to define the criteria and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Design Requirement Examples
The design requirements for a science project will differ from those of anyone else because it will apply to a specific problem statement and the product, system, or experience that is being designed. In the table, are some examples of...
Practical Action
Practical Action: Small Is Challenge
In this activity, students are challenged to look at technologies from the last 100 years and invent a product that could help us all lead a more sustainable future. Includes downloadable activity sheets, a PowerPoint, and a colorful...
Other
4 Ways to Help Students Identify Needs and Opportunities and to Design Solutions
One of the key aspects of the design thinking process is to be able to identify needs and opportunities for design endeavors. Students need to investigate, explore and critique needs, opportunities, and information in order to define the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Logan Explains the Engineering Design Process
What are the steps in the engineering design process? What activities do engineers actually complete during those steps? Students learn the steps and then apply their new knowledge in this design challenge.
Other
Joining Dots: Why Design Means Compromise
In this blog article, the author talks about some of the trade-offs that must occur during the software design process with reference to an interview with Bill Buxton who was Principle Researcher at Microsoft Research at the time....
Other
Mobile Spoon: Here's to Trade Offs and Compromises Your Product's Best Friends
This article discusses some of the different trade-offs and compromises that happen during a design process, for example, usability vs. appeal. Includes some examples from a home renovation and from technology features.
NASA
NASA Kids Club: Rocket Builder
Students can hone their shape-recognition skills and use the plans to build a fleet of rockets.
ABCya
Ab Cya: Andy's Golf
Andy's Golf is physics-based fun for the whole family. Take your best shot to avoid obstacles and beat par!
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Innovations in Football Equipment
Due to recent advances in technology and engineering, new innovations in equipment are helping to support the game of football in every respect.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Designing a Healthier, Happier Meal: The Engineering Design Process
See how STEM professionals typically work on teams to complete projects.
ABCya
Ab Cya: Make a Treehouse
Design the treehouse of your dreams with ABCya's Make a Treehouse! Choose from tree types, wood varieties and more. Would you like to build a house in a rainbow eucalyptus tree? No problem! How about a roller coaster entrance, and a...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Ruff Ruffman Show: Hamster Run
Use the engineering design process to build, test, and redesign structures to help the hamsters reach their food.
Other
Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (Cosa): Microbeads, Mega Problem [Pdf]
A textbook activity where students work in teams to design a device or technique that will prevent plastic microbeads from entering local lakes and streams. They will use the engineering process to design a solution and then present...
Other
Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (Cosa): Design Process [Pdf]
This resource outlines the steps in the design process. It describes problem identification, research, deciding on a solution, making and testing a prototype, communicating the results, and evaluation and redesign.
Other
Teecom: What Do We Mean by "Flexibility" in Design?
A technology consultant discusses what "flexibility" means in the context of design. He tries to understand what a client means when they say they want a flexible design. His goal is to come up with a design that focuses on the user. The...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Ready, Set, Escape
During this project, students will be asked to design a device that will measure out a time period of exactly 3 minutes. They will be asked to brainstorm ideas using the different materials provided. Students will observe and explain the...
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology
Ciese: Square of Life: Mini Squares of Life
Students use the engineering design process to plan and construct a device for marking out the area for a small square outdoors, so that they can study what is contained inside it.