This study examined the effects of the engineering design-based activities developed in the context of aircraft engineering on the engineering design process (EDP) skills of students. Through the notebooks that the students provided during the implementation process, their EDP skills for each engineering design phase (identification of the…

Engineering design practices in STEM education focus on reflecting the discipline-specific work of engineers in a manner that is suitable for the student level and course learning objectives. Using an engineering design context also facilitates student identification of global problems and feasible solutions to address such problems. In this…

Existing evidence highlights the significance of family STEM learning experiences during early childhood. However, there is a lack of research specific to early childhood family-based learning in the field of engineering, especially with preschool-age children (three to five years old). To address this gap and inform engineering education programs…

The aim of this study is to present the implementation steps of an engineering design process-based activity. The activity was implemented with 6th-grade students; 21 students were involved. Various visuals were used to attract the students' attention during the introduction of the activity, and discussions were held about engineers and…

Contribution: This article presents a comprehensive overview of characteristics of educational designs of collaborative engineering design activities found in literature and how these characteristics mediate students' collaboration. Background: Engineers have to solve complex problems that require collaboration. In education, various collaborative…

Contribution: This article defines "curricular hackathons" and describes the features, challenges, and opportunities of adopting the hackathon format into engineering curricula. It is based on experience implementing a series of curricular hackathons which provide students with formative design experiences as they address ill-structured…

Today, problems such as climate change, drought, food crises, and pandemics have once again brought the effective use of natural resources back on the agenda. With STEM + based activities, an interdisciplinary learning approach, students are expected to design a product that will solve a problem from daily life and add value to it. Based on these…

Contribution: The proposed operational model offers a detailed framework for understanding the complexities of design thinking. It helps instructors evaluate each stage, promoting the development of high-quality designs. This model emphasizes the link between the various stages and the final design quality, steering students toward achieving…

For students to gain the most out of education, they need to form long-term memories from experiences gained through active learning. The greatest distinction between active learning and traditional approaches involves the types of tasks and problems the students are challenged to solve. Active learning activities should be structured with student…

What if you could challenge your fourth graders to create a minimally invasive, highly efficient dam? With this volume in the "STEM Road Map Curriculum Series," you can! "Hydropower Efficiency" outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines.…

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of engineering design-based activities carried out in the sixth-grade Matter and Heat unit on the problem-solving skills of students, and the changes in the designing skills of students during these activities. This research, conducted by following the one-group pre-test -- post-test…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how a tangram activity improved students' abilities to explain sustainability, articulate a positive perception of sustainable design and relate sustainability with innovation in engineering design. Design/methodology/approach: The concept of paradigm shift was introduced in the classroom by using a tangram…

This study presents a rollercoaster activity including virtual reality and following the six-steps engineering design process. In the study, a real-life problem involving a rollercoaster accident was given to 12 pre-service science teachers first. The participants were then asked to imagine, plan, create, and test a rollercoaster without an…

Purpose: Science museums provide a context for developing and testing engineering activities that support visitors in creating personally meaningful objects. This study aims to propose that narrative design elements in such engineering activities can foster empathy to support engineering engagement among girls ages 7-14.…

With the increasing importance of teaching STEM to young students, the engineering design process (EDP) has become a popular learning platform in K-12 STEM education. The engineering design process guides students in solving engineering problems, but there is a lack of understanding of how students utilize this process. In this study, we explored…