Fostering experiential learning experiences that allow students to apply their design thinking skills is important for developing technological and engineering (T&E) literacy. However, K-12 schools must ensure that educators providing these experiential T&E experiences are adequately prepared and supported to maintain a safer teaching and…

While process simulation tools offer immense potential in chemical engineering, effectively integrating them into the educational curriculum poses challenges. This work explored and practiced online-offline blended teaching in process simulation courses. The design of this blended course was based on a comparison of students' performances in fully…

Background: In countries that endorse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education as an educational movement, design-based learning is deemed a pedagogical approach. Purpose: Because the integration of the engineering design process and scientific investigation has been an issue in science education, this study examined the…

What better way to engage fifth-grade students in science and engineering practices than to use paper airplanes to encourage them to question, explore, create, and test designs! This multi-day unit draws from a fourth-grade curriculum (Pearson 2012) aligned with the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) used in…

Biomimicry, the process of using nature to guide innovative thinking and development, can be useful in helping students grasp scientific concepts. Teachers interested in incorporating biomimicry into lesson plans might find that experiential learning at informal science institutions (ISIs) with natural models and artifacts is a valuable tool to…

With the continuous development and innovation of information technology, virtual reality (VR) has become an important topic of education technology in recent years. VR is not only applied in many industries, but is also used by scholars for education applications as it enables students to have an immersive learning experience to enhance their…

In this article, we share design guidelines for the development and use of online, video-based "teaching playgrounds," which provide opportunities for prospective teachers to engage in professional noticing of teaching practices. Through teaching playgrounds, we provide an instantiation of the Presence+Experience framework, which…

A design for a simple and inexpensive gradient maker is described. The gradient maker is assembled by (i) cutting the tops off two plastic bottles of differing diameters to produce two cylinders with intact bottoms; (ii) drilling a small hole toward the bottom of the smaller diameter cylinder and plugging the hole with a size 00 cork stopper; and…

Learning science through design offers students the opportunity to engage in real-life problems from an interdisciplinary perspective. This ERIC Digest explains the power of "design" as a teaching tool, what it brings to teaching, and what learning through design entails. (YDS)

The purpose of this study was to document the iterative development of a design-based science curriculum called Learning Science by Designing Artifacts (LSDA). The study refers to the enactment of the Safer Cell Phones curriculum in a high school located in the Midwest. The curriculum was a 5- or 9-week unit in an 18-week science elective course.…

Describes an introductory course required of all engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal (Canada). Discusses the design of the course, including its emphasis upon the facets of engineering careers, direct experience, and written and spoken communication. (TW)

Rube Goldberg is famous for his very complex machines that accomplish everyday tasks. In this activity, students design and build a Rube Goldberg machine that will accomplish a simple task in no less than 10 steps. This activity requires a 120-360 minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

When asked to list some strong materials, people think of steel, concrete, and wood. In this activity, students learn about the force of compression and how it acts on structural components through a hands-on group problem. Using everyday products such as paper, toothpicks, and tape, students construct a structure that will support the weight of a…

After a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works, students create a parachute using different materials that they think will work best. They then test their designs, which is followed by a class discussion to highlight which paper material worked best. This activity requires a 60-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

In this activity, students build a city out of sugar cubes, bouillon cubes, and gelatin cubes. The city is then put through simulated earthquakes to see which cube structures withstand the shaking the best. This activity requires a 50-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)