2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

An engineering design-based curriculum was created to aid 200 elementary and middle school teachers (grades 4-8) in meeting the academic science standards for The State of Minnesota. A need for a standards-based P-12 curricular framework was recognized by the state that would allow a learner to grow and evolve into systems-level thinking; the engineering design process (EDP) was that framework in this study. Also as important is an understanding of the different ways learners acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes about science.
The cases described in this paper explore how well the engineering design process embedded in the curriculum serves as a framework for young students to learn science. An engineering-driven STEM unit, consisting of 14 (50-minute) class periods taught in a 6th grade science class, requires students to work in teams to implement the EDP and learn scientific principles to meet a goal. Building on the real-world premise of a freight train derailing and spilling its cargo of various minerals into a lake; students plan, design, and iterate on decision tree processes for the sorting, identification, and recovery of the spilled minerals to optimize the system between expense and mineral separation. As students learn about mineral properties and the value of non-renewable mineral resources from the teacher’s presentations, this information is used to support evidence-based reasoning for process design decisions.
Data for this study consist of video and audio recordings of observations of two groups of students as they refine and present their solutions (processes) to retrieve the minerals from the lake. Content, thematic, and discourse analyses techniques were applied to characterize the process by which students improved their understanding of scientific concepts while applying those concepts in an engineering design process. Student learning is measured by comparing the increasing number of different minerals recovered after new science material is introduced. The increasing points gained from the improved methods to select and reclaim difficult minerals reflect the amount of additional science learned by the student teams. The more points attained from the optimized system, indicates the more science that was understood and applied by the teams. There was a significant increase of science literacy and engagement for both teams as they progressed through the 14 class sessions. Analysis of the audio and video recordings indicated that using the engineering design process as a framework prompted students to recall, discuss, and ultimately understand and apply the scientific knowledge presented in class.