Unit 3 — Design Challenges and Problem Solving: Civil Engineering
Description
This capstone unit applies the Engineering Design Process to real-world civil engineering challenges where students work in teams to design and construct structures that meet specific constraints. Students solve instructor-determined design problems such as wooden bridges, paper towers, straw suspension bridges, or book support challenges, each with different limitations regarding materials, weight, distance, budget, size, and time. Before building physical prototypes, students use TinkerCAD to create design drawings and test solutions digitally. The unit emphasizes creating structures that can survive multiple challenges and issues, requiring students to consider physics concepts like gravity, load, force, and material properties. Students present and defend their design decisions and explain how they addressed constraints.
Essential Questions
- How is the solution going to be influenced by design constraints?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of various building materials?
- How can decisions be made collaboratively and fairly?
- What is structure and how does structure relate to function?
- Why do engineers need to keep outside effects in mind when designing?
- What are the effects of gravity, load, and force on structures?
Learning Objectives
- Solve a problem with constraints determined by the instructor within civil engineering using the Engineering Design Process
- Create a structure that can survive multiple challenges and issues
- Apply knowledge of physics concepts including gravity, load, structure, beams, force, tension, and compression
- Produce a digitally created design using basic mechanical drawing techniques or computer design program
- Evaluate trade-offs between competing design constraints such as materials, weight, and cost
- Work collaboratively in teams to design and build solutions
- Document design decisions and explain how specific constraints influenced solutions
Supplemental Resources
- Chart paper for documenting team design plans and decision-making processes
- Markers for labeling designs and identifying key structure features
- Sticky notes for collaborative brainstorming and constraint analysis
- Printed material lists and budget sheets for tracking resource constraints
- Rulers and measuring tape for checking prototype dimensions against specifications
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Engineering Design
Geometry
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students engage in collaborative discussions with diverse partners to share engineering ideas and present findings on design challenges and engineering achievements. Students prepare and deliver presentations on topics related to engineering disciplines and design solutions.
Students apply mathematical reasoning to solve design problems, use geometric understanding to create technical drawings and designs, and employ measurement and spatial reasoning when building structures. Students reason abstractly about design constraints and use appropriate tools strategically to construct viable arguments about design decisions.
Students follow multistep procedures when carrying out design tasks and technical work. Students define design problems, generate and compare solutions, and plan fair tests to identify aspects of prototypes that can be improved through the engineering design process.
Formative Assessments
- Observation of team collaboration and problem-solving during design phases
- Review of TinkerCAD designs before physical construction
- Evaluation of prototype testing against design specifications
- Monitoring of group discussions on design trade-offs and constraints
- Daily classwork and participation in design challenge activities
Summative Assessment
Completion of design challenge project including the physical prototype structure and documentation of the design process, decisions made, constraints addressed, and testing results
Benchmark Assessment
A design challenge task where students apply the Engineering Design Process to plan a simple structure meeting 2-3 specific constraints, create a digital or sketch-based design, and explain in writing or orally how their design addresses gravity, load, and at least one material property.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding by explaining their design choices and structure through oral presentation or recorded video explanation instead of written documentation. Visual supports such as labeled diagrams, photo evidence of the prototype, and sentence frames for explaining constraints and physics concepts may be provided as needed.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from visual supports such as labeled diagrams of civil engineering concepts like load, tension, and compression to reinforce key vocabulary during the design process. Breaking the Engineering Design Process into clearly numbered, sequential steps with checkpoints can help students manage the multi-phase project without becoming overwhelmed. For documentation tasks, consider allowing students to dictate their design decisions, use graphic organizers, or provide sentence frames so that the focus remains on demonstrating engineering thinking rather than written output. Providing a physical or digital model of a completed example structure can also help students understand the end goal while allowing them to make their own design choices.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be given extended time during testing phases and documentation tasks connected to the design challenge, as well as preferential seating within their team to reduce distraction during collaborative work sessions. Printed copies of directions, constraint lists, and design criteria should be available so students are not solely dependent on verbal instructions during fast-moving build phases. Allowing brief movement breaks during longer construction or TinkerCAD sessions can support sustained focus throughout the five-week unit.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from a visual word wall or illustrated reference sheet featuring key civil engineering and physics terms such as gravity, force, load, beam, tension, and compression, displayed throughout the unit. Directions for each phase of the design challenge should be given in short, clear steps, and students should be invited to sketch or gesture their ideas before putting them into words. Pairing MLL students with supportive peers during team design discussions and allowing them to use their home language during initial brainstorming can lower the barrier to participation and build confidence before whole-group sharing.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be connected to the unit through familiar, concrete examples of structures in their everyday environment, such as bridges, buildings, or ramps, to activate prior knowledge before introducing formal engineering vocabulary. Offering simplified constraint sets or a narrowed range of material choices for initial design attempts can help students experience early success and build momentum through the project. Frequent brief check-ins during the design and build phases allow teachers to catch misconceptions early and redirect students toward productive problem-solving strategies without waiting until testing or documentation.
Gifted & Talented
Advanced learners should be encouraged to self-impose additional constraints beyond those set by the instructor, such as stricter budget limits, reduced material quantities, or added performance requirements, to deepen the complexity of their design challenge. Exploring the mathematics of structural load distribution or researching real-world civil engineering failures and their causes can connect the unit to abstract analytical thinking. Students may also be challenged to write a formal engineering brief or present their design rationale using technical vocabulary, reflecting the kind of professional communication used by practicing engineers.