Unit 2 — The Engineering Design Process
Description
This unit focuses on teaching students the systematic steps of the engineering design process and introduces Computer Aided Drafting as a tool for accurate design and creation. Students participate in multimedia projects highlighting the parts of the design process and use TinkerCAD software to design and create items such as cities, vehicles, bridges, and other structure pieces. Students conduct research reports on building structures and bridge structures, including information about successes and failures in real-world projects. The unit builds foundational digital design skills needed for the final unit's civil engineering challenges.
Essential Questions
- What are the necessary steps involved in the engineering design process?
- How do engineers use the design process to solve problems?
- What is CAD and how does it improve engineering design?
- How are designs evaluated for success?
Learning Objectives
- List and explain the steps involved in the engineering design process
- Understand how to use CAD programs to facilitate accurate design and creation
- Produce a digitally created design using basic mechanical drawing techniques or computer design software
- Analyze success and failure in existing structures and designs
- Apply problem statements and design criteria to guide solution development
Supplemental Resources
- Printed examples of different problem statements for ranking and analysis
- Chart paper and markers for poster projects
- Rulers (English and metric) for design accuracy discussions
- Printed images of successful and failed structure designs
- Index cards for design criteria brainstorming activities
Engineering Design
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Geometry
Science and Engineering Practices
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students follow multistep procedures when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, and performing technical tasks related to engineering design challenges and material testing.
Students engage in collaborative discussions with peers, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly during design challenges and team-based projects.
Students make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, and attend to precision when working with geometric measurements and design calculations.
Formative Assessments
- Completion of TinkerCAD design activities for cities, vehicles, and structures
- Peer review of digital designs using design process criteria
- Class discussion on ways designs are evaluated and criteria for good problem statements
- Exit tickets on understanding of design process steps
Summative Assessment
Poster or multimedia project highlighting the parts of the design process with examples
Benchmark Assessment
Benchmark assessments for grades 6-8 on understanding design process and CAD software use
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of the engineering design process through a guided digital design project with reduced complexity, such as designing a single structure rather than a full city. Teacher-provided templates, step-by-step visual checklists of the design process, and verbal prompts during CAD activities may support students in completing their work.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from a visual anchor chart or numbered reference card displaying the steps of the engineering design process to support comprehension and independent navigation of multi-step tasks. Providing graphic organizers for the research report on building and bridge structures can help students organize information without being overwhelmed by open-ended writing demands. For TinkerCAD activities, step-by-step visual or video tutorials and the option to demonstrate understanding orally or through annotated screenshots rather than lengthy written explanations can reduce barriers to showing design knowledge. Breaking the summative multimedia project into smaller sequential checkpoints with teacher feedback at each stage supports students who need structured pacing and frequent progress monitoring.
Section 504
Students should be given extended time on TinkerCAD design tasks and the summative multimedia project to ensure access to the full design process without time pressure interfering with performance. Preferential seating near the teacher or away from high-traffic areas of the room can help students maintain focus during research and digital design work. Printed or digitally accessible copies of directions for software tasks reduce reliance on working memory when navigating new tools.
ELL / MLL
Vocabulary central to this unit — such as prototype, criteria, constraint, iteration, and CAD — should be introduced with visual supports, diagrams, and real-world image examples before students encounter these terms in context. Simplified, step-by-step directions for TinkerCAD activities with accompanying screenshots or short video walkthroughs can make software navigation more accessible regardless of language proficiency. Allowing students to discuss design ideas or respond to discussion prompts in their home language with a partner before sharing with the class supports comprehension and participation during collaborative learning.
At Risk (RTI)
Connecting the engineering design process to familiar, real-world examples — such as bridges or buildings students have seen in their community — can help build relevance and activate prior knowledge before introducing formal vocabulary and process steps. Providing a partially completed graphic organizer or sentence starters for the research report gives students a structured entry point into the research and writing components of the unit. For TinkerCAD work, beginning with a simplified or guided design task before moving to open-ended creation builds confidence and foundational digital skills progressively.
Gifted & Talented
Students who quickly master the core steps of the engineering design process can be challenged to analyze documented real-world engineering failures and successes in greater depth, exploring how iterative redesign influenced outcomes over time. In TinkerCAD, these students might pursue more complex or self-directed design challenges that require them to apply design criteria, material constraints, and structural logic simultaneously. For the summative project, encouraging students to incorporate original research, propose improvements to an existing structure, or present their work in a professional format — such as a design brief or engineering proposal — extends learning into authentic, higher-order application.