Unit 3 — Design Challenges and Problem Solving: Civil Engineering
Description
In this capstone unit, students apply the engineering design process to solve real-world civil engineering problems with instructor-determined constraints. Working in teams, students design and construct solutions to design challenges such as wooden bridges, paper towers, straw suspension bridges, and book support structures. Each project includes different constraints involving materials, weight capacity, distance, budget, size, and time. Students use TinkerCAD for their initial design drawings before building physical prototypes. The unit requires students to document their design process, test their structures under various conditions, and iterate based on results.
Essential Questions
- How can the engineering design process solve a problem with specific constraints?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of various building materials?
- How does structure relate to function in engineering design?
- What effects do gravity, load, and force have on structures?
- How can a structure be modified to survive multiple challenges?
Learning Objectives
- Solve a problem with instructor-determined constraints within the civil engineering branch using the engineering design process
- Create a structure that can survive multiple challenges and testing scenarios
- Apply knowledge of materials and their properties to design decisions
- Use CAD software to plan designs before physical construction
- Document the iterative design process including decisions and trade-offs
- Evaluate and improve designs based on testing results
Supplemental Resources
- Wood pieces, paper, straws, and glue for structure building
- Rulers and measuring tapes for dimension accuracy
- Chart paper for documenting design process and iterations
- Index cards for recording constraints and criteria
- Markers and colored pencils for design sketches and documentation
Engineering Design
Ethics and Culture
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
- TinkerCAD design drawings for structures before building
- Testing and observation of prototype performance under constraints
- Team collaboration and problem-solving discussions
- Documentation of design iterations and decisions
- Peer evaluation of structure designs and improvements
Summative Assessment
Completed physical structure that meets design constraints; presentation documenting the design process, challenges encountered, and solutions implemented
Benchmark Assessment
Benchmark assessments for grades 6-8 on application of engineering design process and civil engineering concepts
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a simplified design challenge with reduced constraints, fewer materials, or extended time to plan and build. Visual aids such as labeled diagrams, step-by-step instruction cards, or a pre-made template for the design process documentation may be provided. Participation in team testing and verbal explanation of design choices may substitute for written process documentation.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from chunked, step-by-step guidance through the engineering design process, with visual process charts posted at their workspace showing each phase from brainstorming through testing and iteration. Providing graphic organizers or templated documentation sheets reduces the writing demand while still capturing design decisions and trade-offs. Where physical construction or fine motor tasks present challenges, teachers should allow flexible roles within teams so students can contribute meaningfully through planning, testing, or verbal explanation. Oral or recorded responses may serve as alternatives to written design documentation when appropriate.
Section 504
Extended time should be applied to design planning phases and any written documentation components of the unit. Students may benefit from preferential seating within their team to minimize distraction during collaborative building and testing activities. Access to a visual timer during timed construction challenges supports pacing and reduces anxiety around constraint-based tasks.
ELL / MLL
Teachers should provide visual supports such as labeled diagrams of civil engineering structures and a unit-specific word wall covering key vocabulary like constraints, prototype, iteration, load, and span to build content language alongside concepts. Directions for each design challenge should be delivered in short, clear steps, and students should be given the opportunity to confirm understanding before beginning construction. Pairing students strategically within teams and encouraging the use of their home language during planning discussions can support both comprehension and confident participation.
At Risk (RTI)
Teachers can support entry into the design process by connecting civil engineering challenges to familiar structures students encounter in their everyday environments, helping activate prior knowledge before introducing technical vocabulary or constraints. Reducing the number of active constraints in early design challenges allows students to experience early success before complexity is layered in. Frequent check-ins during the planning and building phases, along with structured team roles, provide scaffolding that keeps students engaged and on track without removing the authentic problem-solving experience.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate early mastery of the design process can be challenged to self-impose additional constraints — such as weight limits, cost ceilings, or material restrictions — that increase the complexity of their engineering problem. Teachers may encourage these students to research real-world civil engineering precedents and analyze how professional engineers address similar structural challenges, connecting their designs to authentic applications. Asking gifted students to formally present failure analysis and design rationale, as an engineer would, pushes beyond construction toward the kind of critical evaluation and technical communication used in the field.