Developed by the UTeachEngineering project at the University of Texas at Austin, the Engineer Your World program offers students of all backgrounds, interests, and abilities the opportunity to develop an understanding of Engineering.  This high school level program gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding of the engineering approach to problem-solving and was developed by a team that included University of Texas faculty, NASA engineers, and secondary teachers. Engineer Your World provides a low-cost, design-based engineering program that can be implemented in almost any high school setting and includes first-rate teacher training and ongoing support.

There are two courses available in the program. This article will take a look at the Engineering Design and Analysis course. We will review the second course, Engineering Applications of Computer Science in an upcoming article. You can also request the printable course overview and access sample lessons here.

EYW: Engineering Design and Analysis

This design-based, inquiry-focused, hands-on engineering course is designed for all learners. It is accessible to students of all abilities, backgrounds, and interests. Students will learn three main topics:

1. The Engineering Design Process: Students will learn how engineers design. They will create solutions to help people with disabilities. A consumer product will be shared that they will reverse engineer. They will determine how it was designed and how they think they could design it better.
2. The Importance of Data-Driven Decisions: While working on a project to redesign a building to be safer in an earthquake-prone region of the world, students will be tasked with gathering and analyzing data, and then they will represent and argue their design decisions based on that data. This is a great experience the demonstrates the challenges and opportunities of working in a team using data.
3. Programming & System Design: Once students have learned items 1 and 2, they are given the opportunity to apply these skills and develop basic coding skills. Students will put these skills to the test in a systems engineering capstone challenge.

A Closer Look at the Program

Give your students authentic experiences where they can develop 21st-century skills working on socially relevant products. Prepare students for college and their careers with important engineering and computing skills. With EYW: Engineering Design and Analysis, students will explore a variety of disciplines in engineering including aerospace, chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. They will participate in a series of design challenges. These challenges illustrate the importance of engineering showcasing how it can improve people’s lives, meet the needs of specific audiences, and enable creativity in the arts.

Here is a bird’s eye view of the units:

1. Discovering design with a pinhole camera
2. Reverse engineering a flashlight redesign
3. Understanding data with calibrated coffee
4. Using data-driven design to create safer buildings
5. Exploring algorithms and programming with electronic music
6. Understanding engineering systems with aerial imaging

Get Started with Engineer Your World

If you are interested in bringing this powerful program to your high school, visit the Engineer Your World website for more information.

This program understands that schools have limited funds. Its mission is to reach as many students as possible, therefore Engineer Your World continually looks for ways to keep this program affordable. This is why they partner with companies like Studica who are always negotiating and seeking out the best pricing for equipment, supplies, and other consumables.