Projects

If you have your students exploring the development of prototypes, you are probably already immersed in a complex product design curriculum or plan. In such cases, student projects may play an integral role in the learning process. Design and Discovery is a comprehensive inquiry-based curriculum developed by the Intel Corporation to introduce students to the design process in engineering. Below we highlight specific components of the Prototyping Practicalities section of the curriculum to allow you to quickly get to aspects of student projects that emphasize elements of prototype design. It is important to note again that prototype development is but one stage in the overall product design process. Students will need to understand the process and learn many design skills to be ready for this part of a student project.

Used with permission of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA).

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Prototype materials http://www.intel.com/education/design/session14/activity2.htm

Students explore possible materials for developing their prototypes. You may want to arrange a visit to the classroom from a professional who is familiar with materials, or perhaps you can plan a field trip to the hardware store where students can get a sense of available materials. The activity suggests topics for discussion to allow students to consider the characteristics of their materials and such things as cost and availability. Allow 60 minutes to complete this activity, which includes a handout with tips and questions that will help students make decisions about their materials. MSP full record

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Copyright November 2004 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.