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Prototype Development
Table Of Contents
Prototype Development: Try, Try Again
Introduction
Background Information
Lessons and Activities
Projects
ITEA Standards

Introduction

How do engineers move from imagination to reality with a new product? It's a long process with many complex steps. Eventually engineers end up with models. Product design models make for flashy presentations. But the ability to create a tangible working model—a prototype—from the design is what allows the proper evaluation of a product. Engineers use prototypes to generate data that help perfect the final product. Usually it takes more than one try to get it right. This step of the product design process is essential to preproduction.

Students can develop an understanding of the role of prototypes while they do just what engineers do: Brainstorm, sketch early design ideas, think about materials to use, build a design, test it, and build it again.

Hone in on just the prototype development step of the design process with these online resources for students: lessons and activities, student project steps related to prototyping, and background information. All of these resources will help you meet the ITEA standards as you encourage your students to test, retest, test, retest, test…until they get it right!		 Four students look at a strobe light and wiring.
Used with permission of the International
Technology Education Association (ITEA).

by Quentin Briggs, formerly of ENC Instructional Resources

Quentin Briggs was a technology education content specialist at ENC. He has nine years of technology teaching experience at the middle school level and four years experience as an industry professional in the area of training and development.

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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. Creative Commons License