Engineers initial ideas rarely solve a problem. Instead, they try different ideas, learn from their mistakes, and then try again. The steps engineers take to arrive at a solution, are called the design process. As students work through their challenge and try to build a product for the Ancient Greek civilization, we used the questions below to tie their work to specific steps in the design process.
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IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
What problem needs to be solved?​
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BRAINSTORMING
How creative can you be?How can you tackle the problem?
What "product" would you take to the Ancient Greek'civilization?
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PLAN
What brainstormed ideas are really possible, given your time, and the tools or materials available at that time?
What problem are you going to solve when you build your product?
How can a sketch help clarify your design?
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What materials will you need?
What can you learn by looking at your classmates' products?
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Why is it a good idea to keep testing a design?
What specific goal are you trying to achieve and how will you know you have been successful?
How does your product meet the criteria for success presented at the beginning of the project?
What's the best feature of your design? Why?
What were the different steps you took to make your design work?
What was the hardest problem to solve?
Did you have to do something many times to get it to work? What?
If you had more time, how would you improve your product?
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INTRODUCING THE DESIGN PROCESS
Student's Backpack
