Creating a classroom culture for engineering
How to Develop an Engineering
Design Task
Create your own design activity in seven steps.
By Chelsey Dankenbring, Brenda M. Capobianco, and David Eichinger
R
ecently there has been a push
for the integration of engi-
neering content and prac-
tices into K–12 science education at
the state and national levels (NRC
2012; NGSS Lead States 2013). One
way engineering education has been
included in the elementary science
curriculum is through the use of
engineering design tasks as a means
to teach science content. Although
engineering design tasks may ben-
efit students’ science learning and
increase their interest in both science
and engineering, few teachers have
received training on how to create
their own standards-based engineer-
ing design tasks. In this article, we
provide an overview of engineering
and the engineering design process,
then we describe the steps we took
to develop a fifth grade–level, stan-
dards-based engineering design task
titled “Getting the Dirt on Decom-
position,” which will be referred to
as “Compost Bin” in this article.
Our main goal is to focus more on
modeling the discrete steps we took
to create and write an original design
brief rather than profiling a specific
design task. These steps are general-
izable and may serve as common pro-
cedural steps you can take to success-
fully create your classroom-based
70 Science and Children
engineering design task that may
complement your curriculum and
enhance student learning of science
through design. To contextualize our
writing steps, we use the Compost
Bin as our signature, original task
and provide helpful guidelines when
implementing this task.
What Are
Engineering and the
Engineering Design
Process?
A Framework for K–12 Science Educa-
tion (NRC 2012) defines engineering
as “any engagement in a systematic
practice of design to achieve solu-
tions to particular human problems”
(p. 11). Engineers use their under-
standing of mathematics and science
concepts to find solutions to ill-struc-
tured problems. These problems are
“messy” because there is not one cor-
rect solution or a single path to arrive
at a solution. Rather, engineers make
a series of trade-offs as they use their
knowledge of science and mathemati-
cal concepts to arrive at a solution.
Engineers devise a solution, either
an artifact or a process, to the prob-
lem by going through an engineering
design process. Engineering design
is an iterative process in which engi-
neers identify a problem, brainstorm
ideas, create a design, construct and
test a prototype, and redesign their
prototype as needed (Capobianco,
Nyquist, and Tyrie 2013).
In an elementary science class-
room, students can be introduced to
an engineering design task through a
design brief which describes a client
with a real-world problem that needs
solving. Students individually de-
velop a plan to solve the problem and
document their plan in a design note-
book. Next, students are placed into
teams of three to four students and
share their individual plan with the
other members of their team, discuss-
ing the strengths and weaknesses of
each idea. The design team develops a
group design and constructs a proto-
type using materials readily available
in a classroom or home. Each team
tests its design and records the data
in its design notebook. The results are
evaluated based upon the criteria and
constraints presented in the design
brief. Students present their design
to the class and explain how the sci-
ence concepts were used to inform
their design. Based on the results of
their testing, students redesign their
prototype to better meet the client’s
needs. This process can be modified
to include more teacher guidance for is a predetermined correct answer for of our design task, Compost Bin, to
early elementary students. an inquiry activity. Design-based ac- illustrate the process we used to de-
tivities, on the other hand, are open velop our own design task. In this
ended; there are numerous ways to task, students are challenged to help
Scientific Inquiry solve the problem. Unlike inquiry the citizens of Haiti create an efficient
Versus Engineering where the final product is the answer compost column that yields better
Design to the question posed, design ends compost for fertilizing their crops.
with a constructed artifact or process By following the steps outlined be-
An important feature of scientific (Dankenbring, Rupp, and Capobi- low, you can develop original design
inquiry-based and engineering de- anco 2013). tasks or transform an existing activ-
sign-based learning is that the ac- ity into a design task. For a detailed
tivities are student-centered rather lesson plan of the Compost Bin de-
than teacher-centered. In addition,
Creating Your Own sign task and supporting materials,
both inquiry and engineering design Engineering Design see Internet Resources.
can be used to effectively teach sci- Task
ence concepts and problem-solving Step 1: Identify a
practices. Yet key differences exist The steps below outline the process Standard
that make these two approaches very we took to create a fifth-grade engi-
separate entities. neering design task. As we describe The first step is to identify a sci-
One difference is the starting each step, we juxtapose the example ence standard, including the perfor-
point. Inquiry ac-
tivities begin with a
question that needs
to be answered,
whereas design-
based activities begin
with a problem that
needs to be solved.
Another difference
is the approach taken
by the teacher for
each type of activ-
ity. Approaches to
inquiry activities
can vary between di-
rected, guided, and
open-ended. Each
approach is depen-
dent on the amount
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHORS

of detailed guidance
that the teacher pro-
vides (NRC 2000).
Directed inquiry ac-
tivities, for example,
are often used to
validate a scientific
idea; therefore, there Completed compost columns

October 2014 71

Student notebook entry
mance expectation and related disci-
plinary core idea(s). We recommend
that each design task focuses on only
one or two standards so students can
easily identify and incorporate the
science concepts being emphasized
into their designs. When selecting
the appropriate science standard,
consideration must be given to
whether or not the standard merits a
design-based activity. Performance
expectations that require students to
“identify” or “describe” a phenom-
enon are not as friendly to design
tasks, whereas more open-ended
standards that are conducive to in-
vestigating, designing, and exam-
ining concepts or phenomena are.
Thus, performance expectations
that ask students to “investigate,”
“demonstrate,” “design,” “ob-
serve,” or “determine” are likely
suitable for a design task. This task
aligns with the Next Generation Sci-
ence Standards fifth-grade life sci-
72 Science and Children
ence standard, Ecosystems: Interac-
tions, Energy, and Dynamics. This
task also addresses the disciplinary
core ideas of interdependence in
ecosystems and cycles of matter and
energy transfer in ecosystems, and
incorporates the crosscutting con-
cept of systems and system models.
Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas
for Design-Oriented
Activities
The next step is to brainstorm activ-
ities that could be adapted into engi-
neering design tasks. A good start-
ing point is listing activities, such as
inquiry activities, you or your col-
leagues use or have used previously
to teach the concept. Attention must
be given to selecting and focusing
on an activity that can become an
open-ended problem that students
can solve by constructing an artifact
or process. Activities that are mal-
leable and provide students the op-
portunity to test a range of ideas are
preferred.
When brainstorming activi-
ties related to decomposition, we
identified several of our favorite
life science activities, including
the decomposing different fruits,
leaves, and trees; observing soil for
living and nonliving materials; and
constructing compost bins. We se-
lected the Compost Bin because
the nature of this activity allows for
the development of multiple de-
sign tasks. Rather than ask students
to design a compost bin, students
were provided with a compost bin
made from 2-liter bottles and were
asked to create a process for making
compost inside the column (see In-
ternet Resources). We encouraged
students to conduct research on the
different materials required for de-
composition to occur, materials that
decompose quickly, and the best ar-
rangement of the materials within
a compost bin (see NSTA Connec-
tion).
Step 3: Contextualize a
Problem Statement Within
the Design Task
This step involves thinking about
various everyday problems that re-
late to the artifact or process that
will be constructed during the design
activity. The problem must be open-
ended and allow students to use a
diverse set of ideas and methods to
solve the problem through the ap-
plication of a science concept. When
doing this, ask yourself the following
questions: What types of everyday
problems do we encounter that relate
to this science concept? How can we
apply our understanding of this phe-
nomenon to benefit society?
When developing the problem
statement for our compost task, we
thought about what decomposition
is, why it is important, and what
problems it can solve. Decomposi-
tion recycles nutrients back into the
soil, which plants can then use. Based
on this information we came up with
possible problems that decomposi-
tion could help solve: poor soil qual-
ity, the amount of materials sent to
landfills, and gas emissions associ-
ated with landfills. We chose to focus
on poor soil quality with the goal of
introducing compost as a means of
solving the problem.
Step 4: Identify Necessary
Materials, Resources, and
Tools
Like most activity-based science les-
sons, consider using materials that
are inexpensive and can be found
in your classroom or at a local home
improvement store. This makes the
design tasks affordable and students
will be familiar with how these ma-
terials can be manipulated and used
to construct a prototype. Provide
a variety of materials and you will
be amazed at what students come
up with! Make sure to keep in mind
safety concerns when selecting mate-
rials for any classroom activity.
We generated a list of materials
necessary to construct the column
and make the compost. These ma-
terials included: 2-liter soda bottles,
scissors, grass, brown and green
leaves, fruit, twigs, red worms, and
cheesecloth. Additional materials
included cleaned eggshells, plant
matter, vegetables, and bread.
Students should exercise
caution when handling scis-
sors and cutting bottles as the edges
may not be smooth. We recommend
providing students with the column
already constructed with tape cover-
ing the cut edges to minimize safety
concerns (see the detailed lesson plan
under Internet Resources for safety
guidelines and list of materials).
We suggest collecting items such as
2-liter bottles well in advance of the
activity or asking students to donate
materials (bottles, fruit peels, and so
on) to class. For this activity, some
of the materials are seasonal (grass,
twigs, leaves) and should be collected
in the fall especially if you plan to
start the columns during the winter.
Step 5: Develop the
Design Brief
Design briefs provide the context
of the design task, background in-
formation, and the details necessary
for students to devise a solution. You
should introduce the problem using
an authentic context that includes
a goal, client, end user, criteria, and
constraints. Take the problem state-
ment you created in step 3 and place
it within an authentic context. Ask
yourself, “To what context can my
students relate?” In other words, is
there a problem in our school or com-
munity that the students are invested
in? Providing an authentic context
will keep your students motivated
and engaged.
Once you have identified a real-
world context, consider a scenario
in which an imaginary or authentic
client would hire your students to
develop a solution to the problem
that benefits a group of people—the
end users. Next, generate a list of
criteria—the desired features of the
prototype—that should be met and
a list of constraints, or the boundar-
ies students are to work within. Some
constraints include time available to
design and build, materials available,
size requirements for the design, and
the cost to construct the prototype.
For our compost task, we chose
to focus on a particular country that
most students have heard of, Haiti.
Haiti is a country that depends on
agriculture for food and income but
they have poor soil quality due to
drought, soil erosion, and defores-
tation. The scenario we created for
our design brief was Haitian citizens
needed help designing a process for
making compost that will enhance
their soil quality (see NSTA Con-
nection). However, the brief could
be easily adapted to a local scenario
such as a local farm, a gardening
center, city streets, zoo, or nature
center.
Step 6: Implementing the
Design Task
Engineering design tasks can require
a significant amount of time to im-
plement; students may spend a week
or more completing the design task.
The compost bin tasks took approxi-
mately three to five 40-minute class
sessions to research, design, and as-
semble, then an additional six weeks
to monitor (10 minutes per week)
and generate actual compost. The
first week included the introduction
of the design brief, time to research
the topic of decomposition, and sev-
eral 30–40 minute class sessions to
assemble the actual column using
information students gathered from
their research.
Once the columns were as-
sembled, the following five weeks
involved students making weekly
October 2014 73
observations of their columns, gath-
ering data (e.g., soil temperature,
appearance, amount of moisture,
and odor). As composting
results in the growth of bac-
teria and mold, students with
mold allergies should be cautious
during data collection and teachers
should ensure students wash their
hands with soap and water after each
session. In the case of severe mold
allergies, the compost bins can be
stored outside of the classroom and
data collection can be done outside.
After six weeks, the students share
the results and make observations of
each team’s compost. Students re-
cord their reflections on the process
and identify one or two ways to im-
prove upon their approach for mak-
ing compost. Students may respond
to one or more of the following re-
flection prompts: Was your team
successful at creating compost?
Describe your observations of your
compost (Is it dry, wet or moist?
What is the average temperature of
the soil?). If you could change the
process your teams used to make
the compost, what kinds of changes
would your team make? What kinds
of materials (organic or inorganic)
would you add?
Step 7: Assessing
Students’ Engagement in
Design
Assessing students’ learning is an
important feature of an engineering
design task. Although our focus in
this article is on modeling the steps
to develop an engineering design–
based task, assessment is comple-
mentary to the process. When we
engage students in an engineering
design task, we evaluate their per-
74 Science and Children
formance on different features of
the task. Sometimes we assess how
well students work in a design team
or maintain a design notebook. Ap-
plication of science concepts, such
as decomposers and biotic and abi-
otic factors, can be assessed during
students’ individual design, group
design, design construction, and
explanation or reflection on the de-
sign’s performance during testing.
Conclusion
As science teachers begin inte-
grating engineering principles and
practices into their curriculum, it
is imperative that they feel com-
fortable creating and implement-
ing engineering design tasks in
their classroom. Engineering de-
sign tasks provide students with
real-world problems situated in au-
thentic contexts. This helps pique
students’ interest while making
connections between science and
their everyday lives. As students
design, build, and test their pro-
totypes, they are able to challenge
their conceptions of scientific phe-
nomena and witness firsthand any
flaws in their understanding. Thus,
being aware of engineering resourc-
es and knowing how to create your
own engineering design task are
valuable tools for the elementary
science teacher. ■
Chelsey Dankenbring (cdankenb@
purdue.edu) recently completed her
master’s degree in science education at
Purdue University in West Lafayette,
Indiana. Brenda M. Capobianco is an
associate professor and co-director of
the SLED Partnership at Purdue Uni-
versity. David Eichinger is an associate
professor at Purdue University.
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by
the National Science Foundation under Grant
No. 0962840.
References
Capobianco, B.M., C. Nyquist, and
N. Tyrie. 2013. Shedding light on
engineering design. Science and
Children 50 (5): 58–64.
Dankenbring, C.A., M. Rupp, and B.M.
Capobianco. 2013. Engineering
design in the elementary science
classroom. Hoosier Science Teacher
39 (1): 25–29.
National Research Council (NRC). 2000.
Inquiry and the national science
education standards: A guide for
teaching and learning. Washington,
DC: National Academies Press.
National Research Council (NRC).
2012. A framework for K–12
science education: Practices,
crosscutting concepts, and core
ideas. Washington, DC: National
Academies Press.
NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next
Generation Science Standards: For
states, by states. Washington, DC:
National Academies Press. www.
nextgenscience.org/next-generation-
science-standards.
Internet Resources
Boston Museum of Science’s Engineering
is Elementary
www.mos.org/eie
Bottle Biology: Build a Decomposition
NSTA Connection
For the Design and Build a
Compost Column design
brief, decomposition research
resources, and the rubric, visit
www.nsta.org/SC1410.

Investigation Column
www.bottlebiology.org/
investigations/decomp_build.html
Compost Bin Detailed Lesson Plans
https://stemedhub.org/resources/12
Dayton Regional STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math)
Center
http://daytonregionalstemcenter.org/
stem-framework-101/
Science Learning through Engineering
Design Partnership
http://stemedhub.org
TeachEngineering
www.teachengineering.org
TryEngineering
www.tryengineering.org
Connecting to the Standards
Standard 5-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics
Performance Expectation:
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among
plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment
Science and Engineering Practice:
Developing and Using Models
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
LS2.B Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Crosscutting Concept:
Systems and Systems Models
NGSS Table: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
www.nextgenscience.org/5ls2-ecosystems-interactions-energy-dynamics

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