About DESIGNLAB
What are DESIGNLAB Invention Kits?
The UMass Lowell Future Engineers Center is working to develop a series of DESIGNLAB Invention Kits for schools to use to provide FUN, challenging, hands-on after school science and engineering workshops for students in grades 5 – 8. Based on our successful DESIGNCAMP summer program, which has a 9-year record of success, DESIGNLAB programs have been shown to stimulate many more middle school students to develop a real interest in engineering and science. Our goal is to make it easy for teachers to engage students in design-based science and technology projects – each kit includes the tools, materials, project guides, teacher’s notes, design instruction DVD and online support needed to run a 10-week after school program.DESIGNLAB workshops engage students in “kid engineering” projects that require them to apply key science and math concepts and use the engineering design process to solve open-ended design challenges. Each workshop leads students through a series of experiments and guided activities to help them learn key concepts, technical skills, and tool skills; then we immerse students in a creative, hands-on, design and problem-solving environment. Each open-ended project teaches students aspects of the engineering design process and challenges them to create and build their own solutions to problems that are FUN, motivating and interesting.
What are DESIGNLAB workshops like?
DESIGNLAB workshops are usually offered as 10-week programs meeting once a week for 2 hours. Using a trimester schedule, it is possible for teachers to run 3 DESIGNLAB workshops a year. We have plans to develop 8 different DESIGNLAB programs, that are divided into 3 program levels, based on their level of difficulty and open-endedness (and for the purposes of teacher training). All Level 1 and 2 projects (grades 5 - 7) will focus on teaching basic electrical and mechanical skills, tool skills, building techniques and the design process (see chart below). Projects at these levels will are designed to be accessible to students without any prior DESIGNLAB experience, and they will provide students with the skills, knowledge and problem-solving confidence needed to tackle more involved, Level 3 design projects in grades 7 and 8. The advanced workshops are designed to help students become more independent problem solvers.
DESIGNLAB Invention Kits |
mechanical design |
circuits/ electrical design |
applied physics |
chemistry |
math & algebra |
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LEVEL 1 Foundation Workshops – Grades 5/6 |
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1Toy Engineering |
X |
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x |
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1B Creature Creations: Electrical & Mechanical Animals |
X |
X |
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LEVEL 2 Intermediate Workshops – Grades 6/7 |
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2A Electrical Inventions |
X |
X |
X |
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2B Motorized Machines |
X |
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X |
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X |
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LEVEL 3 Advanced Workshops – Grades 7/8 |
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3A Electromagnetic Magic |
X |
X |
X |
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3B Electronics & Security Systems |
X |
X |
X |
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X |
What benefits do DESIGNLAB programs have to offer my students and my school?
For students, our workshops will:✓ provide them with something FUN, motivating and challenging to do after school other than sports, video games and watching TV
✓ “secretly” teach them the relevance and application of math and science
✓ nurture their interest in science and technology, and influence many to consider pursuing scientific and technical careers (see evaluation reports below)
✓ help them learn the critical and creative thinking skills needed to become independent problem solvers
For teachers: our goal is to provide everything needed to successfully engage students in hands-on, design-based after school enrichment programs: toolkits, project materials, workshop guides, design instruction DVDs, and a comprehensive web-based support center that includes teacher’s notes, an idea factory, and real-time tech support.
For schools: our goal is to deliver an economical product that makes it easy to offer high-quality science and technology enrichment programs that both students and parents will really value!
What is the educational philosophy behind DESIGNLAB programs, and how are they different than existing technology education programs and projects available for after school settings?
DESIGNLAB workshops engage students in informal, experiential, open-ended inquiry- and design-based learning with a focus on developing students’ critical and creative problem-solving skills. Our goal is to help students really learn the relevant science and technical concepts needed to solve a problem, and to help them begin to develop and internalize a more informed design process. Ultimately, our kits will provide middle school students with a foundation of experiential, tacit knowledge that will facilitate the development of abstract science and mathematics concepts in high school. In addition, our workshops foster problem-solving confidence and help students begin to develop a design and problem-solving mindset that they can carry into their everyday lives.DESIGNLAB Invention Kits offer students a much richer educational experience compared to most science and technology project kits on the market. DESIGNLAB Invention Kits are different from other science and technology kits and after school programs in 5 important ways:
1) Our kits will engage students in open-ended design and authentic problem solving experiences. Most existing technology project kits engage students in step-by-step “kit-build” activities, or in “design-build” activities that are not well-structured or connected to underlying science. These types of kits and projects do not engage students in an informed design process, but instead, have students merely building models, or engaging in a random trial and error process to create prototypes.
2) Our design activities and projects push students to think critically and creatively; we will include specific features built into each unit that help students learn and internalize important engineering process skills, such as understanding design criteria, brainstorming and sketching ideas, evaluating ideas against criteria, and troubleshooting problems.
3) DESIGNLAB workshops integrate and explicitly teach important math and science concepts that students apply in an interesting, motivating problem-solving context.
4) DEISGNLAB projects are “gender neutral” and designed specifically to appeal to girls as much as boys. Traditional technology education programs and projects typically involve masculine topics that are not very appealing to girls, such as building cars, robots and catapults.
5) Our kits will be accompanied by a comprehensive web-based support system and design instructional videos to facilitate the work of both students and teachers.