Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering and Robotics

The Framework for K-12 Science Education, published by the National Research Council in 2012, proposed certain elements of engineering as central to a thorough science education. These core engineering ideas were then woven into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), published in 2013. The Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering and Robotics (SLIDER) DRK-12 project, which launched prior to the NGSS in 2010, had the goal of creating and examining the effectiveness of a curriculum that used design and engineering, via robotics, to develop conceptual understanding and skills among 8th grade physical science students.  When the NGSS was released, SLIDER was in the position to begin to ascertain whether the integration of engineering and robotics into core science instruction is feasible and effective, particularly in schools facing challenges common in low income communities (large class sizes, high transiency rates, limited resources).

The SLIDER curriculum was built upon the curriculum model developed by the NSF-supported Learning By Design™ (LBD) project, which featured the use of design challenges and project-based learning to facilitate science learning. The purpose was for students to learn science concepts, develop the skills and practices of scientists, and engage in engineering processes and concepts.  From 2010-2015, the SLIDER team iteratively designed and tested month-long curriculum units that incorporated LEGO Mindstorm™ robotics and engineering contexts. Eighth-grade students developed understanding of energy, motion, and forces as they engineered a solution to an authentic traffic accident problem by designing 1) traffic rules for a dangerous intersection, and 2) an automatic braking system for a robotic truck.  The most important goal was that the curriculum promote student learning of physical science disciplinary concepts and science practices. We hypothesized that situating physical science learning within engineering design scenarios where students designed LEGO robots to solve specific challenges would increase student engagement, motivation, and achievement.

The SLIDER project used design-based implementation research (DBIR) methodology to help guide the development of the curriculum and to explore the contextual constraints and moderating factors that shaped both how the intervention was implemented and its effectiveness as a learning tool.  The successive curriculum redesigns were informed by multiple sources of data and feedback: existing research on science content learning, alpha testing of the activities in the laboratory, discussions with teachers during professional development workshops, and pilot testing in actual classrooms. Data sources included design reflections, classroom observations, project communications, teacher interviews, and teacher reports of curriculum enactment.  Student learning was assessed using pre/post multiple choice content tests, analysis of student work, and in-class performance assessments.

Intellectual Merit

SLIDER’s research plan was designed to investigate the curriculum’s efficacy and implementation in a diverse set of classrooms, ranging from a low income rural school, to an affluent suburban school. The final SLIDER curriculum integrates engineering to the deepest extent we found possible without compromising science learning. Pre/post multiple choice content tests and performance assessments of student participants demonstrated that students in all our classes developed understanding of core physical science ideas and practices, supporting the idea that engineering challenges can be an effective hook to drive and scaffold science learning.

There were also trade-offs to integrating engineering, design and robotics into science instruction. In the end, because the first priority was engaging with science through inquiry, students in SLIDER participated in free design and in-depth engineering concepts less frequently and less robustly than we had initially envisioned.  In addition, we gained insights about the opportunities and limitations of using LEGO as a manipulative within core science classes. LEGO has benefits, such as student familiarity with the materials, the durability and uniformity of LEGO blocks, and the unique potential to explore physical science concepts using sensors and programming. This current work shows that finding the time to develop sufficient functional knowledge with these manipulatives among both students and teachers to enable them to create truly novel designs is very difficult, particularly at our mid-to-low socioeconomic status (SES) schools. The materials management issues inherent in having thousands of LEGO pieces in crowded classrooms are also formidable. Ultimately, we had to compromise by transitioning from the open, free-builds and independent programming included in the initial curriculum, to a more structured, prescribed approach that was feasible in the actual classrooms.

Broader Impacts

Between 2012 and 2015, SLIDER was implemented in three schools by six teachers, and reached 1,550 students.  During the project, we explored how specific conditions in classroom settings and differences in teacher skills and attitudes influence the curriculum development process and implementation success.  These lessons learned have been integral to informing the curriculum design process for later Design and Development projects, such as the Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping Integrated to Unlock Potential (AMP-IT-UP) NSF MSP project.   The SLIDER curriculum and supporting teacher materials are now posted online at www.slider.gatech.edu, and are available for free download. 

Last Modified: 11/30/2016
Modified by: Marion Usselman