Page 140 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

APPENDIX B 125

Table 4. Engineering Frameworks for a High School Setting: Part II Tools

A. The Engineering Paradigm is a systematic methodology that allows a technically literate person to gain
perspective into the logical decomposition of a problem and its iterative procedure toward a solution. The topics
covered in these content standards can only be explicitly understood in this context. More specifically, this is the
fundamental tool for exploration, understanding, and improvement of the content covered in the Standards. In
addition, this Engineering Paradigm provides an analytical thought process that can be extended to addressing other
problems beyond the traditional scope of engineering and technology. Finally, it is imperative that a technically
literate society be able to compare and contrast the products that it uses. This paradigm enables consumers to
evaluate the functionality and capabilities of products in terms of design optimization and the trade-offs inherent in
satisfying multiple constraints. This paradigm is outlined below.
• Problem recognition and definition
• Problem decomposition
• Piecewise analysis
• Preemptive generation of possible solutions
• Consideration of constraints
• Iterative revision of possible solutions
• Iterative prototyping until an acceptable product
• Final design optimization

B. Science and Mathematics. All technology is ultimately derived from the application of scientific and
mathematical principles. Therefore, a solid foundation in these disciplines is essential for facilitating a
comprehensive understanding of the content standards. The following should be covered in the course of a high
school education.
• Science Disciplines Math Topics
• Biology Geometry
• Chemistry Algebra
• Physics Trigonometry
• Calculus

C. Social Sciences. Engineering, as a discipline, is focused on improving society by satisfying its ever-changing
technological needs. Thus, while technology is derived from scientific and mathematical principles, its development
is predominantly driven by sociological motivation and constraints. It is important that these factors be considered in
the study of any technical system. Furthermore, the Engineering Paradigm outlines an iterative approach toward
final design optimization. This process is by no means limited to technical constraints but must also satisfy its
sociological requirements. It is important that the Content Standards, and their sociological optimization, are
studied in the context of sociology, economics, ethics, and politics

D. Computer Tools. Our society is inextricably bound to the computer infrastructure that supports it.
Technical literacy thus increasingly requires proficiency with various computer tools and applications to effectively
interact within our technologically advanced environment. However, the engineering community is absolutely
dependent on its computer tools for system development. Because of the complexity of these systems, such as those
covered in the Content Standards, the use of computer tools greatly enhances their meaningful and thorough
exploration. Students should have a working knowledge of the following computer tools.
General computing
Word processing
Spreadsheet
Communication tools
Presentation tools
Familiarity with operating systems
Computer programming
Algorithmic synthesis and decomposition
Implementation of computer-based models
Computer aided drafting / drawing

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