CTE-TECED.912.9410120.4.5

Using the case study, “Winning the Contract,” students will engage in a Four Corners Debate to evaluate engineering trade-offs in robotics. Each corner will represent a different design priority (Power, Weight, Durability, or Versatility). Students will select a corner and work collaboratively to defend their choice, attempting to persuade others to join their corner.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will design a Mars rover by selecting the best subsystems based on the pros and cons provided, as well as other influencing factors. The rover must navigate rough terrain, collect soil samples, and take photographs. Teams will evaluate options for terrain adaptability, power sources, and communication systems, making informed decisions on each component. They must justify their choices by explaining how their selections contribute to the rover’s efficiency and overall mission success.

This is an open-ended engineering design lesson where students develop a model to solve a problem. There are no “right” answers as the lesson is focused on the process of developing a solution and the skills and reasoning behind the process.

Type: Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) STEM Lesson

Using this case study, students can discuss, "How can an engineering team best use their components to design a robot that meets client expectations?"

Type: Text Resource