Engineering Design approach

Engineering Design is the practical application of science, technology, art/design, engineering, and mathematics to solve real problems in our world. The Engineering Design Cycle provides a roadmap to students as they work through an eight-step methodical process to solve engineering design problems. This is very similar to the "Scientific Method" which is introduced to students in elementary school.

The central idea behind our eight-step process is to teach our students about the iterative nature of engineering design including problem definition, innovation, strategy, design thinking, prototyping, collaboration, and making improvements. Students also learn and practice 21st-century skills such as teamwork, communication, marketing, project management, and technical documentation in their engineering notebooks.

The TRC EDC resides at the center of all of our robotics education and competition programs. Our 8-step EDC aligns explicitly with NGSS Engineering Design (HS-ETS1-1 through HS-ETS1-4), ITEEA Standards for Technological Literacy, CSTA K-12 CS Standards' Engineering Design integration, and the FTC engineering portfolio rubric.