Integrated Science and Engineering Design Assessment to Support Teaching and Learning (Fundamental)

Engineering design has become an integral part of K-12 science education with the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their adoption by almost 20 states. Both the core ideas and practices in the new standards include engineering design. Significant anticipated challenges have been described related to the prospect of teaching and assessing this new aspect of the science curriculum. Two of the primary challenges are that (a) few science and general education teachers have the knowledge and skill to guide students in engaging in design activities that integrate engineering and science and (b) assessments currently being used in the K-12 arena do not measure engineering design and cannot easily be adapted to do so. In this paper, I describe research efforts to inform the development of assessments that engage students in a design process. The focus here is on the use of student engagement in a paper-based design activity with the students’ design goal being to suggest improvements to a solar still such that it could be used to provide drinking water for households that have access to ocean water but limited access to fresh water. The data collected as pairs of students engaged in the activity are being used to inform development of an interactive online simulation for a design activity that is currently being developed as a performance assessment that might be used formatively to guide instructional decisions around engineering design.