Unit 1 Overview:

This three-week unit is designed to ignite students’ passion for solving real-world problems through innovative thinking, technology application, and the engineering design process.

This unit emphasizes the importance of documenting work as a way to organize thoughts, ideas, and progress over time while using the engineering design process. It also identifies how technology and innovation can help solve real-world problems at local and global levels. ARK-Educates’ Setting the Stage for Innovation unit gives students the foundational skills and knowledge needed to become effective problem solvers, changemakers, and leaders.

Unit 2 Overview:

Teams of students will utilize architectural drafting, 3D virtual modeling, and augmented reality to design and construct a model of a tiny house intended for use as a temporary housing solution for homeless individuals.

Before teams design and build a tiny house, they will learn about various factors contributing to the need for temporary housing, such as unemployment, poverty, and housing affordability. Students will also learn about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and how innovation, technology, and industry work together to solve global issues.

The Tiny House Design Challenge will require teams of students to design and build a model of a tiny dwelling that meets specific design constraints, including squarefootage specifications and the need for a bathroom, kitchen, sleeping area, living space, and storage. Students will learn about the principles and processes of the engineering design process and employ those steps during each phase of their build.

Unit 3 Overview:

In this engaging and forward-thinking unit, students will explore the intersections of robotics, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence (AI) by tackling a real-world issue: improving the safety of school bus transportation. This interdisciplinary project challenges students to apply their knowledge of emerging technologies to develop innovative solutions to the safety challenges faced by school districts regarding school bus transportation by using the mBot2 robot that has sensors and AI capabilities which will serve as their prototype of an autonomous school bus.

Through teamwork, inquiry-based learning, and hands-on activities, students will gain foundational knowledge of how robotics, autonomous driving, and AI function in real-world contexts. The unit promotes problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, guiding students to develop practical solutions that could have meaningful impacts on the safety of bus transportation.