Developmental engineering education in the primary school

Australia is facing increased skills shortages, especially in engineering where the number of graduates per million lags behind most other OECD nations. Supporting the National Curriculum, this seminal longitudinal 3-year study will implement engineering education across grades 4-6. It aims to introduce students to the world of engineering, engage them in authentic interdisciplinary problems focusing on design processes and problem solving, and encourage the generation of mathematical and scientific ideas. Outcomes will include documented developments in students’ learning from an engineering-based perspective and classroom resources that illustrate how engineering education can be implemented within, and enhance, the Australian Curriculum.

Primary school students will learn about engineers and how engineering shapes our society. Students will develop important design processes in solving authentic, engineering-based problems. Their learning in the increasingly important STEM area will be enhanced, providing a foundation for addressing the increasing skills shortage in engineering.