These activities provide students with an understanding of the importance of fitness for purpose when designing new products. Students learn how to effectively dismantle and investigate an engineered product to determine its function/purpose.

In this activity, from the LSIS, students discover for themselves the importance of the perpendicular distance in moments. It is presented as a whole class discussion but can easily be adapted for small group work.

The activity uses a magnetic disc that takes about 15 minutes to construct. The activity will...

This resource investigates how hoverboards work.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• Understand how at least two different examples of hoverboards function.
• Know how to analyse examples of existing products.
• Analyse the main features of a product and identify improvements that...

This resource considers the social implications and challenges faced.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To know what is meant by a remote area.
• To understand the social problems and challenges faced by people living in remote...

This starter activity focuses on the link between water and health. It encourages students to think about the role of engineers in providing us with healthy water supplies and waste-water disposal systems by thinking about the different ways in which water can be...

From Practical Action, this resource encourages students to look at how design specifications are balanced when developing new products.

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the unit called ‘Energy’. This B unit provided enough material for six double periods in the third year of secondary school (year nine). The teachers’ guide included 11 worksheets to supplement the students’...

This is one of a series of resources designed to allow learners to use the theme of the men’s football World Cup to develop their knowledge and skills in design and technology and engineering. This resource focuses on making and testing a moisture sensor that referees can use to check the playability of the pitch...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), looks at the properties and applications of waves in general, and the electromagnetic spectrum in particular. Students are asked to work out the type of electromagnetic radiation used in different...

Six practicals produced by the Institute of Physics (IOP) that help students to understand the electromagnetic spectrum and about materials used in making spectacles.

In addition to the guidance included for specific activities, please refer to the generic health and safety information before commencing any...

Inspired by the Born to Engineer video from Sam Fraser, an engineer who combines his love for engineering with a passion for football, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of materials engineering, including materials testing, design and material properties (Hooke’s Law, shear,...

Medical Emergencies, from the Centre for Science Education, is a set of teaching materials which offer a cross-curricular approach to learning about engineering. Students design and make a hanging storage device that could, ideally, be folded up to make a rucksack or...

This resource looks at designing a treadle pump.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To be able to design a treadle pump for people living in a remote village.
• To understand how social issues impact on the design of a product....

This resource, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the wide range of sophisticated imaging technology available in modern hospitals, and to explore the latest ideas in search-and-rescue robotics.