Page 28 - Science - Grade 9, DE-STREAMED COURSE (SNC1W)

Engineering Design Process
An engineering design process (EDP) provides a framework for students and teachers as they plan and build solutions to problems or develop ways to address needs that connect to the curriculum and the world around them. An EDP recognizes that twenty-first-century science problems can be complex and sometimes ambiguous, and provides appropriate, purposeful stages to navigate these challenges.
Like the two scientific processes described above, an EDP is an iterative process that may involve students revisiting a prior stage as they acquire new information about the problem being investigated, or as they acquire a better understanding of the person or people for whom they are designing a solution. Students may even restart, or repeat, the entire process when one approach proves unsuccessful. This should be seen as an important and necessary part of learning and design in science.
Since students will be seeking solutions to problems that will impact others, ethical issues as well as the perspectives and needs of a variety of individuals and communities should be considered throughout the process. Students can conduct interviews with end-users, or they can research individuals or communities that may be affected by potential solutions. Their approach should be empathetic, and students should consider various perspectives, as well as factors such as usability and environmental sustainability, throughout the process.
The EDP described below involves students initiating and planning solutions, performing tests and recording data, analysing and interpreting results, and communicating those results using appropriate vocabulary and forms for a variety of purposes. The end product of the EDP might not be a tangible object; it might instead be a computer simulation or a model, or even a new scientific process or system.
As with scientific processes, there is no single EDP, but rather a range of engineering practices that are followed when designing solutions or developing projects. Students and teachers may find the need to emphasize specific aspects of the EDP provided, or to make substitutions with components of processes that they may find elsewhere. Students and teachers may even find other EDPs that they may want to work with, and a comparison of various processes may prove beneficial for students and teachers.
Appropriate entry points into the EDP and the specific components of the process that are focused on may depend on student readiness. Prior experience and knowledge, as well as access to resources, the context of the learning, and the amount of time available, may also be factors; therefore, educators may need to provide multiple entry points to engage all students in the learning.
The EDP provided here allows students to engage with important scientific concepts and skills within curriculum expectations as they develop the transferable skills and cross-curricular concepts that embody STEM education.
The following diagram summarizes the EDP and shows how its components relate to the skills of initiating and planning; performing and recording; analysing and interpreting; and communicating.
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