Bioengineering
Curriculum
Bringing hands-on, low-cost engineering design into life science classrooms
Project Type: 8-hour curriculum module
Keywords: Co-design, Iterative Development, Education Research, Innovative Art and Multimedia
Funding Type: NIH Science Education Partnership Award (Awardee-SSLC)
SLCC Teams:
Instructional Design: Iterative co-design & classroom connections
Writing: Module design and curriculum development
Art: Relatable visuals, module design, and interactive development
Web: Online integration
R&E: Study how students develop scientific understanding across cognitive and conceptual dimensions
Project Management: Project coordination
The Challenge
How can we help middle school teachers integrate life science and engineering design standards—without adding cost or extra training?
Many classrooms face limited budgets and can’t afford the expensive supplies needed for most existing engineering activities. We needed to create an experience that connected life science and engineering while staying accessible for any school.
The SSLC Approach
Through our well-established iterative design process—including co-design with educators, classroom testing, and multiple rounds of revision—we created an experience where students build a working hand model while exploring how sensory and motor systems control movement.
From eye-catching online interactives, to a thoughtful reading activity developed with people living with limb loss, to career videos featuring real bioengineers, this project brought together expertise from across SSLC’s creative teams.
The central classroom activity, HandGineering, uses low-cost, easy-to-find supplies, making it realistic for any school to implement. Our writers and instructional designers ensured the curriculum offers flexible materials teachers can use à la carte or combine for a connected learning experience. Our research team included implementation guides and other teacher supports in testing. This provided data showing that a wide range of teachers can successfully lead an experience where students learn how biology and engineering work together to solve real-world problems.
Impact
Classroom-Ready
“Off-the-shelf” curriculum materials that any teacher can implement to try something new
Engaging Design
High student engagement (reported by teachers)
NGSS-Aligned
Brings engineering into life science—aligning with national teaching standards (NGSS) in both life science and engineering
Versatile Format
Flexible and accessible: usable as a standalone activity or part of a lesson sequence
Wide Reach
Freely available with 7,500 page views in its first three months on the site, reaching over 3,200 unique visitors
