An engineering design formative assessment: A work in progress

In this multi-year project, we are investigating the relative impact of engineering design formative assessment on student achievement with respect to science and engineering concepts and practices. We have created an engineering design formative assessment task for middle school students that can be integrated into existing science curricula. The task engages students in two virtual environments as they redesign a solar still to more effectively provide drinking water for families with access to ocean water but limited access to a reliable source of drinking water. We are using a pre/posttest design as a measure of the impact of the formative task on student achievement and will compare results between intervention and comparison classes across all students and for identified subgroups of students. A detailed discussion of the engineering design formative assessment task and the two virtual environments is provided. Discussion of other aspects of the project is limited to a general overview as we are in the early stages of data collection for this ongoing project.