What engineers do
Meet the branches of engineering and the design cycle: define, design, build, test, improve.
Planned. This module is part of the plan and is not written yet.
Why it matters
Turning a shipping container into a solar-powered classroom like the Lantern takes structural, electrical, mechanical and computer engineering working together.
Draft outline · in review- For
- Level 8–12 · JSS 2 to SSS 3 (WASSCE)
- Inside
- 4 lessons and a test · about 45 minutes
- Topic
- What engineers do · foundation, 1 of 4
Inside the module.
4 lessons in order, about 45 minutes in all, then a short test. Learners go at their own pace; the minutes are a guide, not a timetable.
Draft outline · in review
Lesson 1: The branches of engineering
Civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, computer and more: what each kind of engineer works on.
Explain10 min, from minute 0
Lesson 2: Engineering in the Lantern
Find the work of each branch in the Lantern: the steel box, the solar power, the cooling and the computers.
Investigate10 min, from minute 10
Lesson 3: The design cycle
Define, design, build, test, improve, and round again.
Explain10 min, from minute 20
Lesson 4: A better water carrier
Go once round the design cycle on paper to make carrying water from the borehole easier.
Project15 min, from minute 30
End-of-module test
Describe what engineers in different branches do, and apply the design cycle to a small new problem.
Mastered at 85% or more. Retake it until you pass; nothing is lost, and each try gives feedback.
Already know it? A Challenge Test (planned) clears the whole module: 90% overall, no objective below 75%.
Last stageafter about 45 min
Practicalities
Draft outline · in reviewBuilt to run offline
Planned to run on the Lantern's own computer, with no internet needed.
Languages
Planned first in English; every module aims to reach all of the Lantern's languages.
Try a question.
One question from the module, as a learner would meet it. Have a go, then open the worked solution a step at a time.
Draft outline · in review
A team builds a rainwater collector for the school roof and finds that it overflows in heavy rain. Which step of the design cycle are they in, and what comes next?
Particulars
Where it sits
What a learner can do after it
- Describe what different kinds of engineers do.
- Follow the engineering design cycle on a small problem.
Needs first
This module has no prerequisites of its own. Like every first step, it assumes the Digital skills gateway: the first module on using a computer, which a Challenge Test clears in minutes.
Unlocks
Nothing requires this module yet.
Level
Level 8–12 · JSS 2 to SSS 3 (WASSCE)
Level mappings are approximate. A qualified teacher or lecturer in each country must check them before they appear in the app.
Difficulty for its level
1 of 4 · Foundation
Time
About 45 minutes
Alignments
None drafted yet.
Alignment in review until a qualified teacher or lecturer checks it. No exam body, university or vendor endorses us; learners still sit the real exam.
Challenge Test
Planned: a Challenge Test to prove you know it and skip it. Pass at 90% overall, with no objective below 75%.
University courses it previews
Engineering (all branches)
On these pathways
The route here.
Everything this module builds on, drawn as a route from its foundations. Solid lanes must be mastered first, or cleared by a Challenge Test; dashed lanes are suggestions that never lock anything.
This module has no prerequisites of its own. Like every first step, it assumes the Digital skills gateway: the first module on using a computer, which a Challenge Test clears in minutes.
Help light the room where this is learned.
Every route on this map starts in a classroom with 24 stations, a tutor that works offline and a facilitator upstairs. Four are planned and waiting for light.