For many, our world is a difficult place to live. Watch a few minutes of any local, national or international newscast and this becomes clear. As parents, God has given us the responsibility to raise up the next generation of creative problem solvers that will make a difference to a struggling world. Our current educational system that seems focused on financial gain is graduating fewer and fewer engineers and more and more lawyers and accountants. Unfortunately, the world’s challenges cannot be litigated toward solution nor can they be resolved by count and calculation. Without responsible innovators, creative problem solvers and technically trained doers, there seems to be little hope for the pervasive problems of the hopeless.
Engineering for Everyone attempts to address these world-challenging problems in a unique way. Simply stated, Engineering for Everyone offers practical technical training for younger students. It is an independent study program designed to teach kids ages 10 and up the basic fundamentals of design and engineering.
Our perspective is unique. We want our students to understand that engineering is not a super-difficult subject reserved for the super-smart and the super-creative. We define engineering as this, “the act of using knowledge and creativity to develop effective problem solutions” (or paraphrased, “using your head and your heart to make a difference”). We believe everyone can do this.
Our program is creative. Students who participate will become “crewmembers” that are “employed” by a “company” called EFE. Instruction is given through numerous booklets that are presented as employee handbooks (e.g. “Part Design Using SolidWorks – the Engineering For Everyone Crewmember Handbook”). Crewmembers will have access to the company website, efecrew.com, where they will eventually be able to download training aids, connect with other crewmembers and access company merchandise. Training progress is tracked and crewmembers are rewarded with progress reports formatted as company paychecks. Crewmembers will gain unique insight into the corporate culture that may exist in their future employment as engineers.
Our handbooks are fun. The primary product of EFE is to create rejuvenation projects for Small Town America. A practical platform for enjoyable exercises, our crewmembers will find great satisfaction in their work. A hotel, restaurants, downtown farming, a theater and even a museum will all form the basis for teaching the numerous facets of design and engineering. Each project with its own Master Project Guide is specifically developed for EFE so that practical application of skills can reinforce learning.
Our technique is doable. Every technical manual reinforces the subject material through three critical steps we call: Learn • Try • Share. Crewmembers Learn the subject through reading, listening, watching and taking notes. Crewmembers Try the material by doing three increasingly difficult levels of exercises that involve our rejuvenation projects. The final step is the most important (from our experience) as Crewmembers are expected to share with others what they’ve learned in a professional way (communication is a vital aspect of engineering that is often overlooked). We will reinforce the fact that teaching a subject is an excellent way to truly learn it.
Our hope is that Engineering for Everyone will become a tool to encourage students to become engineers, that is, to “use their head and their heart to make a difference”.
