Abstract
Integrated STEM education offers a powerful approach to enhancing students’ learning. By integrating science inquiry, technological literacy, engineering design, and mathematical thinking, integrated STEM fosters students’ 21st-century competencies, such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and computational thinking. Drawing from a national integrated STEM project, this research uses a classroom case study to investigate the integration of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing into a STEM learning activity. It examines the use of mathematical computation to determine the best solution for a prototype that meet functional criteria. This research highlights how introducing CAD instruction enhances computational thinking within a conceptual framework for integrated STEM education (Kelley & Knowles, 2016), which improves problem-solving abilities.
Document Type
Brief
DOI
10.5703/1288284317819
Recommended Citation
Park, Hyeong Kyun; Han, Jung; and Lim, Yunjin, "Boosting Computational Thinking in Integrated STEM Education with CAD" (2025). Indiana STEM Education Conference. 7.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/instemed/2025/briefs/7
Included in
Engineering Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons
Boosting Computational Thinking in Integrated STEM Education with CAD
Integrated STEM education offers a powerful approach to enhancing students’ learning. By integrating science inquiry, technological literacy, engineering design, and mathematical thinking, integrated STEM fosters students’ 21st-century competencies, such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and computational thinking. Drawing from a national integrated STEM project, this research uses a classroom case study to investigate the integration of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing into a STEM learning activity. It examines the use of mathematical computation to determine the best solution for a prototype that meet functional criteria. This research highlights how introducing CAD instruction enhances computational thinking within a conceptual framework for integrated STEM education (Kelley & Knowles, 2016), which improves problem-solving abilities.