Case Study: Bringing Hands-On Engineering Design to 1200 Texas School Districts

The challenge:

Create an adaptable, cross-disciplinary framework and model activities that introduce Texas teachers and students to principles of engineering design, aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

The program (years 1 – 4):

Texas Education Agency (TEA) requested an immersive learning experience and set of activities for the K-8 classroom that would model STEM practices and encourage teachers to integrate engineering design challenges into common classroom activities. In 2020, Learning Undefeated piloted an immersive STEM laboratory program for rural schools. The program included use of an existing Learning Undefeated mobile laboratory, staffed by professional educators, that visited schools for one week at a time.

The pilot program included a ten-piece curriculum with a common framework that emphasized defining a problem; identifying criteria and constraints; designing, building, and testing; and evaluation and iteration. Activities allow students to engage with the engineering design process through brainstorming, designing, and testing. Curriculum deliverables incorporated lesson plans, assessment rubric, PowerPoint slides, materials and supplies, and teacher training. Each year since, new activities have been added that support cross-disciplinary learning and integrate additional subjects. The full list of curricula may be found at TXmobileSTEM.org.

Program expansion (years 5+):

In the first four years, demand for the Texas Mobile STEM Lab program far exceeded capacity; in fact, for the 2024/25 school year, more than 550 schools applied for just 30 available weeks resulting in a cumulative wait list of more than 1,400 schools. In 2024, the Texas state legislature allocated additional funding to build and run eight dedicated mobile laboratories for the state.

The new mobile laboratories are based on a 38-foot expandable pod model, with Learning Undefeated completing design, technology, and interior upfit. Each mobile laboratory can comfortably seat 24 students and includes a traveling team of professional educators plus all materials and supplies. Two new Texas Mobile STEM Lab vehicles began service in March 2025, with the remainder projected to start school visits in August 2025. With this expansion, the program will grow 800% in the 2025/26 school year, from serving 30 to more than 250 schools per year.