Advancing Engineering Education in Primary Schools: From Concept to Digital Delivery
The Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub at The University of Manchester, led by Lynne Bianchi, continues to drive innovation in supporting teachers with engineering education for primary and lower secondary pupils. This latest project has been led in practice by Grace Marson, who has played a central role in coordinating the course development, working closely with the University’s eLearning team to bring the content to life. In partnership with the Comino Foundation, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, a new online course has been developed to support teachers in bringing engineering into the classroom in accessible and meaningful ways.
From PowerPoint to Practice
The course began as a series of PowerPoint presentations, structured into thematic modules. Working closely with the University’s eLearning team, this content was reimagined and redesigned into an engaging online learning experience. The result is a fully interactive course built in Canvas and delivered via Canvas Catalog, making it accessible through the University’s lifelong learning portal.
This transformation was not simply a transfer of content, but a pedagogical redesign — moving from static slides to an experience that encourages interaction, reflection, and practical application.
What the Course Offers
The course is structured to guide educators, in this case primary school teachers, through key principles of engineering in a way that is both practical and time efficient. Recognising the constraints on teachers’ time for continuing professional development (CPD), the course is designed as a concise and flexible learning experience that can be easily integrated into busy schedules.
Across five modules, participants explore core concepts such as:
- The Engineering Design Process, including problem finding and visualisation
- Approaches to problem-solving in real-world contexts
- Understanding how things work through hands-on exploration
- Considering how solutions differ depending on users and needs
- Adapting and repurposing solutions for different purposes
Each module combines short content pages with interactive activities and classroom-focused challenges. Examples include tasks such as ‘The Satsuma Peel’, ‘Flight Challenge’, and ‘Take It Apart’, all designed to model simple, low-resource engineering activities that can be replicated in primary classrooms.
A recurring feature, ‘From Life in Ideas to Your World’, supports educators in making connections between course content and their own teaching practice, reinforcing the course’s applied focus.
In addition, the course provides interactive elements that encourage active engagement from both teachers and teaching assistants.
Supporting Teachers to Embed Engineering
At its core, the ‘Engineering in Primary Schools’ course aims to increase the presence of engineering in primary education — not through complex or resource-heavy interventions, but through teacher development with the hope they embed practices into everyday teaching.
By lowering the barrier to entry, the course seeks to build teacher confidence and inspire experimentation, helping to ‘plant the seed’ of engineering thinking in young learners. The emphasis is on simplicity, creativity, and relevance, ensuring that engineering feels accessible to all educators, regardless of prior experience.
Access, Recognition and Launch
Upon completion, participants receive a certificate, recognising their engagement and professional development.
The course is being launched by SEERIH, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering and will be available to any teacher at no cost. A live launch webinar will take place on 27 April, offering an opportunity to learn more about the course and how it has been received by those who have participated in the course.
Looking Ahead
This course represents a collaborative effort to rethink how engineering education can be supported at primary level through accessible, high-quality digital learning. By combining research-informed content with ideas for practical classroom application, it offers a scalable model for supporting teachers and enriching pupils’ experiences of engineering from an early age.
The course is now available to access online. If you are interested in taking part, or know others who may benefit, further details and enrolment can be found here:
Take the course – Engineering in Primary Schools
You can also register for the live launch event on 27 April here:
Engineering in primary schools: Launch webinar
