A World In Motion

Challenge

Science and engineering are crucial to solving current and future global challenges—from floods to food shortages to the human impact on the environment through green design. Young people, our future scientists and engineers, will inherit these challenges. Yet far too few of them have the chance to engage in high-quality science and engineering learning that sparks their interest in future careers and helps them build strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

For over 25 years, EDC has partnered with SAE International to develop pre-K–12 real-world STEM challenges for the award-winning A World In Motion® (AWIM) program. The challenges engage young people in designing, building, testing, and presenting products or solutions that address real-world problems. They can be used virtually, in schools, or at home and are proven to be effective.

Key Activities

The project is carrying out the following activities:

Develop standards-aligned, hands-on engineering and information technology curriculum challenges for pre-K, primary (K–3), elementary (4–6), middle school (6–8), and high school (coming soon)
Create curriculum modules, such as Cybersecurity: Keeping Our Networks Secure
Design self-paced online professional learning experiences to enable teachers to use the AWIM challenges in their classrooms
Expand the reach of the AWIM curriculum by creating SAE STEM@Home Resources™

Impact

Over 7 million students have participated in AWIM’s learning experiences since 1990.
A survey of teachers who have used AWIM for 10 years found the following:
- 98% of teachers felt their students’ excitement about STEM learning increased.
- 91% reported their students’ academic performance in STEM-related areas improved.
- 85% thought their students’ interest in STEM-related careers increased.
AWIM was awarded the “Best Foundational Technology/Engineering (STEM) Instructional Solution” Award in 2021 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards. It was also a finalist for the “Best Skills (21st Century Skills) Solution” in the 2021 EdTech Digest EdTech Cool Tools competition.
SAE STEM@Home won EdTech Digest’s 2021 EdTech Cool Tool Award for “Best Parent/Student Solution” and was a finalist for best STEM Solution.
The AWIM IT series was a finalist in the coding, computer science, and engineering category as well as the curriculum and instruction category of EdTech Digest’s Awards 2022.
AWIM earned two “Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2023” awards: Best of STEM for Engineering and CTE Champion: Engineering.
The AWIM Preschool Exploration Series was chosen as a finalist for two of the EdTech Awards 2023: Parent/Student Solution and STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) Solution.
Starting in 2023, the SAE A World In Motion program began to be implemented as an AmeriCorps program in the state of Wyoming.