Broadened perceptions of engineering in tenth grade students through a biowall design project

Vertical garden and green wall structures have been introduced to the K-12 environment as vehicles for learning as part of a larger green construction trend. This paper considers the design and construction of a biowall as a case study for green engineering design projects in the K-12 setting. The research, conducted in participation with 123 10
^th
-grade public school students, investigates further learning opportunities posed by a biowall design-build project. We claim that the highly visible plant component of the wall makes the project more accessible to students that would have been immediately averse to a “rigid” engineering project, allowing for increased perceptions of competency in engineering through willing practice. Further, we claim that the large-group organizational structure of the project, with students working in multiple specialist sub-groups to complete a larger project, increases students' perceptions that good communication skills are required in engineering. This article provides methods employed and qualitative and quantitative results.