Each student is assigned a role, and is given responsibilities paralleling those of engineers in industry. The students demonstrate their designs, communicate their results, and receive recognition for their efforts. For students who desire further exploration, the kit also contains independent study materials. An important part of the program is the involvement of a volunteer from the engineering profession. The engineer and the teacher must cooperate to determine what level of involvement will be necessary to make the program successful.
Some elementary teachers are less comfortable with the teaching of math and science.
In this case, the engineer might actually implement the lesson plans on pre-determined days. For those who are more comfortable and wish to retain the teacher role, the engineer can join in when the students are in the design and building phases, and simply play the role of a consultant or even a consumer. The engineer will probably want to spend some time talking with the students about the work of a professional engineer. MTI is searching for new ideas for its toys. The science activities form the core of the experience, but all the teachers on the team assume leadership roles.