The DriveOhio Educator Toolkit is a collection of free resources and information created by DriveOhio for educators to use to incorporate advanced mobility topics into STEM education and career opportunities. Designed for K-12 and Career Technical Educators, the toolkit includes curriculum and materials; grants and funding; career connections; and professional development resources to interest and engage students in advanced mobility and STEM education through hands-on learning experiences. The curriculum contains lesson plans aligned by grade band and core competency, video demonstrations, and a variety of career opportunities, webinars, and connections. Example topics include electric vehicles, drones, self-driving vehicles, and more.

DriveOhio has compiled multiple resources related to transportation career choices and connections for students that teachers, advisors, or other interested parties can leverage to learn more about the growing field of mobility careers. DriveOhio offers a free webinar series featuring interviews with industry leaders in related mobility fields and allowing for live Q&A sessions with attendees. This content also connects to the Ohio Career Connections Framework, which is a planning tool for Ohio school districts allowing students to develop a vision and strategic career plan. This framework connects affiliated college and career readiness programming allowing students to graduate into high-quality, in-demand occupations.

To support educators in offering immersive, K-12 “hands on” learning, DriveOhio has curated free curriculum organized by educational topic and grade bands. The curriculum activities are scalable, flexible, and modular. Each curriculum topic contains a list of necessary resources and a detailed lesson plan to walk educators through step-by-step. DriveOhio offers a variety of curriculum for topics including: Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations; Automated Vehicles and Delivery Robots; Drones, Advanced Air Mobility, and Vertiports; Connected Vehicles and Intersections; and Smart City Planning. DriveOhio has also compiled extra resources related to the curriculum for both teachers and students to learn more.

The DriveOhio Educator Toolkit Document provides an overview of the program and its benefits. The DriveOhio Educator Toolkit is a collection of free resources and information created by DriveOhio for educators to use to incorporate advanced mobility topics into STEM education and career opportunities. Designed for K-12 and Career Technical Educators, the toolkit includes curriculum and materials; grants and funding; career connections; and professional development resources to interest and engage students in advanced mobility and STEM education through hands-on learning experiences. The curriculum contains lesson plans aligned by grade band and core competency, video demonstrations, and a variety of career opportunities, webinars, and connections. Example topics include electric vehicles, drones, self-driving vehicles, and more.

At DriveOhio, we understand classrooms may not have some items listed in our curriculum overviews. So, we’ve made it easier for educators to find, apply and receive funding for technology, software and other materials that will make our programs even more successful for Ohio’s students. DriveOhio has grant funding available for certain classrooms meeting the funding eligiility and also provides access to a running list of other available grants through a free website.

DriveOhio has developed a fee-free online course for educators and program leaders interested in learning more about the DriveOhio Ambassador program. The course assists in launching an ambassador program in any Ohio School District or afterschool program, including ways to recruit student ambassadors, deploy DriveOhio curriculum, investigate emerging career pathways, and create student networking opportunities. The e-learning course is available online and provides 2 CEU hours.

The DriveOhio Vertiport Innovation Challenge is made possible with support from JobsOhio and a variety of advanced air mobility (AAM) employers and academic partners and provides opportunities for high school and college students to envision the future of air mobility across Ohio. Student teams work with industry mentors to develop proposals that pinpoint solutions and the aviation infrastructure necessary to AAM support operations. After a kickoff presentation, DriveOhio provides support and feedback throughout the challenge.

The Smart Mobility Training Academy is a free eLearning module that will provide information on smart mobility and the DriveOhio Ambassador Program. These courses provide a self-paced resource for training DriveOhio Ambassador Program Advisors and Champions on how to fulfill their recruitment, training, and mentoring roles in the program. Modules include introductory information about the program, how to recruit students and advisors, and guidance on how to train and mentor students.

Student teams commit to a final decision on the location they recommend for safe underground cavern shelter for the citizens of Alabraska. They prepare and deliver final presentations to defend their final decisions to the class.

Students further their understanding of the engineering design process (EDP) while applying researched information on transportation technology, materials science and bioengineering. Students are given a fictional client statement (engineering challenge) and directed to follow the steps of the EDP to design prototype patient safety systems for small-size model ambulances. While following the steps of the EDP, students identify suitable materials and demonstrate two methods of representing solutions to the design challenge (scale drawings and small-scale prototypes). A successful patient safety system meets all of the project's functions and constraints, including the model patient (a raw egg) "surviving" a front-end collision test with a 1:8 ramp pitch.

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the basic elements of our Earth's crust: rocks, soils and minerals. They learn how we categorize rocks, soils and minerals and how they are literally the foundation for our civilization. Students also explore how engineers use rocks, soils and minerals to create the buildings, roads, vehicles, electronics, chemicals, and other objects we use to enhance our lives.

This lesson introduces and describes the main types of erosion (i.e., chemical, water, wind, glacier and temperature). Students learn examples of each type of erosion and discuss how erosion changes the surface of the Earth. Students also learn why engineers need to be aware of the different types of erosion in order to protect structures and landmarks from the damaging effects erosion can cause. Figure 1 is an excellent illustration of water erosion.

Students learn about the structure of the earth and how an earthquake happens. In one activity, students make a model of the earth including all of its layers. In a teacher-led demonstration, students learn about continental drift. In another activity, students create models demonstrating the different types of faults.

Students learn how engineers construct buildings to withstand damage from earthquakes by building their own structures with toothpicks and marshmallows. Students test how earthquake-proof their buildings are by testing them on an earthquake simulated in a pan of Jell-O(TM).

Students learn about factors that engineers take into consideration when designing buildings for earthquake-prone regions. Using online resources and simulations available through the Earthquakes Living Lab, students explore the consequences of subsurface ground type and building height on seismic destruction. Working in pairs, students think like engineers to apply what they have learned to sketches of their own building designs intended to withstand strong-magnitude earthquakes. A worksheet serves as a student guide for the activity.

Students learn what causes earthquakes, how we measure and locate them, and their effects and consequences. Through the online Earthquakes Living Lab, student pairs explore various types of seismic waves and the differences between shear waves and compressional waves. They conduct research using the portion of the living lab that focuses primarily on the instruments, methods and data used to measure and locate earthquakes. Using real-time U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data accessed through the living lab interface, students locate where earthquakes are occurring and how frequently. Students propose questions and analyze the real-world seismic data to find answers and form conclusions. They are asked to think critically about why earthquakes occur and how knowledge about earthquakes can be helpful to engineers. A worksheet serves as a student guide for the activity.

Students learn how engineers characterize earthquakes through seismic data. Then, acting as engineers, they use real-world seismograph data and a tutorial/simulation accessed through the Earthquakes Living Lab to locate earthquake epicenters via triangulation and determine earthquake magnitudes. Student pairs examine seismic waves, S waves and P waves recorded on seismograms, measuring the key S-P interval. Students then determine the maximum S wave amplitudes in order to determine earthquake magnitude, a measure of the amount of energy released. Students consider how engineers might use and implement seismic data in their design work. A worksheet serves as a student guide for the activity.

Students study how geology relates to the frequency of large-magnitude earthquakes in Japan. Using the online resources provided through the Earthquakes Living Lab, students investigate reasons why large earthquakes occur in this region, drawing conclusions from tectonic plate structures and the locations of fault lines. Working in pairs, students explore the 1995 Kobe earthquake, why it happened and the destruction it caused. Students also think like engineers to predict where other earthquakes are likely to occur and what precautions might be taken. A worksheet serves as a student guide for the activity.

Students examine the effects of geology on earthquake magnitudes and how engineers anticipate and prepare for these effects. Using information provided through the Earthquakes Living Lab interface, students investigate how geology, specifically soil type, can amplify the magnitude of earthquakes and their consequences. Students look in-depth at the historical 1906 San Francisco earthquake and its destruction thorough photographs and data. They compare the 1906 California earthquake to another historical earthquake in Kobe, Japan, looking at the geological differences and impacts in the two regions, and learning how engineers, geologists and seismologists work to predict earthquakes and minimize calamity. A worksheet serves as a student guide for the activity.