Student engagement is at levels I have never seen in my 23 years of teaching. Students love the lab and are constantly asking if they can come down in their free time to continue working with Ukits, or Engino, etc. I’ve never been busier as a teacher, but also have never had more fun. It’s encouraged me to gladly take work home and get more proficient in areas such as coding and circuitry. I see myself as a lifelong learner, and this lab not only meets the needs of my students but also fulfills my own growth as a facilitator and person. I appreciate my administration for investing in this lab and appreciate SmartLab for offering such an incredible product!!!
Integrated STEM Applications
Connecting Learning
to the Real World
SmartLab embeds real-world tools and technologies into every unit—making STEM relevant, tangible, and engaging. Students explore, design, and solve authentic challenges while building critical skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability. These tools grow with students—beginning with foundational applications in early grades and advancing to professional-grade technologies by middle and high school.
These experiences help students develop a strong STEM identity: the belief that they belong in STEM, can succeed, and can make an impact. When learners work with meaningful tools in purposeful contexts, they gain the confidence to see themselves in future careers.
See how SmartLab sets K–12 students up
for college & career readiness.
A Crossroads of Tools and Technologies
Integrated STEM applications are the connective tissue of SmartLab learning. These are the real-world tools and technologies students use to explore industry challenges—from robotics and AI to data analysis and digital media. Each SmartLab unit begins by pairing one or more of these applications with a career-connected pathway. While the focus starts with a specific industry, units expand to include concepts and challenges from other sectors.
This integrated model allows students to see how knowledge and technologies transfer across disciplines and careers. As students grow, so does the complexity of the tools they use. They start with simple, hands-on technologies and gradually progress to using professional-grade tools—building confidence, skills, and readiness for the real world along the way.
Artificial
Intelligence
Circuitry and
Electronics
Communications
and Multimedia
Information
Technology
Robotics and
Control Technology
Modeling
and Design
Mechanics
and Structures
Data Collection and Analysis
From Big Picture to Real Possibilities
Each SmartLab curriculum brings career relevance to life. The example units below offer just a glimpse of how students connect classroom work to real-world possibilities.
SmartLab Explorer (K–5)
Structured STEM units that introduce career pathways through hands-on, real-world challenges.
Harvest Hauler Unit
Harvest Hauler is a hands-on challenge where students build a device to transport small objects, simulating the movement of crops. Through testing and redesign, they explore mechanical systems, measurement, and real-world problem-solving.
Industry: Agriculture,
Natural Resources and Energy
Integrated STEM Application:
Robotics and Control Technology
SmartLab Pathfinder (6-8)
Scaffolded courses that deepen problem-solving and career awareness through industry-aligned units.
Community Connections Unit
Community Connections invites students to explore how technology and design can solve real-world problems in their local area. Through research, planning, and prototyping, they develop solutions that strengthen community well-being and engagement.
Industry: Construction
and Architecture
Integrated STEM Application:
Modeling and Design
SmartLab Spark (K–12)
Self-directed exploration that builds digital fluency and problem-solving across a wide range of technologies.
Home Energy Audit
Harvest Hauler is a hands-on challenge where students build a device to transport small objects, simulating the movement of crops. Through testing and redesign, they explore mechanical systems, measurement, and real-world problem-solving.
Area of Exploration:
Environmental Technology
Real Tools. Real Learning. Real Growth.
SmartLab gives students access to the same kinds of tools and technologies used in the real world—from circuits and sensors to software and simulations. These aren’t just fun gadgets. They’re part of a structured, purpose-driven curriculum that prepares learners for the opportunities ahead.
As students engage with a range of projects and technologies, they explore STEM across disciplines and at increasing levels of depth. Over time, they gain confidence with real-world tools, think more critically, and build the creative resilience they’ll need for life beyond the classroom.
Curious about the equipment behind these experiences?
See how SmartLab’s real-world tools and structured curriculum prepare students for careers—and confidence
Structure That Supports Exploration
Already explored the Career Connections page? Here’s how SmartLab brings those ideas to life.
The SmartLab Design Process helps students organize their thinking, take ownership of their learning, and iterate with purpose.
This inquiry-driven cycle—Spark, Make, Analyze, Revise, Tell—builds cognitive and creative habits that serve students in any field or future.
Skills That Travel Further
SmartLab® helps students build the kinds of durable skills that serve them long after a project ends. Communication, critical thinking, and adaptability are integrated into every experience—not as separate goals, but as essential outcomes. These are the capabilities students will rely on in any job, career, or calling.
Communication
Communication
Learners should understand that using various communication methods tailored to different audiences fosters effective and meaningful sharing of STEM knowledge and discoveries.
Collaboration
Collaboration
Learners should understand that effective collaboration leverages the strengths of diverse groups, fosters mutual respect, and creates optimized outcomes that reflect shared goals.
Design Process
Design Process
Learners should understand that iterative steps guide the creation of effective and innovative strategiesto evaluate and refine ideas, improve existing designs, and solve real-world problems.
Research Design
Research Design
Learners should understand that professionals apply scientific inquiry and methods to analyze natural systems, make and test predictions about them, and use data and observations to address challenges.
Tools of Knowledge Construction
Tools of Knowledge Construction
Learners should understand that the acquisition of new knowledge, connection to prior knowledge, and critical and creative thinking can be enhanced with effective use of technology and tools.
Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking
Learners should understand that abstraction, decomposition, pattern recognition, and algorithmic thinking can be used to understand and solve real-world problems.
Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking
Learners should understand that whole systems are made up of interconnected and interdependent parts that influence each other.
Mathematical Concepts
Mathematical Concepts
Learners should understand that mathematical knowledge can be applied through reasoning, modeling, and analysis to reveal patterns, understand relationships, and improve processes in complex systems.
Natural Systems
Natural Systems
Learners should understand that natural systems are interconnected, dynamic, and self-regulating, maintaining balance through complex interactions between components.
AI Literacy
AI Literacy
Learners should understand that AI systems are embedded into our everyday lives, making it essential to understand associated ethics, benefits, and potential risks.
Ethics
Ethics
Learners should understand that solutions to real-world problems should consider short- and long-term trade-offs, sustainability, and stakeholder impact.
Digital Citizenship
Digital Citizenship
Learners should understand that digital literacy allows for benefits of the interconnected world; however, it comes with responsibilities and opportunities that should be leveraged in a safe, legal, and ethical way.
Persistence
Persistence
Learners should understand that when approached with a growth mindset, failures provide valuable insights and opportunities to expand understanding, which can be applied to solve real-world problems.
Data Literacy
Data Literacy
Learners should understand that data collection and interpretation allows for the extraction of meaninful insights and data-driven decision making.
Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning
Learners should understand that embracing a mindset of lifelong learning empowers us to adapt to change, stay relevant, and make meaningful contributions throughout our lives.
These skills shape how students think, work, and grow across every grade level.
These skills shape how students think, work, and grow across every grade level.
What Educators Say
“SmartLab Learning’s turnkey solutions allowed us to move quickly to implement a district-wide STEM program…the SmartLab Learning solutions plus the professional development allowed our students to be actively engaged in project-based learning immediately.”
“We are able to work with our students to get them career and college ready, and we do that K-12. SmartLabs help by getting students’ hands on projects and activities, getting them working with partners in the classroom, and getting them building something they would’ve never have imagined they could build…it’s actually shown our community what our students are capable of.”
“In our SmartLab, students become empowered and engaged as they use critical thinking, curiosity, and collaboration to apply content standards. I have yet to meet a student who doesn’t love this class or
benefit from this connected approach to learning.”
Success in Action
Districts across the country use SmartLab to strengthen engagement, improve performance, and empower students.
Explore how different communities are making it work.
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Ready to transform learning in your school?
Together, we’ll bring the SmartLab ecosystem to your school. Students will engage deeply in STEM, take on real-world challenges, and build the skills for lifelong learning, leadership, and career readiness.
