“Most school systems don’t have the skillset to build this from the ground up without a partner like SmartLab Learning.”
Middle school is
where future-ready mindsets take shape.
Middle school learners want to explore real careers—not just imagine them. Pathfinder invites students to experience the tools, roles, and challenges of industries like engineering, healthcare, and app design. These formative years are a launchpad for building and furthering STEM identity, confidence, and curiosity.
SmartLab students in action: ah-HA!
Expand learners’ STEM mindset
Course-based STEM learning grounded
in the real world.
Pathfinder is built for middle school. Students engage with distinct courses— like App Design, Engineering Design, Digital Media, and Robotics—each structured around real industry roles and lasting challenges. Courses include scaffolded units that blend ethical decision-making, design thinking, collaboration, and communication. SMART Challenges offer additional opportunities to apply and extend learning through short, career-aligned projects.
Each course opens a window into real careers
Pathfinder includes four core courses, each designed around a meaningful, career-connected problem. Students develop technical skills, work in teams, and apply ethical reasoning as they build solutions. Every unit builds toward action—and comes with all the required materials to support it, from age-appropriate tech tools to consumables and build supplies. Many teacher-facilitators will choose to go even further with included 10-hour SMART Challenges.
Course:
Engineering Design
Unit Example:
Community Connections
Investigate community planning, infrastructure, and sustainability. Units guide students to prototype structures, analyze population needs, and present to local stakeholders.
Industry:
Construction & Architecture
Integrated STEM Application:
Modeling & Design
Course:
App Design
Unit Example:
Farm Fresh
Explore user-centered thinking and digital product development. Students define problems, build wireframes, and test functional apps that make everyday life better.
Industry: Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy
Integrated STEM Application:
Information Technology
Course:
Digital Media
Unit Example:
Once Upon a Time
Use storytelling as a tool for social impact. Students create persuasive campaigns, film original content, and learn how media shapes civic change.
Industry:
Entertainment, Arts, and Media
Integrated STEM Application:
Communications and Multimedia
Course:
Robotics
Unit Example:
SmartBot Solutions
Automate meaningful real-world tasks. Students engineer and refine robotic systems that solve challenges in fields like healthcare, agriculture, and logistics.
Industry:
Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics
Integrated STEM Application:
Robotics & Control Technology
What career-connected learning looks like
SmartLab students bring STEM applications to life through meaningful, hands-on projects. These examples show how learners use real tools and technologies to explore and solve challenges:
Middle school is
where future-ready mindsets take shape.
SmartLab Pathfinder challenges middle school learners to think critically, work collaboratively, and apply what they’ve learned in meaningful ways. Each NGSS/CCSS standards-aligned course includes project-based units and SMART Challenges that expose learners to real-world tools, technologies, and careers—helping them gain confidence, solve problems, and see their own potential in new ways.
In a Pathfinder course, learners:
- Explore STEM careers by stepping into UX designer & engineer roles
- Practice collaboration, planning, & iteration to strengthen core skills
- Reflect on their learning and connect it to real life and future goals
- Engage with real-world tools to create meaningful products
Taking SmartLab across school, grades, and the curriculum ↑
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.”
“By moving beyond textbooks and theory, investing in SmartLab HQs technology gives students a chance to succeed in an ever-changing, fast-moving environment while fostering essential skills such as communication, flexibility, creativity, and collaboration. We’re equipping students with the tools, resources, and confidence to adapt to new technologies and ideas that push the world forward.”
“The communication I’ve had with industry leaders within Michigan about the program itself comes primarily from their visits to our schools. I tell them, ‘Get prepared, because you’re going to have 18-year-old kids with more knowledge than some of your employees.’ That’s an exciting proposition for them because a lot of jobs are unfilled.”
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.
