Perhaps one of the oldest and most traditional project types in technical education is the design and construction of a simple structure or building. Students design and then build structures, such as load-bearing bridges, or multi-story structures in miniature, usually with materials as basic as wood glue and toothpicks. The purpose of building structures is to understand the design process and how one moves from design to construction. Additionally, the process of moving from design to construction educates students on the occasional need to amend their designs to account for unforeseen construction problems, such as weakness in some of the materials, or a faulty design feature.
Mechanical machines move a step beyond simple structures and buildings in one key way: movement. Middle school students in a technical education program build machines such as levers, catapults or mechanized grabbing claws that require detailed and concentrated design prior to the actual construction. But because the purpose of these machines is oftentimes more complicated than that of a structure, this type of project requires much more concentration and attention to design and detail. This is because, while the purpose of buildings or bridges is to remain standing, a machine's purpose might be to grab materials, fling a small stone or lift a weight. Building such machines emphasizes the importance of having a sound design.
Similar to mechanical machines, motorized devices employ another dimension in them: a motor. While mechanical machines use the momentum and inertia of their own parts or even energy, delicately added by the machine's operator, motorized machines, such as cars, cranes or rockets, use the constant, steady, unrelenting stream of energy produced by some type of motor. In terms of design, this means that in addition to fully functional and meticulously designed mechanical components, the design itself must also take into consideration the tensile strength of the joints and other connections of the machine. These connections must remain intact; otherwise, the machine will break down during operation. In addition to the importance of design, motorized machines emphasize the importance of building materials.
Michael Miranda and James Folkestad, education professors at Colorado State University, recognize a shift in emphasis in the different types of technical education projects since the advent and widespread use of computers and computer-related programs and equipment. While structural and mechanical projects used to be the norm, more and more middle school technical education projects focus on constructing, deconstructing or modifying computer equipment, hardware and software. These projects educate students on a burgeoning field of technology, equipping them with the tools and skills necessary to build and design in a computer-related field.