STIIX Maze Project: Engineering Complexity Through Paths & Problems
In the STIIX Maze Project, learners take on the role of city planners in STIIX-Ville, where the local toy store is challenging them to design the next best-selling maze toy. Students must build a functional, engaging maze that includes obstacles, turns, and a defined path—all while following engineering principles.
Over a ~1 hour guided unit, students work through a full design cycle with five supporting videos (Intro, Academic Concepts, How-To Build, Testing & Evaluation, and an Industry Spotlight). They begin by sketching their maze design and planning out where obstacles will go, thinking first about how the shape of their maze will impact motion and challenge.
Using STIIX’s modular building components, learners build their maze, test how marbles or tokens navigate through, measure performance, and iterate. During testing, they collect data such as completion time, collision points, and stuck zones. Then, they redesign to improve flow, reduce bottlenecks, and balance difficulty. This iterative process mirrors real-life engineering practice—design, test, reflect, and refine.
Teachers receive full support via teacher guides, build-logs, student worksheets, and reflection prompts. The curriculum aligns with NGSS / ETS standards around defining problems, modeling, and optimizing for performance. Because of its hands-on construction and open-ended design, this project promotes spatial reasoning, systems thinking, and collaborative problem-solving.
Bring structure and excitement to hands-on learning with STIIX-Ville — your digital hub for project guides, assessments, and student progress tracking.
What’s Included in the Box:
- STIIX structural building sticks & connectors
- Maze base or foundation panels
- Obstacle / wall components (straight and curved)
- Pathway planning sheets or sketch templates
- Build-log & iteration worksheets
- Testing & evaluation guide (time, collisions, flow)
- Reflection & redesign prompts
- Teacher slide deck & lesson plan
- Instructional video series (5 modules: Intro, Academic, How-To, Testing, Industry)
