Frequently Asked Questions

General

Do facilitators or learners need any prior knowledge of engineering?

No, facilitators or learners do not need any prior knowledge in engineering. EFTW provides an introduction to engineering.

What will learners get from this program?

Learners will explore real-world engineering concepts, meet with a Meta engineer, and have the opportunity to be considered for the Impact Award. In addition, learners will receive a Certificate of Completion signed by Meta to celebrate their accomplishments!

What is the Impact Award?

The Impact Award is $1,000 USD given to the winning teams to donate to a non-profit organization of their choice. Teams with projects that take an innovative approach and build social value in their community will win the Impact Award.

What is Tech Connections?

Tech Connections is a component of EFTW that helps learners understand that engineers come from diverse backgrounds and have different abilities and interests. It is a one-hour video call where learners and their facilitator connect with a Meta engineer. During the call, learners gain insight into what it means to be an engineer in real life and get feedback on the tech prototypes that they build.

Who are the Facilitator Ambassadors?

Facilitator Ambassadors are experienced EFTW facilitators supporting new facilitators with any questions or guidance they may need during the program. They will bring their knowledge and passion for ensuring facilitators provide the best experience possible to their learners!

How can I become a partner of EFTW?

Partnering with EFTW can take many forms. If you’d like to partner with us, please send us a message using our Contact Us form. Once we receive your message, we will respond to you within 1-2 business days.

Registration

Is there a fee to participate in EFTW?

EFTW is free. There is no fee to participate in EFTW.

What is the timeline for the program?

The program is available year-round. It takes 15-20 hours to implement with your learners. To be considered for the Impact Award, you can submit your projects to three deadlines: January 31, May 31, and September 30.

Facilitator

How many weeks will the program run, and for how many hours a week

EFTW typically takes 15-20 hours to implement. Some facilitators complete the program within a week with their learners (e.g., they meet for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week), or some take two months to finish (e.g., they meet 1 hour a week, over 8 weeks.) Facilitators are welcome to adapt the curriculum to best fit the programming offered at their schools or organizations!

What is the number of learners required?

EFTW supports any group size. Facilitators will typically divide learners into groups of 2-4. Therefore, we recommend at least 2 learners. Facilitators have implemented this with small groups (2-20 learners) and large classes (100+ learners).

Is there an age requirement for learners?

Learners should be ages 13-18 to participate in Chatbots for Change and Products with Purpose. Learners should be ages 11-18 to participate in Play for Impact.

Is EFTW implemented in-person or virtually?

EFTW can be implemented in-person, virtually, or hybrid. Throughout our projects, you will find suggestions on how to facilitate and implement each learning activity in-person or virtually.

Would EFTW be implemented at my school or organization, or would it be at Meta?

An adult facilitator would implement EFTW at your school or organization. At Meta, we support your implementation by answering any questions the adult facilitator would have.

Is it possible to implement EFTW for learners groups that are not historically underrepresented in STEM?

While our goal is to serve learners who are historically underrepresented in STEM, we welcome all learners to take advantage of our program!

Products with Purpose

What is Products with Purpose?

Product with Purpose is a project where learners will build a prototype using everyday materials, such as cardboard, paper and tape. Learners will work collaboratively to understand the importance of prototyping, practice building prototypes, and ideate a Product with Purpose to address an issue they care about.

What are the age requirements for learners to implement Products with Purpose?

Learners should be ages 13-18 to participate in Products with Purpose.

What platforms will be used in Products with Purpose?

No Internet or digital platforms will be needed to implement Products with Purpose. Learners will simply need access to everyday materials, such as cardboard, paper and tape.

Chatbots for Change

What is Chatbots for Change?

Chatbots for Change is a project where learners will build chatbots based on a social issue of their choice using artificial intelligence (“AI”) principles. A chatbot is a computer program that uses programming rules and AI to converse with users using text, images, and videos. AI generally refers to computer programs that try to be "smart" and imitate what a human might do.

What are the age requirements for learners to implement Chatbots for Change?

Learners should be ages 13-18 to participate in Chatbots for Change. The reason learners should be at least 13 years old for this project is because they will need a Facebook account to build a Chatbot, which is the minimum age requirement by Facebook to create an account.

What platforms will be used in Chatbots for Change?

Facilitators and learners will build their chatbots using Chatfuel, a platform that connects to a Facebook page. Facilitators will also need to have a Google account to access project materials.

What are the system requirements to use Chatfuel?

Chatfuel will run in most current web browsers on desktops or laptops. Therefore, we recommend using Chatfuel on a laptop or desktop with Internet access and avoid using a tablet or mobile device.

Would it be okay if learners create a new Facebook account to host a chatbot?

Yes, we think it's wise to have them create a new Facebook account to avoid the need to use someone's personal account. We suggest that you mimic a real Facebook account by adding friends, liking pages, and other things you might do if you were setting up a personal account. Facebook is always on the lookout for spam accounts!

Play for Impact

What is Play for Impact?

Play for Impact is a project where learners will create a digital game to address a topic that matters to them using block-based coding. Block-based coding is a type of programming language where instructions are mainly represented as blocks.

What are the age requirements for learners to implement Play for Impact?

Learners should be ages 11-18 to participate in Play for Impact.

What platforms will be used in Play for Impact?

Facilitators and learners will build their games using Scratch, a programming language platform to create games and stories using visual code blocks. Facilitators will also need to have a Google account to access EFTW project materials.

What are the system requirements needed to use Scratch?

Scratch will run in most current web browsers on desktops or laptops. Therefore, we recommend using Scratch on a laptop or desktop with Internet access and avoid using a tablet or mobile device.

Is Scratch only available in English?

No, Scratch is available in more than 70 languages, including Spanish. You can switch to a different language at the bottom of the website.

Project Submission

When is the project submission deadline?

There are three submission deadlines throughout the year. Facilitators can choose to submit their projects to any one of the three submission deadlines: January 31, May 31, or September 30.

How do I submit a project?

To submit a project, you must first complete all activities in a project, and then select the "Project Submission" activity to fill out a submission form. You'll have to upload the project's Design Statement and links or pictures when submitting a project.

What can I submit for a Products with Purpose project?

To submit a Products with Purpose project, go to the "Project Submission" activity. On the submission form, upload the project's Design Statement, 1 photo or 1 link of the product sketch, and 3 photos or 1 link of the final product prototype. Please ensure that no identifiable information (names or faces) is visible in the photos to protect your learners' privacy.

Can facilitators submit more than two projects?

Yes, they can! Facilitators can submit all the projects built by their learners.

How long does it take to get feedback from a project?

The EFTW Team reviews every project that is submitted. It can take up to 60 days after each submission deadline to receive project feedback.