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Curriculum & Activities

A strong ACE curriculum combines career exploration, hands-on learning, mentorship, and real-world AEC experiences to keep students engaged throughout the program. Curriculum should give students opportunities to explore architecture, construction, engineering, and the skilled trades while developing important skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.

Use the resources below to plan your program, develop engaging sessions and activities, and connect students with meaningful experiences that reflect how AEC professionals work together.

Start with the Student Experience: Build your curriculum around what you want students to learn, do, and experience. Combine hands-on activities, collaborative projects, career conversations, site and workplace visits, and interaction with industry professionals to create a well-rounded ACE experience.

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Use these resources to plan and structure a successful ACE program year from beginning to end. Explore ACE’s educational goals and objectives, recommended session framework, program blueprint, scheduling guidance, and year-end event tips to create a consistent, engaging, and well-rounded experience for students and mentors.

Goals & Objectives
Session Framework
Blueprint
Schedule Tips
Year End Event Tips

Access ACE curriculum designed to help mentors create engaging, hands-on learning experiences for students. Explore lessons, activities, project ideas, and other educational content that introduce students to architecture, construction, engineering, and the skilled trades while building important career-ready skills.

Curriculum Content Page

Explore a broader collection of curriculum materials, activities, presentations, and resources developed and shared across the ACE community. Use the Repository to find additional ideas, adapt successful activities for your affiliate, and discover resources that can supplement your existing curriculum and program sessions.

Repository Page
  • Those Amazing Architects — Introduces students to the world of architecture, including what architects do, how projects come together, career pathways, tools, and the future of the profession.
  • Those Amazing Builders — Explores careers in construction, from skilled trades and project management to technology and infrastructure, while showing students the many pathways available in the building industry.
  • Those Amazing Engineers — Introduces students to different engineering disciplines and demonstrates how engineers use creativity, science, and technology to solve problems and shape the world around us.
  • NEXT.cc — An educational resource featuring hands-on activities and learning opportunities across architecture, engineering, design, science, technology, and the environment.

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Curriculum Builder

Build and organize your affiliate’s program schedule using ready-to-use curriculum resources.

Template Instructions:

The Curriculum Builder is meant to assist with building a program schedule. It is not a requirement.

  1. In Row 10, replace “Affiliate Name, Meeting Time, & Place” with your correct information. You can also change the location and time changes at any point during the program year.
  2. Columns A – F are informational columns to be completed by the affiliate curriculum team or individual.
  3. Columns G, I, and K have dropdown menus that will link repository activities into the subsequent column (G links in H, I links in J, and K links in L).
  4. If you have an activity that you repeat yearly, the dropdown menus in G, I, and K include an “OWN: Affiliate Activity” option at the bottom of the list.

 

Template links below (Auto Downloads)
*make sure you use chrome browser*

Helpful Tip: Start with your program dates and key milestones, then use the dropdown menus to add activities from the Repository. Customize the schedule with your affiliate’s own activities as needed.

Excel Template

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Google Sheet Template

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Google Sheets Note:
Download the template using the link. Drop the .xlsx file into your google drive. Once there, it should automatically open in google sheets.