Engineering practices include using the engineering design process to solve problems. This design process is an instructional method that can be used to teach and apply various concepts in an integrated fashion. Students engage with integrated concepts from multiple disciplines and use design thinking to design a solution to an authentic problem. There are multiple model variations of the engineering design process; however, they all share the basic practices of asking questions or defining problems, brainstorming, planning, creating and testing a design, and improving the design. Throughout the process, students are engaged in problem solving, teamwork, collaboration, and effective communication.

This process is non-linear and iterative. Flexibility within the engineering design process allows a student to return to a step if needed. Analysis and improvement often result in additional questions or problems that can be solved through additional design process iterations.