University outreach activities can inspire high school students to pursue STEM pathways. A new workshop, Engineering Clean Water Solutions, was developed at Monash to showcase chemical engineering principles through a practical design workshop, which situated students in realistic engineering roles (CDIO Standard 1) and engaged them in team-based development and testing of a water treatment process (Standard 5, Standard 8) that balanced efficiency, cost, and effectiveness. They also experienced analogous industrial practices at the Monash Membrane Pilot Plant. Student feedback highlighted the workshop’s interactivity and industry relevance, demonstrating the value of aligning outreach activities with the CDIO framework. Importantly, this implementation of CDIO also illustrates how the Framework can be used as a pedagogical tool and also as part of the broader strategy of an institute to support goals such as student recruitment, offering an example of curriculum agility in action.
