Design and Technology
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A Design and Technology Glossary Terms as used in Design and Technology with some links to appropriate Internet sites. |
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A plan of actions, usually also indicating when a particular
action will happen and what the interrelationships and dependencies are
between actions. Types are: Gantt Charts, Pert Diagrams. See this site at the
University of Tasmania |
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this example of an |
ANALYSIS |
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The analysis of a problem or need is to look at each section of it and determine the core issues to be addressed. The analysis of "Design a box to store bread in a kitchen" should lead to issues such as... how big is bread? where in the kitchen? what's the best way to store bread? what materials are suitable? what techniques, tools and processes are available? store for how long? and so on. A good thinker should be able to identify more issues. |
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APPLICATION |
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How has it been used? In the context of Design and Technology, especially in Project Development and Realisation, the markers will want to see that the research you do is both useful and has been used. If the experiment that you did, had no effect on your project, it will be very important to say why it did not. It is ideal if you can show how everything you do in your folio is applied, is used in your project. The folio is not the only part of the project. It is essential that you show how your folio work has helped your project develop. |
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AREAS |
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Used in Areas of Investigation, these are the broad areas, in a list form, that you will investigate to take your project from a series of ideas, through to implementation. |
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A technique used in creating ideas, usually done in a
group where everyone calls out ANY idea and it is written down by the team
leader. No one is allowed to criticise any ones
idea, all ideas are written up and it is okay to combine two ideas to make it
your own. There are many more creativity methods |
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BUDGET |
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How much do you have available to spend? It is also a good idea to "dissect" your budget into the different parts of your project. For example, $10 for folio, $20 for experiments, $40 to manufacture and so on. |
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The markers/examiners, who visit your school have a deep understanding of the subject and are trained to apply the subject rules. To help them apply all of the rules to every project that they mark, a check sheet is prepared to enable them to consider every aspect of your project. Note that it is a guide only and both the Syllabus and the Subject Manual are used to guide the markers in their work. |
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COMMUNICATION |
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Your ability to use a range of communication methods is important in Design and Technology. Writing, drawing and modelling would be part of most folios, but you will also record conversations, telephone people, be on the Internet and so on. Your use of communication techniques should be well documented. |
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CRADLE TO GRAVE |
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This is the common term used to describe a life cycle
analysis of a product. It implies that you evaluate the product, system or environment
from when it is created out of its components and take into account where all
of those components came from, right back to their raw materials, and how
energy was used and how waste was disposed in their creation. It also expects
analysis of the life of the product, system or environment after its service
life until disposal. The Centre
for Design |
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CREATIVITY |
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The ability to create. If you are creative in Design and Technology
you will not only come up with lots of possible solutions, but will also be
able to see a variety of ways to work past the problems that you encounter
and can use many different ways to do your research. Creativity |
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CRITERIA |
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When we watch the diving at the Olympics, we see that the
judges give points for different parts of the dive. The judges apply the
criteria to the dive and score it on each of these criteria. When you determine
the criteria for your design project, you will use it to judge the success or
failure or the project. |
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Design is the concept which links human ingenuity to selected activities
in order to meet challenges and find solutions. Designing may begin with an
original thought or develop from existing design. |
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- creative planning to meet specific human needs - the concept which links human ingenuity to activities in order to meet challenges and find solutions - solving problems that will bring about changes and improvements in manufactured objects and people's environments - to plan, to lay out, to arrange and to make selections - that decision making process by which humans determine, in advance of production, the forms of environments, objects and communications - a planned, purposeful activity which leads to a solution to a problem or the satisfaction of a need - organised problem solving. |
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DESIGNING |
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A process based activity which leads from the
identification of a need or a problem to the implementation of the solution. |
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This is when you assess your progress by applying the criteria that you have developed to each step. When an experiment is conducted, you would evaluate the results to see if they are relevant and if they impact on your projects development. When you analyse existing solutions to problems similar to yours, you will evaluate them against your criteria. The essential thing for Design and Technology is that the criteria that you establish at the start is used throughout, to show that the project is moving towards the satisfaction of the needs. |
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EVIDENCE |
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Markers/Examiners will constantly look at the product/system or environment that you produce for the evidence of the application of skills, application of your research and application of the results of experimentation and testing. The validity of your work is evidenced by the application in the product of your designing. |
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EXAMINERS |
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In the subject manual, the people who mark the projects are referred to as examiners. In other documents and at the Office of the Board of Studies, these people are known as markers, senior markers and so on. The term marker and examiner are the same within these pages. |
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EXPERIMENTATION |
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Experiments are usually conducted to compare one thing to another. |
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Within the Project Proposal you are expected to produce a plan of finances. This would include a budget and a breakdown of how you expect it to be spent over the one year that you will work on your project. This could be a separate document, or included within your Action and Time Plans. The ACTUAL spending of your budget should also be included in your financial planning. This will be more than keeping receipts. An analysis of the disbursement of the funds should be done. |
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A Gantt
chart |
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Investigating involves going out and finding out, and the use of your best detective skills to locate or create the information that you need. Locating means that you can find the information, in a book (or two), on the Internet (validate at two or three sites), in a Library, from an expert (and supported by other evidence). Creating information means that you will conduct an experiment, a test, or a survey (on more people than just your friends). |
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This is simply saying WHY you have done a particular thing, and in Design and Technology, backing up your reason with some evidence. |
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This means the construction of your project, the construction of the furniture, garment, system, database, multimedia, industrial product, farming equipment, software, recipe. Making in the context of Designing, Making and Evaluating means that you are "doing it", you are "assembling the parts" so that the product, system, or environment can be used, so that you can realistically evaluate it. |
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MARKERS |
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These are the same as examiners when mentioned within these pages. The words examiners and markers are synonymous. |
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MDP |
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Your Major Design Project, this includes both the folio and the product of your designing, which will be either a product, a system or an environment. |
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MIND MAPS |
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A mind map |
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Design and Technology is a course where Design Projects include
the practical hands on activity of carrying a project through to its realisation. The realisation of
a project should satisfy the purpose identified in the initial project
proposal. Documentation of all the steps involved in the project and the appropriate
use of computer technology should be incorporated into Design Projects |
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PRESENTATION |
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As a HSC candidate, the quality of presentation of the work in both folio and product, system or environment, needs to be of appropriate quality. The examination criteria also refers to presentation techniques. This means that a range of techniques should be used to present the project. |
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PROPOSAL |
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The project proposal includes the Identification and exploration of Needs, the Criteria to Evaluate success and the Areas of Investigation. This is a projection of what is likely to occur. As the project develops, thing may change. These changes would be the result of evaluation and would be fully documented in the folio. |
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This is anything at all that you may possibly use to implement you project. Human, time, energy and material resources are the minimum that you should consider. |
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Make a choice and, in Design and Technology terms explain or justify the reasons for that choice. |
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SUCCESS |
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Success with the MDP is judged by whether the outcome of your designing meets the criteria that you set in the Project Proposal. There will be various levels of success that you should explain to the examiners by comparing the final result of your work to the needs, functional, aesthetic, societal and environmental criteria that you have established. |
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SYLLABUS |
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This is the document approved by the NSW Board of Studies that tells schools what students are expected to know, attitudes they should have and skills they should have acquired as a result of studying the course |
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In this subject, Technology is the know-how and creative processes
that may assist people to utilise tools, resources
and systems to solve problems and to enhance control over the natural and
made environment in an endeavour to improve the
human condition. |
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TESTING |
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To check whether something will work or not. A test should be done to prove that something will work. To test a hypothesis is to check whether it is true or not. |
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TIME MANAGEMENT |
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The ability to organise the MDP
through the year to a successful conclusion and implementation. The MDP is
probably the largest task that you have ever undertaken, the use of some time
management strategies will be crucial to your success. |
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TIME PLAN |
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Is a plan of how you expect to spend your time over the one year that the MDP will last. It will also include the actual use of your time as you go. This is likely to be different to your plan. Many students record this actual use of time in a diary. The use of a labour cost to give a true indication of the research and development costs of your project can easily be calculated from an accurate time plan. |