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Guidelines for completing the HSC innovation case study

As part of the Innovation and emerging technologies section of the HSC course students are required to complete a case study of an innovation. This tutorial guides you through the development of an innovation case study.

Outcomes

In the course of the innovation case study students may address aspects of the following HSC outcomes:

H1.1 critically analyses the factors affecting design and the development and success of design projects

H1.2 relates the practices and processes of designers and producers to the major design project

H2.1 explains the influence of trends in society on design and production

H2.2 evaluates the impact of design and innovation on society and the environment

H3.1 analyses the factors that influence innovation and the success of innovation

H3.2 uses creative and innovative approaches in designing and producing

H5.2 selects and uses appropriate research methods and communication techniques

H6.2 critically assesses the emergence and impact of new technologies, and the factors affecting their development.**

Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Design and Technology Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses (1999) p. 9, 11-12.

**The individual innovation case study may not fully address all components of these outcomes and therefore other activities will need to be undertaken to ensure that all outcomes are addressed.

Click on the headings below to navigate in this tutorial:

Purpose
Syllabus requirements
Assessment
Form of the case study
Audience for the case study
Style for the case study
Structure of the innovation case study
Ideas and resources for the innovation case study

Purpose

The purpose of the innovation case study is for you to undertake research, especially primary research, to develop an understanding of design, and design practice, and to communicate their findings. The innovation case study will also enable you to develop knowledge and understanding of the Innovation and emerging technologies content area of the syllabus. Use of specific examples will assist understanding.

Syllabus requirements

The Design and technology syllabus course structure states on page 9 that students will complete a case study of an innovation which includes reference to the study of:

designs and design practice
factors which may impact on successful innovation
entrepreneurial activity
the impact of emerging technologies
the impact on Australian society
historical and cultural influences
ethical and environmental issues
creativity.

Assessment

The HSC assessment and reporting section of the Design and technology syllabus, page 28, presents the specifications of the internal assessment task, a compulsory component of the HSC course:

Component	Weighting	Tasks
Knowledge and skills in: Innovation and emerging technologies	20	Tasks must include: a case study of an innovation which addresses: knowledge of innovation skills in researching and communication (approximately 1000 words or an equivalent presentation)

The written paper component of the external examination will include questions on aspects of Innovation and emerging technologies and Designing and producing. Questions may be multiple-choice (Section I), short answers (Section II) or extended responses (Section III), see sample paper .

As a mandatory component of the study of Innovation and emerging technologies, the innovation case study can enable students to source excellent examples for these answers. For example:

2001 HSC Specimen Paper, page 9, question 11, part e

Explain how a new or emerging technology has had an impact on an innovation that you have studied.
2001 HSC Specimen Paper, page 11, question 14a and 14b

"New and emerging technologies in fields such as communication, genetic engineering and manufacturing impact significantly on society."
1. Discuss the impact on the individual and society of an emerging technology that you have studied.
2. Discuss the legal implications of new and emerging technologies.
  
  Students should be able to refer to parts of their innovation case study to answer specific HSC examination questions on the innovation case study as in:
2001 HSC Specimen Paper, page 9, part f

Discuss the environmental considerations addressed by the designer in your case study of an innovation.

2001 HSC Specimen Paper, Board of Studies NSW © 2000.

Form of the case study

The HSC assessment and reporting section of the Design and technology syllabus, page 28 specifies the form of the case study of an innovation.

One innovation example will be researched in detail as a case study according to the criteria outlined in the syllabus and detailed above in Purpose.

Assessment will be based on two criteria:

knowledge of the innovation
research and communication skills.

Presentation is limited in size to the equivalent of 1000 words.

The presentation method is not specified by the syllabus. It could include an essay, a research paper, a series of short answers or a PowerPoint presentation. All forms of presentation should include appropriate referencing and or bibliography.

Audience for the case study

In preparing the innovation case study the student should take into consideration the requirements of possible audiences for their work. Possible audiences include:

the teacher marking the innovation case study as an assessment task (the primary audience)
fellow students who may be recipients of the case study for shared learning
HSC examiners if questions relating to the case study are answered in the external HSC written paper.

The requirements of the possible audiences will need to be considered in planning and preparing the innovation case study.

Style for the case study

Style is dependent on the topic, the audience and the form. The style for the innovation case study will typically be technical, formal, impersonal, abstract and objective. These terms have the following meanings:

Technical: language used that is specific to the innovation or area of study
Formal: no colloquial (slang) or conversational language
Impersonal: impartial, avoids use of first person, "I"
Abstract: hypothetical or theoretical
Objective: no personal opinions or personal bias.

Structure of the innovation case study

The following will help guide the development of your case study:

Describe the innovation including reference to the needs, function and aesthetics of the design.
Find out about the historical development and design processes employed leading to the innovation.
By describing any adaptation or development of ideas employed during the development of the innovation, determine the extent of creativity employed by the innovator or designer.
The following factors often impact on the success of innovations: marketing strategies, timing, political, economic, cultural and legal factors. Identify those that have impacted on your innovation's success. Give simple explanations to justify your choices.
Account for the range and use of technologies in the development of the innovation placing emphasis on available and emerging technologies.
Explain the role of any government, commercial, industrial or other agencies that have contributed to the success of the innovation.
Research and describe entrepreneurial activities that have contributed to the success of the innovation.
Identify ethical issues considered by the innovator. Explain their importance.
Environmental considerations can impact on the work of designers. Discuss the environmental issues that have impacted on the design and the degree of success of the innovation.
How does the innovation you have investigated contribute to the quality of life of Australian society?

Ideas and resources for the innovation case study

The following case studies may help guide the development of your case study:
The Aibo
Cochlear implant
BRACS
The AIS/RMIT Olympic Superbike.
Visit the Powerhouse Museum web site to view.

A sample case study
A sample innovation case study has been developed for your reference. It models the form, style and structure appropriate for the innovation case study.

Resource kit
The Dyson company has an excellent web site which includes a history of Dyson and in particular the Dyson vacuum cleaner. A Teacher resource package for Design and technology is available by emailing:

Michael Lock
michael@dyson.com.au

or alternatively phone 02 9540 0400.

This is only available to teachers, they will need to include their name, school, address and contact numbers.