Design and Technology
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Design and technology
Overview
Overview
Congratulations on choosing Design and technology as one of your HSC subjects. It is a useful and practical subject, yet creative and challenging.
Design and technology has a unique focus on creativity, innovation and the successful implementation of innovative ideas. Students will investigate the importance of evaluation, the role of computer-based technologies, management, communication and collaborative design, as well as exploring current and emerging technologies. Through the completion of quality design projects, students are provided with the opportunity to develop specific production and manufacturing skills. (BOS, 1999:6)
If you have not yet had the opportunity
of viewing the Design and technology
syllabus 
, take some time to do
so now. It will explain what is expected of you throughout your
final year, and will tell you the sorts of topics you will need
to cover. It also gives you useful information about internal
and external assessment requirements.
One feature you might discover with this exercise is that the syllabus outcomes (the things you need to cover in the course) are quite diverse. How are you to fit all of these pieces into a framework that is easy to understand and easy to remember when examination time comes?
Innovation and the HSC
The over-arching theme of the HSC Design and technology course is innovation. Innovation can be neatly represented by Figure 1.
But while this image summarises the overall process of innovative design, the study of innovation at the HSC level is divided into two distinct, yet interlinking areas of study:
- innovation and the major design project (MDP): Designing and producing
- the innovation case study: Innovation and emerging technologies.
The diagram below shows how the study of innovation links the case study you are required to undertake and the understanding of innovation you need to gain for the development of a successful major design project and examination result.
The Design and technology node of HSC Online has been designed to closely reflect the structure of the HSC course. There are two sections:
Innovation and the major design project: Designing and producing
This area of study focuses on the process involved in developing an innovative new design, through the completion of a practical design project, known as the major design project (MDP). When viewed in the context of the whole innovation cycle, the MDP focuses only on the product design stage. The focus of the designing and producing section is the development of your major design project, the major external assessment requirement for the HSC. To find out more: Work through the tutorials presented in the Designing and producing section of this web site.
The Innovation case study: Innovation and emerging technologies
This area of study looks at the remainder of the innovation cycle. It asks and answers the question of how innovative design moves on from being just a good idea, to establishing a position in the marketplace as a competitive, successful product. It does this through the real life study of designers and their products that have succeeded or failed at the innovation game. The focus of the innovation section is the development of the innovation case study which is a school-based assessment requirement. To find out more work through the tutorials presented in Innovation and emerging technologies.
While the focus of the innovation section is to examine the factors affecting innovation and emerging technologies and then applying these to your case study, it is also important to draw on the tutorials presented to enhance the project development and realisation of your major design project.
A creative and innovative major design project will not only satisfy aspects of the marking criteria, it will also provide you with a dynamic and interesting project which will sustain your interest through its development. It may also open up career options for you.
The examination button
Capitalise on your design and technology experiences and make the most of the 40% the examination contributes to your final external assessment score. Use the tutorials found at this button to apply the knowledge that you have gained working on your innovation case study and the major design project to sample examination questions.
References
Board of Studies NSW (1999) Design and technology Stage 6 syllabus, Sydney, p. 6.
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