Gourt Home::Gourt :: Design Technology
Design And Technology
Design And Technology, written as D&T for short, is an academic subject of the UK educational system that can be taken at all levels from primary school upwards. It is also offered in several other countries such as Botswana in Africa and it can also be taken at all levels from secondary school upwards. It is also a university subject in UK, Botswana and some other countries. In Botswana, the University of Botswana at Gaborone has been offering D&T for over ten years and they have started offering a parallel programme in Industrial Design since 2004. It is sometimes referred to in the Scottish examination system as Craft and Design.
At GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) level, the course, which is spread over two years, requires students to produce one piece of coursework. This coursework must consist of a product that the student has manufactured in the workshop plus a written piece about the product.
At GCSE level students of design technology (also known as DT) are expected to design and make an item of their choice. On completion the teacher of the student is expected to mark the project and award points for the finish of the final product, the creativeness of it, the complexity of it and how well the project itself was made. 40% of the students overall grade depends on the practical work and a further 20% on the coursework. The final 40% of GCSE is based on a examination of the students general knowledge of the subject. However, if a student is injured whilst in the process of making their practical work the teacher of the student can apply to the exam board to have either an extension of time or the teacher can apply to give the student an estimated mark.
Pupils, unfortunately, are frequently unexpected to have high academic acheivement which can lead to poor teaching quality, and ignoring their capability for higher grades.
IB Design Technology
Design Technology is also a topic offered by schools utilizing the International Baccalaureate Organization's curriculum. DT is regarded as a technology course at the Middle Years Programme Level (grades 5-10), but becomes a science course at the Diploma Programme level (grades 11-12).
The primary focus of MYP Design Technology is to give students hands-on experience utilizing tools and learning the sequence of steps involved in designing and modifying projects - this uses heavy documentation, and evaluation of the students' processes, often times collected in a process journal.
The Diploma Programme of Design Technology is a two-year course that serves as an introduction to engineering - such topics as Ergonomics, Manufacturing Processes, and Material Properties are all explored at length.
Technological Education, Scotland
Technological education is part of the Scottish secondary school curriculum. Technological education is segregated into five different subjects:
- Graphic Communication
- Craft and Design
- Technological Studies
- Product Design
- Practical Craft Skills
"Design Technology"