Design and Technology—Product Design
Graphic Products / Resistant Materials
What courses are being offered?
You will be able to study “Design and Technology: Product Design”, (EDEXCEL). You will choose between Resistant Materials or Graphics
How does it follow on from my GCSE’s?
It is helpful but not necessary for you to have studied GCSE Design & Technology, before starting this course. No prior knowledge of Design & Technology is necessary for you to achieve success in these qualifications.
What is AS & A2 Design & Technology all about?
These courses are designed to encourage you to take a broad view of Design and Technology, to develop your capacity to design and make products, and to appreciate the complex relations between design, materials, manufacture and marketing. It should reflect the wide-ranging activities of professional designers, covering a range of materials and media. You might incorporate resistant materials, graphics, systems and mechanisms, etc. into your coursework to produce exciting results. In Design & Technology it is vital for you to be able to communicate your ideas clearly, so graphics is an important part of this course.
Will I enjoy the course?
Yes, if you want to study a subject that:
* Develops a full range of skills that will be useful in other subjects, at university, and in the world of work.
* Enables you to design & make products.
* Is both creative and technical.
* Is relevant to the society in which you live.
* Encourages you to be a discerning consumer.
* places an emphasis on individual creative work.
On the other hand, if you have trouble with deadlines, don’t like thinking for yourself, and prefer to copy the answers from someone else, perhaps this isn’t the right subject for you!
What about assessment?
For the AS course, you will have a 11/2 hour written paper on Industrial and Commercial Products (taken In January), worth 30% of the available marks, and a 11/2 hour written paper on Materials, Components and Systems, also worth 30%. The other 40% is achieved through a high quality project, on which you will spend roughly 50 hours of class time.
The A2 course is assessed through a 11/2 hour Theory Paper, (30%), another 50 hour project, (30%), and a design based written paper, (3 hours, 40%).
How much work does it involve?
It’s impossible to answer that one. The most successful candidates are usually those who put the most time and effort into their work, but that’s because they’re so enthusiastic about it. While the Exam boards say that all AS & A2 courses require the same amount of time, we find that Design & Technology should take you a little longer than most other subjects, but that time can often be more relaxed.
How will this course help me, apart from being just another qualification?
We all live in a Technological Society, so it makes sense for you to be aware of Technology. Whichever career you choose, you’ll be expected to solve problems, and come up with new ideas and novel ways of doing things.
You won’t be paid a large salary just to repeat other peoples’ ideas.
This course aims to teach you how to develop your skills of problem solving and lateral thinking, as well as developing your communication techniques through a variety of media including ICT.
It also teaches you to manage long-term projects, to work independently, and to work with others. The practical work allows you to explore and practice a wide variety of modern and traditional manufacturing techniques. It develops your understanding of the working properties of a range of materials. You will gain an appreciation of manufacturing and designing for the twenty-first century.
Most importantly, it encourages you to be imaginative and experimental, to have confidence in your ideas and abilities, and to be able to persuade others of the quality of your work.
What Higher Education Courses do these qualifications lead to?
Design and Technology Product Design (AS and A2) is an important foundation that you may pursue after the sixth form, such as:
* Architecture
* Engineering (Automotive/Aerospace/Civil/Electrical/Mechanical)
* Physics
* Computer
* Analysis/Programming/Control
* Systems Analysis
* Product Design
* Furniture Design
* Industrial Design
* Interior Design
* Materials Science
* Graphic Design
* Computer Graphics
* Art and Design
* and, of course, teaching!
Entry for AS/A2 modules will be dependant upon regular attendance, a commitment to the subject and successful performance in school-based assessments. The student must demonstrate that he/she is capable of fulfilling their realistic potential in that module. If this is not the case, the Head of Department should not enter the student for that module In that examination sitting. Students will be offered the opportunity to take that module at a later date. Should the student insist on taking the module in that sitting against the advice offered then it will be as a private candidate.