Design Technology
Through studying design technology, students should become aware of how designers work and communicate with each other. In all group 4 subjects there is an emphasis on a practical approach through experimental work. The group 4 project (which all science students must undertake), mirrors the work of real scientists by encouraging collaboration between schools across the regions.
Past experience shows that students will be able to study a group 4 subject at standard level (SL) successfully with no background in, or previous knowledge of science. For most students considering the study of a group 4 subject at higher level (HL) however, some previous exposure to the specific subject would be recommended. Students who have undertaken the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) would be well prepared. Other national design technology qualifications or a school-based design technology course would also be suitable preparation for study of a group 4 subject at HL. A design technology students’ approach to study should be characterized by the specific IB learner profile attributes – inquirers, thinkers and communicators.
The design technology course is organized by topics, SL students study seven topics and HL students study a further five, with some of these taking the first seven topics to greater depth. In addition to this, both SL and HL students study one out of a choice of five options. These options are:
- Food science and technology
- Electronic product design
- CAD/CAM
- Textiles
- Human factors design
To design with technology is to use human ingenuity in selected activities in order to meet needs and find solutions. This can be achieved through existing or new technologies. Design consists of gathering information about the problem or opportunity, processing that information, and planning for some kind of intervention either by modifying what is already there or by introducing something new. The designer is interested not just in the material environment but also in the social, technological, economic, environmental, political, legislative and ethical considerations that affect people’s priorities.
Diploma Programme design technology is based on a model of learning that incorporates knowledge, skills and design principles in problem-solving contexts, while at the same time maximizing the use of local and readily available resources. It assumes no previous experience in either technology or design. The intent is not solely the acquisition of knowledge about design and technology, which may change or become outdated, but it is about learning how to adapt to new experiences and to approach problems with the appropriate skills and the relevant techniques to identify the important elements and, crucially, to develop the optimum solutions. The design cycle is at the core of the course, and it is expected that students will use this process in the practical investigative work as well as in the theory. Each element in the design cycle represents an aspect of design technology, which, when viewed together, constitutes a holistic approach. Any given element is therefore only to be seen in the context of the whole process.
Technology relies on the laws and properties of nature and the accumulated knowledge of technology to create new products, techniques and systems. Design technology sits comfortably in the Diploma Programme experimental sciences, because the design cycle involves inquiry, and students need to study scientific principles in order to understand advances made in society and to be able to speculate what might be achieved in the future.
The range of syllabus topics has been chosen to ensure a balance and interest for all students regardless of their gender and previous experience. It includes options that will be attractive to all students, not only those whose future studies will be in the field of science, technology or engineering, and it offers opportunities for in-depth studies of relevant technological issues for those who will study such subjects.
The current design technology course is under review and teaching of this new course will begin in September 2014, with first examinations in May 2016.
Key features of the curriculum and assessment models
- Available at both SL and HL
- The minimum prescribed number of hours is 150 for SL and 240 for HL
- Design technology students at SL and HL undertake a common core syllabus, a common internal assessment (IA) scheme and have some overlapping elements in the options studied.
- While the skills and activities related to design technology are common to both SL and HL students, students at HL are required to study some topics in greater depth, to study additional topics and to study extension material of a more demanding nature in the common options. The distinction between SL and HL is one of breadth and depth.
- An experimental approach to the course delivery is emphasised.
- Students are assessed both externally and internally
- The external assessment of design technology consists of three written papers. In paper 1 there are 30 (at SL) or 40 (at HL) multiple-choice questions. Paper 2 has two sections; section A contains one data-based question and several short-answer questions on the core (and AHL material at HL) which are all compulsory. Paper 2, section B consists of one extended-response question on the core from a choice of three. Paper 3 consists of several compulsory short-answer questions in the option studied.
- Internal assessment accounts for 36% of the final assessment and consists of the interdisciplinary group 4 project and includes a design project and a range of investigations. The internal assessment allows students to demonstrate not only their understanding of the design cycle but also personal skills and manipulative skills. Student work is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB.
Much of this information is taken directly from the Design Technology subject guide, available to all IB teachers on the Online Curriculum Centre (OCC).
