Design and Emerging Technologies offers students a range of career pathways in design in fields such as engineering, fashion, furniture, jewellery, textile and ceramics, at both professional and vocational levels.

Students will also be able to understand how the selection and use of technologies contributes to a sustainable and improved future. Students studying technologies will learn about the design process and its application.

Students will develop research skills, computational thinking and a range of communication skills. They will refine their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills including collaboration, project management and be able to reflect on their own learning.

Students will have opportunities to use design thinking and apply creativity through structured, collaborative and project-based learning, solve problems, develop practical skills and apply critical thinking in the development of new ideas.

Students will consider and use global perspectives, identify ethical issues related to the technologies in relevant industries and the sustainability of solutions as they manage projects from beginning to end.

The Design and Emerging Technologies course is written under the BSSS TECHNOLOGIES Framework

Achievement Standards for TECHNOLOGIES courses can be found within the Framework.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of research, skills of ideation and design, prototyping production, solution testing and communication of their understanding. Technologies promotes deep learning, creativity and innovation.

Design Processes

A design process is the central framework that designers use to create innovative ideas and solutions.

This unit gives students the opportunity to apply a staged design process to develop design solutions. They will apply design thinking in a focus area such as creating products, systems or environments. Student skills and understanding are developed by using the design process to define needs or opportunities, collect information, develop ideas, analyse, plan, produce and evaluate final solutions.

Product Design

Designers play a vital role in shaping the way we live through the design of the products that surround us. This unit gives students the opportunity to develop a user centred product while considering the social, ethical and environmental responsibilities of designers. It provides opportunities for creative thinking, the development of technical knowledge and understanding design opportunities that are brought about by technological change.

Design for Manufacturing

Design for manufacture explores the way in which design solutions are produced using existing and emerging technologies. The focus of this unit is on production processes, prototyping, manufacturing, economy of scale, material properties and emerging technologies. This unit offers students the opportunity to design, make and evaluate design solutions using a range of materials, technologies and production processes.

Innovation and Design

Authentic innovation in design can be achieved by combining process thinking with new ideas and existing and emerging technology. This unit offers students the opportunity to explore an area of futuristic design concepts within the focus areas of systems, product or environment design. Students will use their understanding of: design process technical knowledge; social, ethical and environmental responsibilities to create, test and evaluate this design solution.

Independent Study

An Independent Study unit has an important place in senior secondary courses. It is a valuable pedagogical approach that empowers students to make decisions about their own learning. An Independent Study unit can be proposed by an individual student for their own independent study and negotiated with their teacher. The program of learning for an Independent Study unit must meet the unit goals and content descriptions as they appear in the course. Students must have studied at least THREE standard 1.0 units from this course. A student can only study a maximum of one Independent study unit in each course. An Independent Study unit requires the principal’s written approval. Independent study units are only available to individual students in Year 12. Principal approval is also required for a student in Year 12 to enrol concurrently in an Independent unit and the third 1.0 unit in a course of study.

Design and Emerging Technologies A/T/M  (585 KB)

Design and Emerging Technology A/T/M (305 KB)

The following courses are also available:

• Design and Technology Integrated
• Design and Graphics
• Design and Textiles
• Designed Environments