PRODUCT DESIGN (OCR Design and Technology)

Who is the course aimed at?     

This course will provide you with the opportunity to develop your creativity and design & technology capability. It will develop your ability to recognise constraints of product design and enable you to produce high quality products. You will develop a critical understanding of materials and processes and their use in consumer products, use digital technology to develop your design and technical capability, build understanding of Health and Safety and evaluate technical, aesthetics, economic, environment, social and cultural issues. Student who have previously studied similar qualifications have moved onto study design or engineering courses at university or have been accepted onto apprenticeship schemes, gained employment in the engineering industry.

What will you learn?     

The content of this A Level course is focused towards consumer products and application. Learners will use your creativity to solve problems, analyse and design everyday marketable products. learners will explore materials, components, usability and function as part of the iterate design process and understand commercial design practice.

How will you be assessed?         

Your assessment will be broken down into the following areas:

The iterate Design Project (50%)

The iterate design project requires you to undertake substantial design, make and evaluation project centred on the iterative process of explore, create and evaluate.

Principles of Product Design Exam (26.7%)

Learners are required to analyse existing products and demonstrate applied mathematical skills and technical knowledge of materials, product function, manufacturing processes and techniques well as showing their understanding of wider social, moral and environment issues that impact on the design and manufacture industries.

Problem Solving in product Design Exam (23.3%)

Learners are required to demonstrate their problem solving and evaluation skills including applying their knowledge and understanding of design and manufacturing products and demonstrate their higher thinking skills to solve problems and evaluate the suitability of design solutions.

How will you learn?       

Throughout the course you will be engaging in a variety of design task and activities, which have been devised to improve your skills and meet the necessary requirements for your qualification. You will find that rather than just testing your knowledge of the subject area, your learning will see you explore topics through:

• Small group/ teamwork
• Theoretical learning through case studies and research
• Design and practical work
• Visits/speakers realworld applications to problem solving skills and projects

Enrichment activities and independent learning?           

In addition to your studies enrichment opportunities are available to enhance your learning experience. Examples are as follows:

• Completing Design and Technology/Product Design projects in competitions
• Design and Technology/Engineering and/or Product Design focussed visits
• Meet apprentices from local industry
• Talks and demonstrations from external visitors
• Activities to raise awareness of engineering opportunities in the Humber region

What or where next?    

Future opportunities for work in the field of design include:

• Product Designer
• Architect
• Design Engineer
• Graphic Designer
• Interior Designer
• Materials engineer
• Furniture conservator
• Furniture designer
• CAD Designer
• Colour Technologist
• Future opportunities to follow design related courses at college or university include Design/Engineering BA Hons, Design and Technology/Product Design BSc Hons.

More information          

For more information about this course please see the specification below or contact the sixth form team.