COURSE DESCRIPTION

IB Design Technology SL
Grades 11-12
2 credits
Prerequisite: Principles of Engineering (Recommended)

IB Design Technology (SL) is the study of how the development of new technologies has given rise to profound changes in society: transforming how we access and process information; how we adapt our environment; how we communicate with others; how we are able to solve problems; how we work and live. Design is the link between innovation and creativity, taking thoughts and exploring the possibilities and constraints associated with products or systems, allowing students to redefine and manage the generation of further thought through prototyping, experimentation, and adaptation. Students learn 9 key skills in conceptual modeling, graphic modeling using CAD, basic circuitry and soldering, and the use of power tools. Additionally, students learn how to do material selection and analysis, basic computer programming, and hone their presentation skills. Students will complete the Internal Assessment component, which is called the Design Project. This component exposes them to research and writing in the field of engineering, design, and the development of the necessary hard and soft skills required to complete the Design Project, which allows a wide range of contexts to be explored through the varying material disciplines of design technology, including product design, fashion design/textiles, electronic product design, and robotics. Students produce a purposeful research question and the rationale for it. Students then carry out an analysis of a design opportunity, conceptual designs, development of detailed design plan for the manufacture of a prototype and evaluate the success of the prototype against design specifications.

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