Design and Technology

🛠️ Design and Technology Online Course Overview

🔍 Course Title:

Design and Technology: Innovating with Purpose

🎯 Course Objective:

This course explores the intersection of design thinking, engineering, and technology to equip learners with the skills to develop creative, functional, and sustainable solutions. Students will learn to research, prototype, and evaluate products using modern tools and materials.

🗓️ Course Duration:

6–10 weeks (Self-paced or instructor-led)

🎓 Target Audience:

• Middle and high school students (ages 12+)

• Design educators or homeschooling parents

• STEM/STEAM learners and makers

• Adults seeking practical design skills or STEM exposure

📚 Course Format:

• Video tutorials and step-by-step guides

• Design briefs and real-world challenges

• CAD simulations and hands-on prototyping (physical or digital)

• Peer feedback and teacher assessments

• Final project submission

📖 Course Content & Weekly Breakdown

Module 1: Introduction to Design and Technology

• What is Design and Technology (D&T)?

• Role of D&T in innovation, sustainability, and everyday life

• Overview of the design process (Investigate, Design, Make, Evaluate)

• Famous inventions and case studies

Module 2: Design Thinking and Creative Problem Solving

• Empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, testing

• Identifying user needs

• Generating innovative ideas through brainstorming and sketching

• Design journals and sketchbooks

Module 3: Materials and Manufacturing

• Properties of materials: wood, metal, plastics, composites, textiles

• Sustainable and smart materials

• Introduction to tools and equipment (manual and digital)

• Basics of manufacturing methods (3D printing, laser cutting, molding, etc.)

Module 4: Technical Drawing and Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

• Orthographic, isometric, and exploded views

• Using CAD software (e.g., Tinkercad, Fusion 360, SketchUp)

• Translating sketches to digital prototypes

• Iteration and revision in digital design

Module 5: Electronics and Control Systems

• Introduction to circuits, LEDs, sensors, switches, and motors

• Microcontrollers (e.g., Arduino or BBC micro:bit basics)

• Building simple electronic or programmable projects

• Control systems in smart products

Module 6: Prototyping and Making

• Building physical or digital models

• Materials selection for prototypes

• Testing and troubleshooting

• User feedback and refinement

Module 7: Evaluation, Impact & Sustainability

• Evaluating your product against the brief

• Life-cycle analysis

• Environmental and ethical impacts of design

• Improving your design based on sustainability goals

Module 8: Final Design Challenge

• Choose a real-world problem (e.g., accessibility, waste reduction, education tools)

• Apply the full design process

• Submit sketches, CAD files, a model, and evaluation

• Present your work in a portfolio or video walkthrough

🧠 Assessments and Deliverables

• Weekly design tasks and quizzes

• Design logbook/journal

• CAD model submissions

• Final design project with evaluation and presentation