HIGHER DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE

Course Description

The Course provides a broad and practical experience in product design and manufacture. It provides opportunities for learners to gain skills in designing and communicating design proposals and opportunities for learners to refine and resolve their design ideas effectively.

The Course provides opportunities for learners to apply practical skills and an understanding of the properties and uses of materials and manufacturing processes. It does so in a way that allows learners to inform and refine their own design proposals. It offers them opportunities to explore design alternatives and to consider the manufacturing practicalities that these design alternatives bring to light.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to develop:

·         research skills

·         skills in designing products

·         knowledge and understanding of materials and commercial manufacture

·         knowledge and understanding of design factors

·         an understanding of the impact of design and manufacturing technologies on society, the environment and the world of work

Course Structure

The Design & Manufacture course consists of 2 units;

Design & Manufacture: Design 

Candidates study the design process from brief to design proposal. This helps them to develop skills in initiating, developing, articulating and communicating design proposals. Candidates explore and refine design proposals using the design/make/test process and by applying knowledge of materials, processes and design factors to reach a viable solution. This helps them to develop an understanding of the iterative nature of the design process. Candidates also develop an understanding of the factors that influence the design, marketing and use of commercial products.

Design & Manufacture: Materials & Manufacturing  

Candidates study the manufacture of commercial products. They develop knowledge of materials, manufacturing and production processes and strengthen their understanding of how these influence the design of products. This provides candidates with the knowledge and understanding required to develop a viable design proposal for a commercial product and to plan its production.

Integrating the two areas of study is fundamental to delivering the course successfully. It helps candidates to understand the relationship between designing products and manufacturing products and it helps them to see how this connection influences a product’s lifecycle. By combining the study of design with the study of manufacturing, candidates also learn to appreciate the impact design and manufacturing technologies have on society, the environment and the world of work.

Course Assessment

To gain a Higher award, learners must complete various unit tasks before completing the Final Course Assessment folio and a final written exam.

Final Course Assessment folio – 90 marks

Question Paper (2 hours and 15 minutes long) – 80 marks

Entry Criteria

Learners who have achieved National 5 Design & Manufacture at A-C level.

Learners who have achieved National 5 Graphic Communication at A-C level (at department discretion)

Learners who have achieved Higher Graphic Communication.