Design and Technology (Product Design)

Course summary

Inspiring a future in Design and Technology. Drawing on authentic design practice and contemporary technologies students will be free to explore design possibilities that excite and engage them, giving a strong foundation for further study and developing thinking and design skills that will support them in any future direction. Learning about design and technology at A Level strengthens learners’ critical thinking and problem solving skills within a creative environment, enabling them to develop and make prototypes/products that solve real world problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants, aspirations and values. OCR’s A Level qualification requires learners to identify market needs and opportunities for new products, initiate and develop design solutions, and make and test prototypes/ products. During the course students will demonstrate their technical knowledge of materials, product functionality, manufacturing processes and techniques whilst designing and manufacturing prototypes and products. Their final non-examined assessment is the ‘Interactive Design Project’ which requires learners to undertake a substantial design, make and evaluate project centred on the interactive processes of explore, create and evaluate Learners identify a design opportunity or problem from a context of their own choice, and create a portfolio of evidence in real time through the project to demonstrate their competence.