What does the course entail?

The Materials Design and Technology General course is a practical course, with the design and manufacture of wood products as the major focus.

Working with materials, students develop a range of manipulation, processing, manufacturing and organisational skills. When designing with materials, they develop cognitive skills, such as solving problems, generating ideas, creative design strategies and communicating what they do. This makes them more technologically literate and as consumers, enables them to make more informed decisions about the use and misuse of technology.

​The Materials Design and Technology General course aims to prepare students for a future in a technological and material world by providing the foundation for lifelong learning about how products are designed and how materials are developed and used.

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“The skills I have learned and the creativity I have been allowed to express in projects this year has been amazing experience.”
 - Leon D - 

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What units will be covered in this course?

Year 11
Units 1 & 2

Unit 1
Students are introduced to the fundamentals of design. They learn to communicate various aspects of the technology process by constructing what they design.
Throughout Unit 1 students learn about the origins, classifications, properties and suitability for purpose of the materials they are using, and are introduced to a range of production equipment and techniques. They develop materials manipulation skills and production management strategies, and are given the opportunity to realise their design ideas through the production of their design project.

Unit 2
​Students learn to conceptualise and communicate their ideas and various aspects of the design process within the context of constructing what they design.
Throughout the process, students learn about the origins, classifications, properties and suitability for end use of materials they are working with. Students are introduced to a range of technology skills and are encouraged to generate ideas and realise them through the production of their design projects. They work within a defined environment and learn to use a variety of relevant technologies safely and effectively.

Assessment Structure

• 25% Design
• 60% Production
• 15% Response

Year 12
Units 3 & 4

Unit 3
Students develop an understanding of the elements and fundamentals of design and consider human factors involved in the design, production and use of their projects.
Students learn about manufacturing and production skills and techniques. They develop the skills and techniques appropriate to the materials being used and gain practice in planning and managing processes through the production of design project. They learn about risk management and ongoing evaluation processes.

Unit 4
Students learn about the nature of designing for a client, target audience or market. Students learn about the nature, properties and environmental impacts related to a variety of materials and production techniques.
Students extend their understanding of safe working practices and contemporary manufacturing techniques and develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to manage the processes of designing and manufacturing.

Assessment Structure

• 25% Design
• 50% Production
• 10% Response
• 15% Externally Set Test

Head of Learning Area: Mr Jeremy Powell
Contact Number: 9591 4257
​Contact Email: [email protected]