Why study Design and Manufacture?
This course allows you to explore the multi-faceted world of product design and manufacturing. Creativity is at the heart of this course and its combination with technology makes it exciting and dynamic.
Design and Manufacture provides you with skills in designing and communicating design proposals, allowing you to refine and resolve your design ideas effectively. The course stresses the integration of designing and making, highlighting the close relationship between designing, making, testing, and refining design ideas.
The skills you learn in this course give you a broad range of potential for jobs or careers; in the expressive arts, mathematics, science, information technology, as well as in craft, design, engineering and graphics.
What do I need to get in?
The school or college will decide on the entry requirements for the course. You would normally have achieved:
What will I study?
This course provides a broad practical introduction to design, and materials and manufacturing processes. You will develop design skills, as well as skills in making models, prototypes and products. And, you will look at the life cycle of a product; from idea through design, manufacture, and use, including its disposal or re-use. You will learn to appreciate the tensions that exist between factors such as aesthetics, function, economics and the environment.
The course has two compulsory units. The units are similar to those for National 4 but you will be expected to produce a higher standard of work.
Design and Manufacture: Design (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- cover the product design process from brief to resolved design proposals, including specification
- learn how to initiate, develop, articulate and communicate design proposals
- learn about the design/make/test process
- appreciate the importance of evaluating and resolving work on an ongoing basis
- understand design concepts and the various factors that influence the design of products.
Design and Manufacture: Materials and Manufacturing (9 SCQF credit points)
In this unit you will:
- cover the product design process from design proposals to prototype or product
- learn to ‘close the design loop’ by manufacturing your design ideas
- develop the practical skills you need for the design/make/test process
- appreciate the properties and uses of materials, as well as simple manufacturing techniques
- refine and resolve design and manufacturing solutions.
How will I be assessed?
Course Assessment (6 SCQF credit points)
Units will be assessed internally by your teacher or lecturer as 'pass' or 'fail'. Your work will be assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the course. Items of work might include:
- practical work – such as creating ideas using computer software or by hand, keeping a portfolio of work
- written or spoken work – such as giving verbal presentations, producing short reports or taking part in group discussions
- projects or assignments – such as designing ideas for products in response to a brief.
Units do not contribute to your overall grade but to achieve the course qualification, you must pass both units plus a course assessment.
The course assessment for this course consists of two components:
- assignment (90 marks)
- question paper (60 marks).
For the assignment component, you will be asked to produce a prototype in order to evaluate your design solution in response to a design brief. The assignment component will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked by a visiting SQA assessor.
The question paper will be set and marked externally by the SQA.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
What can I go on to next?
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Which jobs are related to this subject?
Where can my parents find out more?
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
Nationals in a Nutshell - Design and Manufacture (National 5)