Outcome Development and Evaluation :: Illustrative Examples: Senior Secondary

The Technological Practice Strand Explanatory Papers Updated May 2010

Outcome Development and Evaluation

Learning experiences

The following learning experiences have been provided to support teachers as they develop their understandings of the Outcome Development and Evaluation component of the Technological Practice strand. There is no expectation that these would form the basis of any specific unit of work in technology. The learning experiences have been summarised from classrooms across New Zealand and provide examples of student achievement across a range of levels. This stance reflects the majority of classrooms, within which it is expected that students will demonstrate a range of levels of achievement.

A year 12 class worked with a local client to develop an innovative lighting product for an inner city café/restaurant and club called Sandwiches. The students were provided with initial learning experiences around lighting to increase their skills and understandings before embarking on designing and refining an appropriate lighting product for their client. This was an important aspect of the programme as the outcomes to be developed needed to be of a high quality and comply with all relevant safety codes. For details of this unit please see Bright Ideas.

Students achieving at level 5 could:

research and explore a range of lighting products for public venues including those already used in Sandwiches, reflect on experiences from previous tea lantern development, and use this analysis and reflection to inform the generation of a range of initial ideas that fully explore the opportunity provided;

evaluate the design ideas to select those that are justified as appropriate in terms of the requirements of the brief (based on Sandwiches' style, client preferences, and specifications associated with safety and batch production);

develop appropriate functional models (for example, concept diagrams, discussion prompts, and photographs of other lights that include appropriate features or styles) to illustrate the range of options available and test initial design ideas to determine their feasibility for the environment of Sandwiches;

use models to gain critical feedback from the client and mentors on the specifications they consider essential;

experiment with a range of materials and design features, seeking guidance from additional sources (for example, research findings, mentors, friends, etc.) to determine suitability of resources in terms of the specifications related to safety, durability, construction processes, and associated costs;

refine design ideas incorporating justified features and materials and undertake further functional modelling with the client and mentors to gain critical feedback to select one for further development;

develop a prototype of lighting product, and gain product safety certification from a registered electrician prior to trialling in situ for client and mentor feedback;

refine in keeping with client and mentor feedback related to the specifications of the brief and in keeping with any additional comments that could enhance the system without compromising any specifications;

present a final lighting product that meets the specifications of the brief as determined from the opportunity provided by the client’s preferences and constraints imposed by budget, production, and safety requirements; and

use feedback from key stakeholders, including the client, teacher, and mentor, to provide evidence to support an evaluation of the fitness for purpose in terms of the brief of the final lighting product.

Students achieving at level 6 could:

critically analyse a range of contemporary and historical lighting products for public venues, including those used in Sandwiches currently and in the past. Critically reflect on experiences from previous technological practice – including tea lantern development;

use the above analysis and reflection to inform the generation of a range of initial ideas that explore the potential of the opportunity provided;

develop effective functional models (for example, concept diagrams, discussion prompts, photographs of other lights that include appropriate features or styles, and models to illustrate potential materials and their effect) to illustrate the range of options available and test initial design ideas of how they may work in the environment of Sandwiches;

use models to gain critical feedback from the client, mentors, and customers on the specifications they consider essential and desirable;

experiment with a range of materials and design features, seeking guidance from additional sources (for example, research findings, mentors, friends, etc.) to justify suitable resources in terms of the specifications related to safety, construction processes, and associated costs as well as wider considerations of physical (resource availability) and social (symbolic associations of the design) considerations;

refine design ideas incorporating justified features and materials, and undertake further functional modelling with the client and other stakeholders (including customers) to gain critical feedback to select one for further development;

develop a prototype of the lighting product, and gain product safety certification from a registered electrician prior to trialling in situ for client, mentor, and customer feedback;

refine in keeping with client and mentor feedback related to the specifications of the brief and in keeping with any additional comments from key stakeholders and customers that could enhance the product without compromising any specifications;

present a final lighting product that met the specifications of the brief and was appropriate to the physical and social environment of Sandwiches; and

use feedback from a range of stakeholders, including the client, teacher, mentor, and customers, to provide evidence to support an evaluation of the lighting product’s fitness for purpose in terms of the brief and the physical and social environment of Sandwiches.

Students achieving at level 7 could:

reflect on experiences from previous technological practice – including tea lantern development, critically analysing these in terms of how fit for purpose they were;

use the above analysis and reflection to inform the generation of a range of innovative ideas that explore the potential of the opportunity provided;

evaluate the design ideas to select those justified as appropriate in terms of the requirements of the brief (based on Sandwiches' style, client preferences, and specifications associated with safety and batch production), in terms of the physical and social environment in which the lighting system is to be placed, and in terms of the wider context of lighting public venues;

develop effective functional models (for example, concept diagrams, discussion prompts, photographs of other lights that include appropriate features or styles, and models to illustrate potential materials and how they can be modified for different effects) to illustrate the range of options available and test initial design ideas of how they may work in the environment of Sandwiches;

use the models to gain critical feedback from the client, mentors, a range of customers, and other identified stakeholders (for example, musicians that regularly play at Sandwiches, potential customers, neighbouring shop owners, etc.) on the specifications they consider essential and desirable;

explore a range of resources and the implications of material selection for disposal, and critically investigate design features, including an exploration of the implications for product maintenance, seeking guidance from additional sources (for example, research findings, mentors, friends, etc.) to determine the suitability of the resources. Undertake evaluative testing procedures in line with accepted codes of practice to ensure the resources would meet the specifications related to safety, production processes, and associated costs, as well as wider considerations of physical (resource availability, sustainability/disposal) and social (symbolic associations of the light product’s aesthetic) considerations;

explore the implications of the changing use of the venue (during the day, early evening, late night) and refine design ideas accordingly, incorporating justified features and materials, and undertake further functional modelling with the client and other stakeholders to gain critical feedback to select one for further development;

develop a prototype of the lighting product, and gain product safety certification from a registered electrician prior to trialling in situ for client, mentor, and customer feedback;

present a final lighting product that met the specifications of the brief and was appropriate to physical and social environment of Sandwiches; and

evaluate the final lighting product’s fitness for purpose against the brief, using key and wider community stakeholder feedback to justify its suitability to address the issue of lighting public venues.

Students achieving at level 8 could:

explore a range of contemporary and historical lighting products, including those used in Sandwiches currently and in the past, with particular emphasis on critically analysing the product’s fitness for purpose in its broadest sense. Identify wider issues associated with the context of lighting in public venues. Reflect on experiences from previous technological practice – including tea lantern development, critically analysing these in terms of how fit for purpose they were. Use this analysis and reflection to inform the generation of a range of innovative ideas that fully exploit the potential of the opportunity provided;

evaluate the design ideas to select those justified as appropriate in terms of the requirements of the brief (based on Sandwiches style, client preferences, and specifications associated with safety and batch production) and in terms of the physical and social environment in which the lighting system would be placed. Develop effective functional models (for example, concept diagrams, discussion prompts, photographs of other lights that include appropriate features or styles, and models to illustrate potential materials and how they can be modified and finished to create a range of effects) to justify the options available, allowing for a lighting product that would be fit for purpose in its broadest sense. Use models to gain critical feedback from the client, mentors, customers, and other identified stakeholders (for example, musicians that regularly play at Sandwiches, potential customers, neighbouring shop owners, etc.) on the specifications they considered essential and desirable;

explore a range of resources and the implications of material selection for ultimate disposal. Critically investigate design features, including an exploration of the implications for ongoing product maintenance, seeking guidance from additional sources (for example, research findings, mentors, friends, etc.) to determine the suitability of the resources. Undertake evaluative testing procedures in line with accepted codes of practice to ensure the resources will be appropriate for use in a lighting product that will be fit for purpose;

explore the implications of the changing use of the venue (during the day, early evening, late night) and refine design ideas accordingly, incorporating justified features and materials;

undertake further functional modelling, with the client and other stakeholders, to gain critical feedback to select one model for further development;

develop a prototype of the lighting product, and gain product safety certification from a registered electrician prior to trialling in situ for client, mentor, and customer feedback. Refine in keeping with client and mentor feedback related to the specifications of the brief and in keeping with any additional comments from key stakeholders and customers that could enhance the system without compromising any specifications;

present a final lighting product that was fit for purpose; and

critically evaluate the lighting product’s fitness for purpose against the brief, issue, and context, using key and wider community stakeholder feedback to justify its fitness for purpose.