Design Technology (SL)

The Design Technology course aims to develop internationally minded students who understand design and the technological world, enabling them to act as responsible global citizens and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future. 

The course is engaging, accessible, and rigorous, drawing on a wide range of knowledge while promoting innovation, creativity, and learning through hands-on experience. It is underpinned by design thinking, encouraging students to understand user needs, challenge assumptions, redefine complex problems, and develop innovative, testable solutions through inquiry, experimentation, prototyping, and evaluation. Ethical considerations in design and technology are explored throughout the course. 

A central component of the course involves developing a product design solution. Students identify real-world problems or needs, design and test solutions, and evaluate their effectiveness through performance and user testing, including engagement with clients and end-users.

Through this process, students build conceptual understanding and make connections across areas of design technology and other DP sciences. They develop analytical, creative, and collaborative skills, learn to approach unfamiliar and complex (“wicked”) problems with resilience, and gain an appreciation of both the possibilities and limitations of design, technology, and engineering systems. The course also emphasizes ethical awareness and the social, environmental, economic, and cultural impacts of design, preparing students to engage responsibly with evolving technologies and systems.