Characteristics of technological outcomes NT 8-2
This component focuses on technological products and systems as situated in their social and historic context.
Achievement objective: NT 8-2
Students will:
- understand how technological outcomes can be interpreted and justified as fit for purpose in their historical, cultural, social, and geographical locations.
Indicators
- Discusses the implications of viewing fitness for purpose in its broadest sense on the design and development of technological outcomes.
- Discusses the implications of viewing fitness for purpose in its broadest sense on the manufacture of technological outcomes.
- Justifies the fitness for purpose, in its broadest sense, of technological outcomes.
- Debates the value of employing the notion of 'fitness for purpose in its broadest sense' as related to: the design and development, manufacture, evaluation, and analysis of technological outcomes.
Progression
At level 8 students demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between the outcome’s fitness for purpose, its social, geographical/physical, and historical or contemporary contextual setting. This discussion sets the outcome in its context and explores the relationship this has on the way the outcome is evaluated as fit for purpose and how this may differ as these contexts change. The explorations and discussion also should explain how fitness for purpose in its broadest sense assists in the design development and evaluation of outcomes.
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Teacher guidance
To support students to develop understanding of characteristics of technological outcomes at level 8, teachers could:
- provide students with opportunity to extend their understanding of fitness for purpose. This extended notion is called 'fitness for purpose in its broadest sense' and refers to the 'fitness' of the outcome itself as well as the practices used to develop the outcome (for example, such things as the sustainability of resources used, ethical nature of testing practices, cultural appropriateness of trialling procedures, determination of lifecycle and ultimate disposal)
- support students to explore the implications of a commitment to developing technological outcomes that are fit for purpose in the broadest sense on the design, development and manufacturing of technological outcomes
- support students to critically analyse a range of technological outcomes to evaluate their fitness for purpose, in its broadest sense. The evaluation will be based on the physical and functional nature of the outcome, the historical, cultural, social, and geographical location of the final outcome as well as its development, and any information available regarding its performance over time
- support students to explore possible benefits and disadvantages of employing the notion of fitness for purpose in its broadest sense in different contexts related to the design and development, manufacture, evaluation and analysis of technological outcomes.
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Contexts for teaching and learning
Fitness for purpose in the broadest sense relates to the outcome itself as well as to the practices used to develop the outcome.
Judgments may include:
- considerations of the outcomes technical and social acceptability
- sustainability of resources used
- ethical nature of testing practices
- cultural appropriateness of trialing procedures
- determination of life cycle, maintenance, ultimate disposal
- health and safety.
Two approaches could be taken. (The following is adapted from
Assessment Resources 3.9 A&B.)
1. To compare and contrast two technological outcomes and discuss these in terms of their physical and functional attributes in the context of their geographic, social and historical era. This would cover such things as discussing design elements related to the physical nature of an outcome including: movement, pattern, rhythm, proportion, balance, harmony, contrast, style, texture, and colour; and those design elements related to an outcome’s functional nature including: strength and durability, safety, stability, efficiency, reliability, user-friendliness, ergonomic fit, texture, viscosity, consistency, structure, nutritional value, and taste.
When researching the development of a product or consumer good, consider such things as: the origins of the item; its functional requirements, innovations in its design and in the use of materials; manufacturing practices used to make the good, including associated ethical issues, the life cycle of the product’ health and safety issues, changing consumer demands and environmental or geographical issues.
2. Take one technological outcome such as a power station and discuss in terms of a wider set of factors such as:
- technical aspects including such things as rationales for using nuclear power, locations of power plants, design requirements, reliability and redundancy issues, material considerations, health and safety issues, the lifespans of the plants and their by-products, decommissioning requirements, on-going modifications to concepts of best practice
- sociocultural influences including things such as societal perceptions and attitudes; political agendas and priorities; cultural values; environmental/geographical issues
- fitness for purpose in the broadest sense, consider such things as: technical and social acceptability, the sustainability of use of the resource, ethical issues, the cultural appropriateness of trialing procedures, life cycle considerations
- changes over time considers such things as: technical advancement, natural events, generational attitudes, economic factors
- geographical and/or social locations consider such things as: geographical constraints, seismic issues, political climate, government policy, social climate, international collaboration, regulatory changes, updating of standards.
Literacy considerations
Students will write a report that:
- discusses the product’s fitness for purpose in the broadest sense
- explains why the judgment of the product’s fitness for purpose may have changed with the passing of time and with changes to the product’s geographical and/or social location
- discusses the value of evaluating an outcome in terms of its fitness for purpose in the broadest sense, referring to the analysis of technological outcomes and to the role that fitness for purpose in the broadest sense has in guiding the design, development, and evaluation of an outcome
- discusses the judgment of the product’s fitness for purpose in the broadest sense, justifying this in relation to the product’s era of development and to its geographical and/or social location.
Resources to support student achievement
Assessment for qualifications
The following achievement standard could assess learning outcomes from this learning objective:
- AS91616 Generic technology 3.9: Demonstrate understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted
Key messages from the standard
- In a teaching and learning programme, students explore concepts and develop greater conceptual understandings that will enhance their application and development of design principles, physical and functional attributes and fitness for purpose when developing their own outcomes and products, and may contribute to evidence for assessment of standards in the Technological Practice strand.
- Students may conduct their research within a group setting, but for assessment purposes writing the report is an individual task.
Last updated April 8, 2022
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