Design as a construct has multiple meanings depending on context, function, and agenda. This paper proposes to set out functions of design as it manifests in the context of technological activity for the purposes of technology education. The importance of context and by association intention in technological and designerly activity is presented…

General intelligence is a fundamental human capacity with significant educational implications. However, it is often not considered in educational research despite substantial evidence illustrating its association with positive life outcomes and student's capacity to learn. There are a number of potential reasons for this including the…

The use of design assignments for teaching, learning, and assessment is considered a signature of technology education. However, there are difficulties in the valid and reliable assessment of features of quality within designerly outputs. In light of recent educational reforms in Ireland, which see the introduction of classroom-based assessments…

Design is core element of general technology education internationally. While there is a degree of contention with regards to its treatment, there is general consensus that the inclusion of design in some form is important, if not characteristic, of the subject area. Acknowledging that design is important, there are many questions which need to be…

Technology subjects are a relatively recent addition to the discipline offerings at postprimary level, and have a short but interesting history in terms of associated educational research. In this paper, an overview of the evolving research agendas that emerged in response to the nature of practice, from the perspectives of the Technology…

Educational assessment has profound effects on the nature and depth of learning that students engage in. Typically there are two core types discussed within the pertinent literature; criterion and norm referenced assessment. However another form, ipsative assessment, refers to the comparison between current and previous performance within a course…

One of the leading frameworks in engineering education specifically associated with design based competencies is the CDIO framework. This has been incorporated internationally into many institutions offering engineering education courses. Characterized by four unique stages, the CDIO framework affords an ideal scenario to incorporate a continuous…

A philosophical shift in policy now situates the development of technological capability as the focus of Irish technology education. Internationally, the effectiveness of curricular reform in the discipline has previously been called to question, as the legacy of the preceding vocational craft subjects has been seen to throttle the evolution of…

Design activities typically involve and culminate in the creation of models representative of new ideas and conceptions. The format is often dictated by the specific discipline, with ideas in design and technology education regularly being externalised through the use of computer aided design (CAD). This paper focusses on the realisation stage of…

Design activities form an extensive part of design and technology education with a link being posited within the pertinent literature between the cognitive activity of learning and the cognitive activity of design. It is therefore critical that design educators' understand the effects that design constraints can have on the learning process. This…