BP638: Product Technology Course

Abstract

Reference: Case Study BP638
Classroom Practice: Composite Year 12/13
Title: Product Technology Course
Overview: Students selected their own client and the product they wanted to develop. Teacher Steve Ronowicz introduced the class to case studies of successful products and the development process the technologists had worked through. Time was spent in the ICT suite to enable students to effectively manage their process and more easily provide evidence for NCEA assessment.

Focus Points:

• Skill progression through Years 9-13
• Developing a scaffold of practical skills and domain knowledge to support practice
• Considering case studies of the product development process
• Selecting a client and product opportunity
• Creating socially and environmentally responsible, technologically literate people
• Using ICT for efficient collection of evidence

Background

Tauranga Boys' College is a Decile 5 school with a 2006 roll of 1650 students. Technology is a core subject at Year 9. In addition, students may choose Graphics, Food Technology or industry trades as options for one term.

Technology is a compulsory option subject in Year 10 when students can select from Electro-Technology, Food, Information and Materials Technologies. Student numbers fluctuate at this level, which Steve says can make it frustrating when the department is trying to plan ahead. In 2005 the Year 10 Materials Technology numbers nearly doubled, going from five to eight classes, but in 2006 was back to five. Graphics went from four to seven classes in 2006.

Year 11 students can opt to take Product Technology, Graphics and a more 'hands on' industry focused course such as Engineering– or Wood-related trades, as well as Food and Nutrition, Home Economics and Hospitality.

Most of the Year 12/13 Product Technology students will have come through the Year 11 programme. The Year 11, 12 and 13 courses are all full year, five hours a week, allowing sufficient time to complete major projects.

Head of Department Steve Ronowicz trained as a teacher after 14 years as an automotive engineer. He taught at Feilding Agricultural High School for 13 years before moving to Tauranga in 1999 to take up his current position.

Pre-planning

Steve and Colin Lawrence teach the Years 11-13 Product Technology classes, and have planned the progression students should follow after their Technology experience in Years 9-10. To support this they developed a scaffold of practical skills and knowledge they want the students to acquire, matching these domain skills and knowledge with technological practice.

Each year they run a Year 11-13 parent information evening to explain the course requirements and make direct connection between school and home. Parents have commented that the teachers have inspired their boys, which Steve says is what it's all about at the start of the year – setting them up with that enthusiasm.

Steve finds that working with a combined class can be taxing and that he generally tries to teach at a Year 13 level which tends to pull the Year 12 students up, rather than going the other way.

Colin and he decided to start the year in the ICT suite rather than the workshop, as part of a new strategy to get smarter with the collection of evidence. They hoped that if the class spent the first third of the year in the suite they could start their practice with better access to information, and better systems for documenting evidence of this practice, which can be used for NCEA assessment.

Delivery

Steve took a different approach to some in 2006, by getting the students to find an area in which they were interested in developing a product. In Year 12 they were given a choice of two broad contexts to work in – Leisure Time or Personal Transport – both of which tend to motivate boys. Year 13 students were free to choose their own context. Steve didn't show them any achievement standards until about halfway through the first term, and says theylooked at these only briefly as he didn't want to "clog up" their minds – "it's basically all about creativity at the beginning of the year." He notes that he did talk to the students a lot about trusting that good practice would allow them to succeed

The beginning of the year was very much about students finding an idea that they could run with. Having decided on their area of interest, they needed to find something they saw as a possible product opportunity. Steve then went through a screening system with each student to try and work out whether or not this was something that would allow them to produce a suitable project. Once they'd agreed that it was a worthwhile project to pursue the students needed to find a design client.

Steve comments that this might seem a bit back to front but that the reality is that there aren't many genuine design/industrial clients actually available for the students. "If we're not careful, businesses are going to end up running for cover if hit on all the time. Students are guided to find people in the comunity who have a vested interest and who are happy to be their design clients. They're encouraged to identify people with the knowledge and skills they require to develop their product."

"A lot of pushes for Technology education are economy-based, for example – government initiatives to make the New Zealand economy more productive. But at the end of the day we need to bear in mind that it is also clearly about making socially and environmentally responsible, technologically literate people. So in this class we're always asking those questions – 'That's a great idea, but should we be actually making that sort of product?", says Steve.

During this time and throughout the year class discussion would explore the economic and environmental impact of a range of technological innovations, and how they might affect a technologist's decision making.

Steve talked to the class about his own product development, in which he had identified an opportunity to develop an alarm system for boats, with the potential to avoid significant damage or sinking. The alarm would warn if the bung hadn't been screwed in when the boat was on the water and also if the outboard or stern legs hadn't been lifted, prior to putting the boat on the trailer. This product is 'on hold' at the moment.

Steve says he likes to keep it 'real' and doesn't want students doing things just for the sake of assessment. They need to have a valid argument for why they need to go and talk to a particular person, rather than just meeting the requirements of the standard. It can be hard at times to ensure students are going out and getting valuable information.

Students arrived in the workshop "like a tornado" – they were right into it. Steve comments that while some may have dragged their feet a little in the last term, because it had been a very long unit, work ethic had not been a problem during the year.

Most periods the students would just come in and get their work out, enabling Steve to go around and spend time with each of them individually, giving them a hand or teaching specific skills.

"I tend to teach a lot for the first half of the year then swap the steering wheel over to them at the end of term 2 and become more of a facilitator," says Steve.

Outcomes

Some high quality products were created during this unit – such as Andrew's skateboard rail, Liam's laptop stand, Tim's wind generator and Daniel's possum plucker. Tim and Daniel were rewarded with New Zealand Scholarships for their work, a pleasing result for the Graphics and Technology department.

Sometimes students had difficulty manufacturing something completely themselves and, because of time considerations, ended up buying a component or getting something made. Steve says he doesn't have a problem with that; it's just the way technology is. There were a few students struggling with the skill level required but also many who were very, very good.

Steve felt that they had probably undervalued the effectiveness of case studies and would do a better job of that next time. Having three members of staff who can tell their own product development stories is an advantage, particularly as the teachers know what they want the students to get out of it – that it's not so much about the actual product but the development process involved.

"It can be hard producing material for evidence in a Materials Technology workshop, so giving the class the opportunity to work within the ICT area to produce that evidence worked very well in terms of quality and the time saved. Once in the workshop this continued, with students having direct access to digital cameras and a printer, to help document this important aspect of their practice," says Steve.

Starting out in the ICT suite was a huge success; folio presentation was raised significantly. Communication with clients and stakeholders was made more convenient through email. Digital technologies such as cameras, voice recordings and CAD drawing programs allowed students to efficiently gather evidence of their practice. Planning was in place to definitely do this again in 2007.

However, the focus changed a little when the students moved into the workshop and documentation of planning became a problem. Steve knew they were planning, but they weren't necessarily documenting this to the required level. To remedy this time was allowed at the end of the year for students to make sure that this documentation was in their folders.

Steve found that working in a fully operational computer suite has been significant in his own professional development. At the end of the year all the course information for the following year was put onto the school's intranet, along with resources and templates, which students can access through the computer room or from home.

What next?

Steve plans to extend the use of case studies of technological practice and next time will include a case study on colleague Colin's innovative product and possibly also John Britton's story about the development of his motor bike, which Steve thinks will be good motivators for the boys. (Colin designed a toilet which uses considerably less water and is much quieter when flushed; he started developing this in 2002 and it is being launched on the world market in mid 2007.)

Discussions with a few of Steve's Year 13 students, about simplifying the planning process through using email, resulted in a decision to use the email programme Entourage as a project management tool in 2007.He thinks a tool such as this, which connects the digital technologies his boys are now using and allows easy communication with client and stakeholders, will be very effective and intends to experiment with other relevant software to allow students to use a project management system that best suits their needs.

Daniel

Daniel started his product development with plans for 'skurfing fins' – a fin which would enable a surfer being towed behind a boat to slide around more. He produced his initial brief, decided on the initial key factors and did some research.

However, he realised that he wouldn't be able to complete the fins in the time allowed and decided to start again with a new idea. Although this put him behind time-wise, he was able to modify some of the preliminary work he had done and use it.

Daniel makes money by selling possum fur and during the previous summer had worked with another trapper on designing a machine to pluck the fur. He decided to work on this idea, using the same person as his design client.

He researched the possum pluckers currently available and found that they were all petrol driven. The disadvantage of this was that they were noisy and could potentially scare off other possums in the vicinity. They would also require petrol to be available for refuelling.

Daniel and his client had made a machine which ran with an electric motor, using mains electricity. They found that at least 10% of the plucked fur was lost, as it fell on the ground instead of into the collection box.

His client asked for an electric powered version that would run off the truck battery and could be placed on the back of the truck when in use. However, during consultation Daniel and his client discussed the problems with this – firstly that it would require a generator to keep the batteries charged, and secondly that the possums were cold by the time they got back to the truck, which made them harder to pluck and that meant they didn't harvest as much fur.

A machine can pluck a possum much faster but takes off all the fur; this includes the shorter fur which the buyers don't want so means the fur is of less value and payment is reduced accordingly.

After considering all these points Daniel decided to focus on producing a device that would assist hand plucking, even though using it would take longer.

He initially planned to cut and weld aluminium rods into a frame but, after discussion with his teacher, decided to bend the rods into shape. As well as saving time he felt this looked better, because there weren't welds everywhere, and the rounded ends wouldn't catch on anything.

He came up with various designs for the end grips which would hold the carcass in place by its tail and two paws. His client tried out a prototype in the bush and reported that the grips were hard to use, so Daniel changed his final design to incorporate special slots at either end to make this easier.

The frame needed to be enclosed so the fur wouldn't fall out. Daniel initially thought about using canvas, for its durability, on the base, and mesh, for its lightness and transparency, for the rest. This was trialled but Daniel, along with his client and stakeholders, then decided that the canvas wasn't necessary and changed to using all mesh.

Finally, he had to choose what sort of strap to use to allow his client to carry the frame around. A double strap would be more comfortable on longer walks but more of a nuisance to take on and off. His client and stakeholders agreed that a single sling would be more convenient and this was used for the final product.

He and his client tested his product in the bush and report it worked very well. Daniel felt that his product was a success and possibly had the potential to be marketed commercially. Daniel's development of his product also led to his receiving a New Zealand Scholarship Award in Technology.

Tim Wrinch

Year 12 student Tim Wrinch was keen to work on a project relating to the marine industry. His client (his father) needed to generate electricity for his boat by charging the batteries using a wind generator. Wind generators currently on the market spin around a horizontal axis and turn into the wind direction; this makes them noisy and potentially dangerous when spinning fast.

Tim and his client had seen wind generators that spin around on a vertical axis that takes wind from any direction, and wanted a blade system that could only ever go as fast as the wind – this making it quieter and safer.

The client also wanted the generator to be removable so that it could be charging when the boat was sitting around and be removed during sailing so that it didn't get in the way.

Tim drew some basic ideas, three of which he developed and took to his stakeholders. After discussions with his client he took a component from each of the three concepts and joined them together.

He then developed this idea, talking to outside experts and getting their input. He was fortunate in having a couple of family friends who were able to help; an electrical technician who helped with the generation of power and an engineer who assisted with the bearings and systems.

Tim says he's pleased he approached the outside experts from the start, because his electrical mentor suggested using a stepper motor. If he hadn't done that he'd have used an alternator, which requires quite a high revolution speed, whereas a stepper motor can create current at very low revolutions per minute, which was vital. Tim found getting the constant feedback from his mentors was really useful. "I'm just pleased that it's worked. Initially I had a devil of a job persuading Mr Ronowicz that I could do it, because he didn't know me and thought it would be too difficult for me, so I'm relived it worked out."

Tim feels that he had the basic prequisite skill level and that he could have worked on areas where he was lacking if required. He comments that time constraints right through from the design stage meant compromises had to be made.

He always had planning in mind, ("How long will this take me? When do I need to have this done by? Am I going to need extra time?"), but had to work on recording it. One frustration he faced was working within the one-hour period structure, which meant a lot of time was wasted getting set up and packing up again each day.

Tim was awarded a New Zealand Scholarship for his project, one of two in the class. He plans to start an engineering degree at Auckland University in 2008. He feels that, having done this product technology course, he'll now have more understanding of what is involved.

"In the end I relented and allowed Tim to take the risk of developing a very complex product that was pushing my comfort zone as a teacher! I had a chat with his previous teachers and looked at the outside experts he had contacted. Developing products and risk-taking go hand in hand; Tim taught me that students can do fantastic things when they are determined to succed," says Steve.

Liam

Liam was interested in working on something relating to the use of computers. He was aware of problems associated with the use of laptop computers on desks; they can't get enough ventilation which means they can overheat and cause problems resulting in loss of data. He knew that they were poorly designed in terms of ergonomics and that users sometimes suffered from back, neck and wrist pain, due to the angle and height of the screen in relation to the user's eyes.

Liam's mother used her laptop daily, on a desk or her lap, and had suffered some of the identified problems so she became his design client.

He thought about using a stand which would keep the laptop elevated and therefore ventilated. However his research found that there were already too many of these on the market, so it wouldn't be worth competing.

Liam's next thought was that a lot of people use their laptops on their laps, when sitting in an easy chair or in bed, and that a stand for this could be useful. The sort of sculptured design he had in mind would allow the stand to fit nicely on a person's thighs. As far as he knew there was nothing else like this on the market so his original brief didn't need to change much.

Liam decided to use aluminium on the base as it is a heat absorber, and carbon fibre for the upright as it is lightweight but strong. He decided on a thin rubber surface on the base to prevent scratching the user's lap and provided a mouse pad to go with the stand.

Liam found the construction process a bit difficult – especially getting the stand square and installing the hinges, and had three attempts at moulding the perspex. He originally planned to construct the two bases from individual aluminium pieces which would have meant extensive welding so decided to cut out one sheet, which meant only two small pieces needed to be welded.

Liam's client evaluated his design and provided feedback on various aspects of the stand: height level for comfort working at a desk or on a lap, eye level height with the screen, convenience of mouse pad and ease of transportation.

Liam was pleased with the final design and reported that throughout the testing process the laptop remained cool and kept its optimum level of performance.

Liam is planning to study architecture in Auckland or Wellington.

Andrew

As a skateboarder, Andrew is conscious that there are few spaces where teenagers can practice skateboarding, biking and roller-blading. At home he uses a rail to skate over which, as he improves, needs to be adjusted for height or angle. This led to his decision to make an adjustable skateboard rail which can be disassembled and taken elsewhere. He could also see real benefit in the possibility that such a product could reduce the related damage that skateboarders cause in public grounds, such as parks and schools, when they search for something to perform their stunts on.

Andrew identified many key factors to consider in the design. He wanted a rail to be adjustable to suit the average skateboarder, who is improving skills, and which could be changed to different heights and lengths. The rail needed to be strong to take being knocked around and able to be left out in all weathers. It needed to be lightweight, easily assembled and disassembled for transportation, and easily stored. It was essential that the leg supports were thin enough that they didn't interfere with the skateboarder and stable enough that the rail wouldn't tip over.

Although he had fellow skateboarders as his clients, Andrew was keen to design a rail that could also be used by bikers and roller-bladers and was conscious of the need to price it to suit his potential market. He originally planned to use stainless steel because of its superior weathering and 'grinding' qualities, but this would be too expensive and a little hard to work with. Instead he compromised and decided on aluminium which is more cost effective and weighs less.

Andrew is pleased with his outcome, particularly the length as a long rail is needed, and that the adjustment works so well. He built it so that it could be attached to another rail if desired, which means the shape of the rail could be changed.

He did some research and found that there isn't anything similar, with these angles and heights, on the market. He thinks there might be a good future for this product, possibly in Australia or the United States.

Andrew says at the start it was quite exciting and that it was a lot of fun doing the experimenting and testing. He enjoyed sharing ideas with other people in the class and found the mixed class worked well, as the Year 13 students could use their experience to help classmates if the teacher was working with somebody else.

Andrew plans to try and pick a harder project in 2007, to push himself a bit more, and is thinking of a career in design when he finishes school.

Intellectual property issues

This page was originally written by Susan Corbett, of Victoria University of Wellington, as part of her study, Intellectual property in Technology teaching, identifying intellectual property implications and issues that emerge from selected Techlink case studies.

Just as there are several different stages of development of a product, there are different kinds of intellectual property (IP) implications. Sometimes certain IP that is relevant to one product category will not necessarily be relevant to another category. For instance, one product might be suitable to protect by a registered design or by relying upon copyright. Another might need to be protected by a patent.

At the beginning of a project developers don't really know whether they might eventually develop something that is likely to have commercial value. For that reason it is advisable to protect an idea and its early stages of development by keeping them secret , and asking people who are needed to discuss the plans with to sign a confidentiality agreement. Anyone who talks about their invention or design in public cannot file a valid application for a patent or a registered design afterwards.

Drawings and designs, including CAD models of students' ideas, are copyright . No formality is needed for this protection – it arises automatically. Students should ensure they date and put their names on any such items, as this will mean there is a clear record of their copyright ownership.

As students are making their products at school, usually with the help of teachers and the use of some school equipment, there is a possibility that the school itself might be entitled to claim that it is a joint owner of the IP in a student's product. This highlights the importance of New Zealand schools having intellectual property policies, which set out clearly the relationship between the school, teachers and students with regard to intellectual property created on school premises.

If a student's product appears to have commercial value then it might be worth protecting the IP by applying to the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (www.iponz.govt.nz) to register a patent or design . This is a complicated and time-consuming process. It can be done by a non-legally qualified person but often it is safer to enlist the assistance of a patent attorney.

At this stage students might find it useful to explain their product to a potential investor who could assist with the costs. Remember that students who do this should always ask the investor to sign a confidentiality agreement. Such an agreement safeguards the student's ownership of his or her idea (although it does not necessarily provide 100% security – the only way to be completely safe is to never discuss a new idea or product with anyone).

In addition, however, the fact that an idea, product, or process has only ever been discussed under the auspices of a confidentiality agreement, is considered to preserve the novelty of the idea for the purposes of applying to register a patent or design.

IPONZ has developed a procedure called gazetting which will allow students who display their product at events such as school science fairs to claim novelty, provided the student applies for patent or design registration within six months of the gazetted event. The procedure for gazetting, and more information about its effect, can be downloaded from the IPONZ Information Library.

Instead of registering a patent or design, some inventors prefer to 'flood the market' with their new product, using the protection of a registered trade mark to build up a reputation for the product.

This can be an effective strategy, but it does not prevent competitors copying a product and putting their own versions on the market. The inventor would then have to keep ahead of competitors by regularly developing newer versions of the product and/or by convincing customers that products sold under their trade mark are better quality, or more reliable than those of competitors.