Clarification details
Updated May 2015. This document has been updated in its entirety to address new issues that have arisen from moderation.
The final brief
Students will produce a final brief which, in technology, is a succinct guiding document reflective of the stage of outcome that the project is aiming for. The outcome could be a conceptual design for an outcome or the prototype. It is comprised of:
- a conceptual statement communicating the focus and justified purpose of the technological practice needed to develop a technological outcome. That is, an explanation for what is to be done and why it should be done.
This statement should be based on findings from the exploration and analysis of the context and issue from which the need or opportunity driving the project has been identified. - specifications that define the requirements of a technological outcome in terms of such things as appearance and performance, in a way that is measurable. Students should be presenting a set of requirements that need to be satisfied for the outcome to be judged as fit for purpose.
Students are not required to create their outcome as part of this assessment activity. However, they may be more engaged in undertaking brief development if a conceptual design or technological outcome is produced.
The step up from NCEA level 1
NCEA level 2 requires students to broaden their practice, so they should select their own issue from the wider social and physical environment in which the technological development occurs (that is, the context – which should be given by the teacher). Examples of possible contexts are given in Explanatory Note 3.
The context
The context must be authentic, and something students are able to interact with. It should allow students to explore a broad range of issues, both current and future. Students will determine a need or opportunity and undertake brief development to communicate the nature of the outcome which resolves the issue.
The social and physical environment
Students must show consideration of the social and physical environment in which the issue resides. This informs identification of the physical attributes (e.g. what the outcome will look and feel like) and functional attributes (e.g. what the outcome, or part of the outcome, does). On-going environmental consideration as well as consultation with stakeholders, research and functional modelling informs the development of specifications.