Industrial arts is an educational program that features the fabrication of objects in wood or metal using a variety of hand, power, or machine tools. Industrial Arts are commonly referred to as Technology Education. It may include small engine repair and automobile maintenance, and all programs usually cover

technical drawing Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and discipline of composing drawings that visually communicate how something functions or is constructed. Technical drawing is essential for communicating ideas in industry and engineering ...

as part of the curricula. As an educational term, ''industrial arts'' dates from 1904 when Charles R. Richards of Teachers College, Columbia University, New York suggested it to replace '' manual training''. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, industrial arts classes are colloquially known as "

shop Shop or shopping refers to: Business and commerce * A casual word for a commercial establishment or for a place of business * Machine shop, a workshop for machining *"In the shop", referring to a car being at an automotive repair shop *A wood ...

class"; these programs expose children to the basics of home repair, manual craftsmanship, and machine safety. Most industrial arts programs were established in comprehensive rather than dedicated vocational schools and focused on a broad range of skills rather than on a specific

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an in ...

. In 1980, the name of industrial arts education in New York State was changed to "

technology education Technology education is the study of technology, in which students "learn about the processes and knowledge related to technology". As a field of study, it covers the human's ability to shape and change the physical world to meet needs, by manipulat ...

" during what was called the "Futuring Project". The project goal was to increase students' technological literacy. In

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(VIC, Australia) industrial arts is still a key part of the high school curriculum. The term now describes a key study of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

that focuses on both engineering and industrial technologies. Additionally,

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

using the aforementioned technologies is now a key part of the industrial arts curriculum and has been since the mid-1980s when the subject of technics was introduced into Victorian high schools. One of the most important aspects of industrial arts is still that while students design they ultimately realize a solution; learning the challenges involved with working with materials and also the challenges of small-scale project management. Some universities have doctoral programs in industrial arts.

Clubs

An industrial arts club is an organization that promotes the use of industrial fabrication equipment by the general public. Clubs have grown out of the decline of industrial arts (aka shop class) programs in comprehensive school systems in the US. Clubs began as student organizations in primary and secondary schools offering industrial, the TechShop and Sparqs Industrial Arts Club based in Massachusetts which grew out of campus activities at MIT.

In New South Wales

Industrial Arts (IA) is an important part of the (NSW) high school curriculum. Industrial Arts syllabi are managed, like all NSW syllabi by the Board of Studies. In some schools Industrial Arts faculties have become part of a larger Technology faculty, however, many schools still have a stand-alone Industrial Arts faculty. The primary role of Industrial Arts education is to expose students to a variety of industrial and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

technologies that improve their understanding of the industrial and engineered world. Moreover, students learn both project management and design principles, most courses are project-based with students realizing a solution to a design or engineering challenge. Two key components of the projects are synthesis of a solution and evaluation of the final product. Both of these components are the highest order objectives in Bloom's Taxonomy.

Curricula

Industrial Arts have a single compulsory course for Years 7 and 8: Technology (Mandatory). This course also has areas that cover Home Economics concepts and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) content. For Years 9 and 10 all Industrial Arts courses are electives, the three electives on offer are Design and Technology, Graphics Technology, and Industrial Technology. The most popular Industrial Arts elective is Industrial Technology. *Design and Technology: this course centers on design without a prescribed context, so students may work with a variety of non-specified technologies. Students are given a design challenge and they come up with a solution. Their passage through the design process is documented in a Design Folio. In some schools, Design and Technology may not be delivered by the Industrial Arts faculty, in some schools the

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

faculty may run the Design and Technology course. *Graphics Technology: this course introduces students to both manual (pencil) technical drawing and

Computer Aided Design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

(CAD). This course has a core study in Year 9 and then a variety of electives for Year 10 including Engineering Drawing, Architectural Drawing, and Computer Animation. *Industrial Technology: this course may be studied with a variety of different disciplines with the most popular ones being:

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

and

. All have a common theme that students are involved in designing and making projects relevant to the context being studied. For example, a student in Industrial Technology – Multimedia may be asked to design an animation or website advertising a product. The development of their project is documented in their Project Report. A key part of the project report is the evaluation of the finished product. In Years 11 and 12, Industrial Arts offers three Higher School Certificate (HSC) non-Vocational courses: Design and Technology, Engineering Studies, and Industrial Technology. *Design and Technology is an extension of the junior course of the same name. The course centers on design without a prescribed context, so students may work with a variety of non-specified technologies. For their HSC students must create a Major Design Project. Students establish a need and then try to solve it and realize a solution. A key part of the project is evaluated through the design process. The Major Design project counts for 60% of their final HSC examination mark. *Engineering Studies is primarily a theory course that introduces students to the engineered world. The course looks at a variety of engineering applications and fields of engineering. Students learn about engineering history and societal implications, engineering mechanics, engineering materials, engineering electronics, and engineering communication methods. The course introduces students to many concepts that they would otherwise the first encounter in undergraduate engineering programs at university. One of the fundamental aspects of the course is learning engineering through the investigation of real-life applications. This builds greater significance and understanding in students. *Industrial Technology is also an extension of the junior course of the same name. The course centers on students working within a prescribed technology such as Timber Products and Furniture Industries, Multimedia Industries Automotive Industries, Electronics Industries, Graphics Industries, and Metal and Engineering Industries. For their HSC students must create a Major Project. Students develop a project and document their progress through the project. Hence they learn the vital skills of project management. Similar to Design and Technology evaluation of the project is an important part of the associated documentation. The Major Project counts for 60% of their final HSC examination mark. The fundamental difference between Industrial Technology and Design and Technology is that a student studying Industrial Technology must study theory relevant to specific technology and also study industry practices relevant to their technology.

Professional association

In NSW the

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

for Industrial Arts teachers is the Institute of Industrial Arts Technology Education ( IIATE). This organization releases a quarterly journal (on CD) and also runs an annual conference that investigates matters relevant to Industrial Arts education. Moreover, the IIATE represents Industrial Arts teachers in a variety of situations such as syllabus development meetings and teacher training interviews. Another important role that The IIATE fulfills is that of Professional Learning. The IIATE has run some very successful training days called ''Hands-on Technology'' where teachers can build their skills and knowledge in a variety of areas. This ''Hands-on'' concept has now been extended with the ''Hands-on Engineering'' day now being developed to assist teachers in delivering the Industrial Arts' courses Industrial Technology - Engineering and Engineering Studies. The IIATE has also successfully run training programs for CAD software which has enabled many more teachers to effectively embed CAD into their teaching.

References

External links