The Department of Industrial Design and Technology (ID&T), formerly known as the Department of Technology and Educational Studies, is situated within the East Campus of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), University of Botswana (UB). The Department has been offering a Bachelor's Degree course in Design and Technology Education since 1990. With the onset of semesterization at the University, the Department now offers two undergraduate degree programmes; Bachelor of Design (Design & Technology Education), and Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design). Plans are also underway for the Department to offer Postgraduate Degrees in the foreseeable future.
Facilities include workshops for wood, plastics and metal, a graphic studio, ceramics studio, an electronics lab, a CAD/CAM lab with semi-industrial CNC machines and a Rapid Prototyping 3D Printer. Also available are lecture rooms equipped with the state-of-the-art presentation and instructional technology. Further, the Department also offers some short courses in Design and Technology, Product Design and Industrial Design, and Design, and Technology related subjects.
The Department's research interests include the following specific areas: Design and Technology, Product Development, Design Research, Curriculum Development in Design, Teaching Methodology in Design, Ergonomics, Aesthetics, Animal Factors in Product Design, Design for Rural Environments, Sustainable Product Design, CAD/CAM for schools, Universal Design, Inclusive Design, Social Aspects of Design, Indigenous Materials Processing Technology, Prototyping, Design Management, Design Policy, Product Evaluation, Design Thinking and Theory, Package Design, Graphics, Product Semantics, Product Aesthetics & Style, Workshop Technology, Communication in Design, Design Pedagogy and Industrial Training Effectiveness in Design.
