Design and Drawing for Production (DDP)

Design and Drawing for Production (DDP) is a NYSED- approved, high school level interdisciplinary course that meets both Technology Education and Visual Arts Learning Standards, and “is intended to be implemented through a two- semester course as an introduction to a universal graphic language through which students can express their ideas with creativity, clarity and exactness.”

Design and Drawing for Production (DDP) is an approved course to meet the one unit of art/music requirement for graduation for all students. The DDP syllabus is aligned with Standard 5 of the Mathematics, Science and Technology Learning Standards and the Visual Arts Learning Standards. Only teachers certified in technology education or art education may provide instruction in DDP used to meet the art/music credit.

No. Regardless of whether the title given to the course includes the “DDP” designation, the course content must use the NYS-developed DDP syllabus in its entirety if art credit is being awarded.

• Locally developed versions of a course “something like DDP” may not be used to award art credit.
• Computer Aided Design (CAD), or similar courses may not be used to award art credit.
• Introduction to Engineering Design (IED), or similar courses may not be used to award art credit.
• Vendor-provided curriculum—even if “DDP” is part of the vendor’s curriculum title—may not be used to award art credit (except for instances in which the syllabus follows the NYS DDP syllabus in its entirety, see above). The NYSED does not endorse any vendor-provided curriculum.

A syllabus provides guiding principles and goals, primary objectives for learning, suggested units, etc. aligned to learning standards. It is the framework around which local curriculum is planned.

The NYSED DDP syllabus was designed for longevity by not focusing on particular tools and techniques, but instead on a particular philosophy about how the design process informs the creation of functional objects, spaces, buildings, and systems that serve human needs, and the use of universal graphic language to communicate design ideas. These two core principles continue to be essential in the today’s design world.

Local curriculum can remain pertinent by following the goals, objectives, and driving philosophy of the DDP syllabus, while updating content (what problems will students solve?), methods of graphic delivery (which visual languages will be employed?), and methods of modeling (which “tools” will students use to create prototypes and models?). When well designed, local curriculum based on the DDP syllabus prepares students not only for advanced  coursework but also rapidly expanding technologically-driven fields where design thinking is essential.

Design and Drawing for Production encourages visual problem-solving using a common graphic language to describe forms in the human-made environment. To enable the student to analyze, creatively design and critically evaluate these forms, DDP requires researching historical precedents, cultural references, environmental impact, and future vision. The syllabus emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem-solving and the decision-making processes by requiring the student to examine past solutions, learn technical drawing processes, experience design techniques and become critically active in evaluating both personal work and work by others.