EPQ and Beyond the Specification

What is an EPQ?

The Extended Project is a standalone qualification that can be taken alongside GCEs. It supports the development of independent learning skills and helps to prepare students for their next step – whether that be university study or

employment. The qualification:

Is recognised by universities for the skills it develops
Is worth half of an Advanced GCE (A-level) qualification at grades to A*–E
Carries UCAS points for university entry.

The Extended Project encourages students to develop skills in the following areas:

research, critical thinking, extended writing and project management. Students identify and agree a topic area of their choice (which may or may not be related to a GCE subject they are already studying), guided by their teacher.

Possible Approaches

Students can choose from one of four approaches to produce:

a dissertation (for example an investigation based on predominately secondary research)
an investigation/field study (for example a practical experiment)
a performance (for example in music, drama or sport)
an artefact (for example creating a sculpture in response to a client brief or solving an engineering problem).

The qualification is coursework based and students are assessed on the skills of managing, planning and evaluating their project. Students will research their topic, develop skills to review and evaluate the information, and then present the final outcome of their project.

Why Fusion 360 for an EPQ?

Fusion 360 is well suited for an EPQ project because it offers a wide range of capabilities for creating detailed designs and simulating real-world scenarios. Some of the reasons why it may be useful for an EPQ include:

3D Modeling: Fusion 360 allows you to create 3D models of your designs, which can be helpful for visualizing your project and communicating your ideas to others.
Simulation: Fusion 360 has built-in simulation capabilities that allow you to test and analyze your designs before manufacturing. This can help you identify and fix potential problems early on, saving time and money.
Collaboration: Fusion 360 allows you to share your designs with others and collaborate in real-time, making it easy to get feedback and make revisions.
Manufacturing: Fusion 360 has a variety of manufacturing tools, such as CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) and CAE (computer-aided engineering) that can be used to generate toolpaths and create detailed manufacturing instructions.
Document management: Fusion 360 allows you to manage and share all of your project documents in one place, making it easy to keep track of all the information related to your EPQ project.

However, it's important to note that the specific requirements for an EPQ will vary depending on the project and the institution overseeing it, so it's best to check with your supervisor or instructor to ensure that using Fusion 360 will meet the requirements for your particular project.

Take a look at some example projects that have use Fusion 360 as part of the EPQ process.

Digital Twin - link to model