Information Technology

(Applied General Certificate / Extended Certificate)

Please note:  government expectation is that students should not take more than one certificate course as part of an A level programme.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY?

This is a two-year modular, A Level Alternative Academic Qualification. Most industries in a modern society rely heavily on Information Technology. A student with an I.T. qualification will have access to employment in just about any industry and with such a diverse subject will also have access to a broad spectrum of career opportunities; security, data management, system design to name a few! I.T. is a fast-moving industry which will provide graduates with the chance of keeping up to date with the very latest technology.

The two-year modular course has two examined modules and two practical modules, assessed through coursework tasks. The modules cover: Information technology Systems, Cyber Security and Incident Management, Website Development and Relational Database Development.

I.T. is a versatile qualification and supports routes into a number of degree courses as well as the opportunity to extend the modules studied further with the BTEC Diploma in I.T.

FIRST YEAR COURSE CONTENT

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS: You will explore the relationships between the hardware and software that form an I.T. system, and the way that systems work individually and together, as well as the relationship between the user and the system. You will examine issues related to the use of I.T. systems and the impact that they have on organisations and individuals. This unit is externally assessed through a written examination set and marked externally. The examination is two hours in length.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT: In this unit, you will explore how existing websites use the principles of website development to appeal to their intended audience and meet their specific purpose. You will plan, design and develop a website in response to a client brief by applying website development tools, techniques and processes. You will also reflect on the usability, functionality and fitness for purpose of the website using a testing and review process. Many software developers, database experts and systems managers need web-client development skills as an integral part of their overall portfolio of expertise. This unit will be assessed with a practical coursework task.

SECOND YEAR COURSE CONTENT

CYBER SECURITY AND INCIDENT MANAGEMENT: In this unit, you will examine the many types of cyber security attacks, the vulnerabilities in networked systems and the techniques that can be used to defend an organisation’s networked systems. You will examine scenarios and explain appropriate protection measures for networked systems. You will also look at the forensic methods used to investigate cyber security incidents and analyse the suitability of those methods for a given scenario. As IT systems evolve, there is an increasing need for IT professionals to protect networked systems and the information they contain, while providing enhanced features and benefits for organisations, customers and individuals. This unit will help prepare you for IT courses in higher education. 

RELATIONAL DATABASE DEVELOPMENT: In this unit you will look at how Normalisation and Diagramming techniques can be used to design and build data structures that allow for efficient interrogation of data. You will learn how to create scalable solutions which incorporate storage, searching and sorting of data, reporting and presentation of data sets. You will look at data input screens and user interface design as well as validation and verification methods to ensure data collected is complete, accurate and reliable. This module will be assessed with a practical coursework task.

MINIMUM ENTRY CRITERIA

Standard College entry requirements and a minimum of:

FURTHER EDUCATION

For students wishing to progress to university this qualification will provide as many UCAS points as an A Level. There are a number of degrees available in I.T. related subjects such as; cyber security, computer science, computer games design, computer graphics, networking, I.T. support. Of course, there are also a number of degree subjects that students could study which include an I.T. element. Courses of this nature might include subjects such as law, business, finance, accountancy and many others.

APPRENTICESHIPS/CAREERS

Apprenticeships are becoming increasingly popular and, as well as many opportunities directly with employers, there are a growing number of agencies successfully placing students in areas of cyber security, technology, telecommunications, I.T. support, I.T. infrastructure and networks, data management, and web design. This course is very popular for students wishing to follow this route to employment as the skills taught will prove useful in many areas of I.T.