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 equivalent course. 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 one examined module and three practical modules, assessed through coursework tasks. The modules are I.T. Systems, Data Management, Social Media in Business and Website Development.

The course is split into two years with students studying for the Certificate in the first year and the option to continue the course with an Extended Certificate in the second year. 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 CERTIFICATE COURSE CONTENT

Unit 2: You will examine the structure of data and its origins, and how an efficient data design follows through to an effective and useful database. You will examine a given scenario and develop an effective design solution to produce a database system. You will then test your solution to ensure that it works correctly. Finally, you will evaluate each stage of the development process and the effectiveness of your database solution. This unit is externally assessed through a constrained assignment. Students will be given a database assignment to complete in two timed sessions. The sessions will be under examination conditions.

Unit 3: You will explore different social media websites, the ways in which they can be used and the potential pitfalls when using them for business purposes. You will develop a plan to use social media strategies for business purposes to achieve specific aims and objectives. You will then implement the plan, developing and posting content and interacting with others. Finally, you will collect data on the business use of social media and review the effectiveness of your efforts. Students will be assessed using a coursework task.

SECOND YEAR EXTENDED

CERTIFICATE COURSE CONTENT

Unit 1: 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.

Unit 4: In this unit, you will review existing websites – commenting on their overall design and effectiveness. You will use scripting languages such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript® and a simple text editor, or rapid application development tools. Finally, you will reflect on the website design and functionality using a testing and review process. Students will be assessed using a 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; 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.

Students can extend the qualification they have gained as this subject is taught in modules. By adding the Computer Games Design, Mobile Apps and Programming modules students can complete their BTEC Foundation Diploma in I.T. Twelve further modules including two in Project Management and Cyber security will qualify for the BTEC Diploma in I.T. Finally, a single module in I.T. Service Delivery will complete the BTEC Extended Diploma in I.T.

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 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.