Course description
What is this course about?
This course covers a range of general and specialist IT units. In Year 1 the course focuses on developing transferable skills in a variety of business and IT work related scenarios. Core units focus on developing employability skills, Mathematics and IT, understanding the role of IT in Business. You will use software tools such as Microsoft Access, Excel and Visual Basic to solve complex business problems. Year 2 will focus on developing analytical, design and evaluative skills. You will have the opportunity to choose a project that needs to be implemented to meet a specific business need. This will involve producing a specification and design which you will use to create either a website, database, spreadsheet, or Visual Basic application. You will also develop skills and knowledge in website design, programming, and e-commerce.
What will I study?
The course is made up of 18 units, nine in each year including:
* Communication and Employability Skills in IT - develop relevant skills required in the workplace.
* Computer Systems - understand, specify, and justify the key components that make a modern personal computer system.
* Information Systems - understand and evaluate the role of IT systems in providing relevant and useful data and information to key people and functions in businesses and organisations.
* IT Project - apply skills and knowledge from other units to specify, design, implement and evaluate an application that fulfils a business requirement.
* Advanced Database Skills - analyse a business requirement, produce a database design, and implement a complex database using tables, queries, forms and reports.
* Advanced Spreadsheet Skills - analyse a complex problem, design and implement a multi worksheet solution using advanced features of Excel.
* Systems Analysis and Design - analyse and produce a specification and design using standard design tools such as data dictionaries, entity relationship diagrams, and data flow diagrams.
* Communication Technologies - understand the key concepts, communications protocols, and hardware devices used in digital communications systems.
* Data Analysis and Design - analyse a business problem and use database design techniques to implement an effective database design.Organisational Systems Security - evaluate the systems and procedures used to implement effective data security.
* Mathematics for IT - apply mathematical techniques to solve business and IT related problems.
* Principles of Software Design and Development - use structured design techniques to produce effectives designs for a Visual Basic program.
What can I do after the course?
You gain the professional skills needed by businesses using IT systems.You make take your studies further and progress onto degree courses in IT, Business Information Systems, Computer Science, Multimedia/Web Design, Software Design, and Networking.The course is equivalent to three A levels (up to 360 UCAS points) so universities regard BTEC National students very favourably.
