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Previous: MC198 Information Management
MC199 Information Technology
| Credits: 20 |
Convenor: Dr. A. F. Janes |
Semester: 1 |
| Prerequisites: |
|
|
| Assessment: |
Continual assessment: 50% |
One and a half hour exam in January: 50% |
| Lectures: |
30 |
Classes: |
none |
| Tutorials: |
4 |
Private Study: |
94 |
| Labs: |
22 |
Seminars: |
none |
| Project: |
none |
Other: |
none |
| Total: |
150 |
|
|
Explanation of Pre-requisites
For the spreadsheet component of the course, it is assumed that
students have the basic mathematical skills that would be acquired
by taking GCSE Mathematics or equivalent.
Experience with computers is NOT a prerequisite for this module, it not
is presumed that one has any prior knowledge of computers.
Course Description
The use of Information Technology has become routine in the modern work
environment. Students of all disciplines can benefit from learning to
work effectively with computers.
The module provides an introduction to Information Technology.
There are two strands which run side-by-side. The first places computers
in context and explains the some of the important concepts.
It explores the construction of a computer system and, in general terms,
how it works. The second strand concerns the practical aspects of
using computer packages and is mainly taught through weekly laboratory
sessions.
Aims
This course aims to give students an understanding of Information
Technology and its applications. This includes an appreciation of the
basic architecture of a computer system: the hardware and the
software components of the system, the rôle of each, and their
capabilities and limitations. It also includes the use of the
computer as a tool and focuses on two of the most successful office
applications: the word processor and the spreadsheet. The full scope
of these packages is explored and practical skills are developed
through a series of laboratory worksheets.
Objectives
- To understand the basic concepts of Information Technology and
to learn the language and terminology of the subject;
- to develop a critical appreciation of the relative capabilities
of different sorts of system and component;
- to gain the basic skills required to use a computer and to understand
the operating system presented by Windows;
- to learn how to use a word processor to prepare documents to a
high standard;
- to learn the basic principles of a spreadsheet; how to prepare a
simple spreadsheet using formulae and charts; how to tackle more complex
calculations;
- to learn some of the more advanced features of a spreadsheet;
how to use the database functions and logical formulae to develop more
advanced applications.
Transferable Skills
- A level of computer literacy which should be of benefit to any
employer,
- an awareness of the capabilities and limitations of Information
Technology that will allow the student to assess its suitability in
a particular application;
- the understanding needed to exploit the full potential of common
computer packages and to achieve results of a professional standard.
Syllabus
Hardware: overview of computer. Computer components. What the
microprocessor actually does. Peripherals (input and output).
Storage devices. Local area networks, (communications, and the
Internet). What the operating systems is. How software is made, how
the hardware is made. Sociological implications.
Operating systems and Windows. Document preparation and word
processing in Microsoft Word: formatting, layout, styles,
sectioning, tables, etc. Storage, analysis and presentation of data
using Microsoft Excel: formulae and calculation; charts; databases;
applications.
[Note: There is no recommended reading for the laboratory based
section of this module, the following is for the general I.T. lecture
section]
Reading list
Recommended:
Hutchinson and Sawyer,
Computer Essentials, 2nd edition,
Irwin, 1996.
Long and Long,
Introduction to Computers and Information Systems, 5th edition,
Prentice Hall, 1996.
Background:
Stern and Stern,
Computing: Concepts for End Users,
Wiley, 1990
Capron,
Essentials of Computing, 2nd edition,
Benjamin-Cummings, 1996.
R. White,
How Computers Work, 2nd edition,
Ziff-Davis Press, 1995.
R. Maran,
Computers Simplified, 3rd edition,
IDG, 1997.
Details of Assessment
The laboratory work is examined entirely by continual assessment.
A selection of the weekly exercises are handed in for marking.
The written January examination covers the rest of the material.
There are three questions on the paper, and candidates
can obtain full marks for good answers to two questions.
Next: Year 2
Up: Year 1
Previous: MC198 Information Management
S. J. Ambler
11/20/1999