Term 1-6: Creating Systems to Manage Information
Students study the design, creation, testing and evaluation of a relational database system to manage information. In order to produce information to support many business processes as well as our social lives, relational databases are widely used to manage and process data. From the smallest in-house systems to stock control systems for large online retailers, databases are repositories of information that are a significant part of organisational operating requirements. Students will examine the structure of data and its origins, and how an efficient data design follows through to an effective and useful database. Students will examine a given scenario and develop an effective design solution to produce a database system. They will then test your solution to ensure that it works correctly. Finally, they will evaluate each stage of the development process and the effectiveness of your database solution. To complete the assessment tasks within this unit, you will
need to draw on your
This unit is externally assessed through a task set and marked by Pearson.
The set task will be completed under supervised conditions. Part A will be carried out in three hours on the afternoon of the first day. Part B will be carried out in two hours on the morning of the second day.
The set task will assess learners’ ability to design, create, test and evaluate a relational database system to manage information.
Develop the individual:
Create a supportive community:
Term 1-2: Using Social Media in Business
Social media websites are a popular way for people to communicate and share information with friends and family. People spend a lot of time on social media websites and they give businesses opportunities to interact with people, for example to promote their business, to encourage people to visit their e-commerce site and buy, to provide customer service. Students may be familiar with social media for personal use and in this unit they will discover how it can be used in a business context. They will explore different social media websites, the ways in which they can be used and the potential pitfalls when using them for business purposes.
Develop the individual:
Create a supportive community:
Term 3-4: Creating a Social Media Campaign
Students will develop a plan to use social media strategies for business purposes to achieve specific aims and objectives. They will then implement the plan, developing and posting content and interacting with others. Finally, they will collect data on the business use of social media and review the effectiveness of their efforts. Understanding how to use social media for business purposes is useful for employment in information technology and in a variety of business sectors. Also, social media skills are closely linked with web and mobile applications development. This unit gives you a starting point for progression to roles such as social media specialist, content developer and web developer.
Develop the individual:
Create a supportive community:
Term 5-6: Information Technology Systems
Information technology (IT) systems have a significant role in the world around us and play a part in almost everything we do. Having a sound understanding of how to effectively select and use appropriate IT systems will benefit students personally and professionally.
Students will explore the relationships between the hardware and software that form an IT system, and the way that systems work individually and together, as well as the relationship between the user and the system. They will examine issues related to the use of IT systems and the impact that they have on organisations and individuals. To complete the assessment task within this unit, students will need to draw on your learning from across your programme.
This unit will give them a fundamental and synoptic understanding of all areas of IT, supporting their progression to an IT-related higher education course.
This unit is externally assessed through a written examination set and marked by Pearson.
The examination is two hours in length. Learners will be assessed on their understanding of computer systems and the implications of their use in personal and professional situations.
The number of marks for the unit is 90.
Develop the individual:
Create a supportive community: