Remove and 5th Form Curriculum

Information Technology

The School will be offering a course leading to a Certificate in Digital Applications (CiDA) which has the equivalent value of two GCSE certificates. This is a set of two paperless qualifications which focus on the practical application of Information Technology. It gives pupils an insight into how IT is applied in the real world of work and is a useful preparation for further education. It is designed to stimulate pupils’ creativity and develop real-world, practical skills that will motivate learning across a wide range of subjects.

The Certificate in Digital Applications will be taken at two levels.

• The Award (AiDA) is equivalent to one GCSE and will be taken during the Remove Year. This is, of course, dependent on the pupil reaching an acceptable standard during the year.
• The Certificate (CiDA) is equivalent to a second GCSE and will be taken in the Fifth Form.

All of the assessment is project based; there is no final examination. The full CiDA course is not expected to take any more time than a single GCSE course in any other subject.

The CiDA qualification is designed to:

• develop pupils’ ability to select and use digital applications appropriately and produce high quality outcomes;
• promote the use of digital applications for achieving a goal rather than for their own sake;
• enhance creativity and communication;
• equip pupils with some of the skills that they will need in further education and during their career;
• develop project management skills;
• free pupils’ work from paper, making it organised, searchable, dynamic and transportable;
• encourage pupils to reflect critically on their own and others’ use of digital applications.

Unit 1: Using ICT (AiDA)

This unit is the keystone for the Award and the Certificate. The main elements of this unit are:

• Using information sources
• Working with information
• Presenting information
• Print and digital publishing
• Creating an eportfolio
• Project planning, monitoring and evaluation

The unit will involve use of wordprocessing, spreadsheet, database, graphic and web-design software.

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