Computer Studies: Advanced Level

Goal Statement

The goals of Computer Studies at the Advanced Level are:

• to provide students with a survey of the major applications of computers
• to develop an understanding of computers and concepts to aid the students’ employment opportunities, personal productivity, and enjoyment
• to enable the student to acquire skills to contribute to, and participate productively in society.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

1. Hardware

• identify, name and describe basic components of a computer system unit:
  • motherboard
  • Central Processing Unit (CPU)
  • memory (RAM)
  • peripheral connections (USB, firewire, HDMI…)

2. Memory and Secondary Storage

• identify, name and describe Secondary Storage Devices, including:
  • hard drives (fixed and removable)
  • USB devices (flash drives and USB hard drives)
  • solid state drives
  • Memory cards (SD, SC)
  • Online storage (cloud storage)
  • Optical and magneto-optical storage devices (CD-ROM, DVD)
• recognize and use capacity descriptors (KB, MB, GB, TB)
• distinguish between and describe the function of RAM, ROM and BIOS/UEFI

3. Input and Output

• identify, name, describe, and distinguish among input and output devices (and associated software):
  • keyboard, pointing devices, scanners
  • video adapters and displays (LCD, touch screen)
  • printers (various types)
  • voice
  • describe how various input and output devices can be used to assist people with disabilities
  • option: digital camera, cell phone, other devices

4. Operating a Computer

• distinguish between System Software, Utility Software and Application Software and describe the purpose of an operating system
• differentiate among various commonly used operating systems
• employ operating system(s) to perform basic operations of disk and file management.
  • assign meaningful file and folder names
  • employ wildcard characters in file management
  • organize files on storage devices and designate drives, folders and files
  • perform management functions to locate, list, display properties of, copy, rename, move, (un)delete folders and files
  • describe drive formatting (sectors, tracks, index) and defragment a drive
  • recognize a variety of common program and data file types and their associated extension
• describe the problem of computer malware, (viruses and spyware), and methods to detect and remove them
• demonstrate care, maintenance, and protection of computer equipment
• demonstrate the ability to back up data
• option: identify workspace ergonomics conditions

5. Computers in Society

• identify the effect of computers on their everyday lives (databases-subscription lists, ATMs, the Internet, computer record systems, income tax)
• give examples of how computers are affecting career opportunities
• trace the history of computer technology and identify current trends
• state the purchasing considerations from the perspective of an informed consumer (warranty, service, licensing, needs assessment, market trends)
• provide examples of issues involving computers in society (protection of privacy, social networking sites, identity theft, phishing sites, spam and copyright)
• discuss ethical and political implications of advancing technology (artificial intelligence, block chain technology, targeted advertising)

6. Word Processing

• create a word processing document and save it to a specified location and directory
• select any amount of text and format the character attributes
• format the indentation, the alignment, and the spacing of lines and paragraphs
• identify non-printing characters (space, tab, new line, new paragraph) as displayed on the screen
• move, copy, and delete text
• insert a page break and section break into a document
• insert, format and manipulate a table
• use bulleted and numbered lists
• use footnotes/endnotes
• apply lines, shading and colour to a document
• use the find and the replace functions
• use the spell checker/thesaurus
• insert a graphic into a document
• set page margins
• use headers and footers (including page numbering, filename, and date codes) with multiple sections
• preview and print a document
• recognize different document output devices
• recognize that different file formats originating from different word processors and versions may be incompatible, requiring file conversion routines
• save in a variety of appropriate formats
• work collaboratively on document online

7. Spreadsheets

• enter and format data (numbers, text, data series)
• create simple formulas (using basic operators and functions)
• copy or move data and/or formulas, utilizing absolute and relative cell addresses and ranges
• change cell characteristics (column widths, alignments, fonts, etc.)
• modify page layout (orientation, scaling, grid lines)
• use formulas to predict outcomes
• create several kinds of charts based on spreadsheet data
• save in a variety of appropriate formats
• preview and print using various print options
• work collaboratively on spreadsheets online

8. Internet

• describe the basic structure and functioning of the Internet and define current terminology (URL, ISP, WWW, http, https)
• describe the process of online commerce, including ATM cards, online banking, online shopping, online auctions, and security issues
• describe the various options for computer connectivity (cable modems, XDSL, routers, wireless, 3G, 4G, 5G, satellite, LTE)
• send and receive e-mail (including attachments) using proper etiquette
• use a web browser to access and navigate through a web site
• use search engines to locate and bookmark information
• save text and graphical information from a web site
• recognize computer security problems associated with Internet use (spyware, viruses, spam, firewall)
• understanding how the Internet was developed and how it functions

Option

1. Computer Programming

• create simple programs in a programming language
• describe the purpose of compilers and/or interpreters
• create and make use of computer designs or algorithms
• write basic input, processing and output instructions

2. Keyboarding

• significantly increase their typing speed
• demonstrate proper keyboarding techniques

3. Presentation Software

• Create, manipulate and deliver a presentation

4. Graphics Applications

• edit a digital photograph
• create and manipulate a graphic image (Paintbrush, Draw)
• differentiate between various bit-mapped and vector- based graphic file formats (BMP, JPG and PNG)