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)