Unit 3

AOS 1: Programming

Learn the main concepts of programming (including OOP & GUI)
School-assessed Coursework (SAC): Develop a sequence of working modules from teacher provided designs

Key knowledge

emerging trends in programming using artificial intelligence, including:
- using prompts to generate code
- automated debugging and testing of modules
- code optimisation
- responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence tools
characteristics of functional and non-functional requirements, constraints and scope
design tools for representing modules, including:
- data dictionaries
- mock-ups
- object descriptions
- input-process-output (IPO) charts
- pseudocode
characteristics of data types, including:
- text (character, string);
- numeric (integer, floating point, date/time)
- Boolean
characteristics of data structures, including:
- one- and two-dimensional arrays
- records (varying data types, field index)
characteristics of data sources (plain text (TXT), delimited (CSV) and XML files), including:
- structure and reasons for use
principles of OOP, including:
- abstraction
- encapsulation
- generalisation
- inheritance
features of a programming language, including:
- local and global variables, and constants
- data types
- instructions and control structures (sequence, selection, iteration/repetition)
- arithmetic, logical and conditional operators
- graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
- functions and methods
- classes and objects
purposes and features of naming conventions for solution elements (variables, interface controls, code structures), including:
- Hungarian notation
- camel casing
- snake casing
validation techniques for data, including:
- existence checking
- type checking
- range checking
purposes of internal documentation, including:
- explaining and justifying data and code structures
- code maintenance
- placeholder comments for future development (stubs)
algorithms for sorting and searching, including:
- selection sort
- quick sort
- binary search
- linear search
types of errors, including:
- syntax
- logic
- runtime (overflow, index out of range, type mismatch, divide by zero)
debugging and testing techniques for checking modules function correctly, including:
- use of breakpoints
- use of debugging statements
- construction of relevant test data
- test cases comparing expected and actual output in testing tables.

Key skills

interpret solution requirements and designs
use a range of data types, data structures and data sources
use and justify appropriate features of an OOP language to develop working software modules
develop and apply suitable naming conventions and validation techniques within modules
document the functioning of modules using internal documentation
develop and apply suitable debugging and testing techniques using appropriate test data.

AOS 2: Analysis and Design

Learn and apply the Analysis and Design parts of the PSM to Software Solutions
School-assessed Task (SAT) – Part 1 (Analysis & Design)
- Create a project plan and Gantt chart
- Analyse and Document a need or opportunity for a software solution
- Generate design ideas and design a software solution

Key knowledge

reasons why individuals and organisations undertake software development projects, including:
- increasing productivity and efficiency
- reducing costs
- identifying opportunities to address gaps in the market
- meeting organisational objectives or needs
features of a brief that documents a problem, need or opportunity, including:
- problem/need/opportunity outline
- proposed users
- programming languages to be used
- feasibility
- Originality
features of project management using Gantt charts, including:
- identification of tasks
- sequencing of tasks
- time allocation
- dependencies
- milestones
- critical path
- monitoring and documenting the progress of projects
methods for collecting data to determine needs and requirements, including:
- Interviews, observations, surveys, reports
characteristics of functional and non-functional requirements
constraints that influence solution development, including:
- Economic, legal, social, technical considerations
characteristics of solution scope, including:
- version/solution boundaries
analytical tools for depicting the relationships between users, data and systems, including:
- context diagrams (Level 0) with the components of a system, and entities and data flows
- data flow diagrams (Level 1) with the components of processes, entities, data stores & data flows
- use case diagrams with the components of a system boundary, actors, associations, relationships (includes and extends) and use cases
purpose and features of software requirements specifications, including:
- defining requirements
- constraints
- scope
- user characteristics
- technical environments
- analytical tools depicting existing processes and systems
key legal requirements relating to the intellectual property and ownership and privacy of data used, including:
- Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth)
- Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) (APP 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11)
- Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (IPP 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
file management techniques, including:
- the use of naming conventions
- version control
- backups (full, incremental, differential)
- security
- disposal
ideation techniques and tools for generating design ideas, including:
- mood boards, brainstorming, mind maps, sketches, annotations
criteria for evaluating design ideas and the efficiency and effectiveness of solutions
design tools for generating solution designs from design ideas, including:
- data dictionaries
- mock-ups
- object descriptions
- input-process-output (IPO) charts
- pseudocode
characteristics of user experience (UX) and how these affect software design, including:
- Affordance, interoperability, security (authentication and data protection), usability
design principles that influence the appearance and functionality of the user interface/s of the software solution, including:
- Alignment, balance, contrast, space, text formatting, usability, navigation

Key skills

document a problem, need or opportunity using a brief
create, monitor and modify project plans using software
select and use a range of methods to collect data
apply analysis tools to determine solution requirements, constraints and scope
document an analysis as a software requirements specification
generate design ideas using appropriate ideation techniques and tools
develop evaluation criteria for design ideas & the efficiency and effectiveness of the software solution
produce detailed designs using appropriate design principles and tools.

Report abuse