Information Technology (IT)

Information Technology (IT)

HOD: Mrs. Pam Raper

Compulsory: No

Does it count for APS: Yes, full points awarded

Required for further studying: No.

Useful for: Software engineering, and other careers in the Information and Communication Technologies field.

Practical component: Yes. There is a Practical Assessment Task (PAT) which requires additional time besides classroom time and homework time to design and develop a functional program. This task extends over three terms and contributes 25% towards the end-of-year promotion mark.

Special requirements/recommendations: The minimum entrance requirement for this subject is a Mathematics average of 60%. Learners are expected to spend about 4 to 6 hours per week, including weekends, writing programming code. To this end, it is compulsory for any learner wishing to take IT as a subject to have daily access to a computer. The Delphi software will be provided for free.

More details:

Information Technology has two aspects: theory and practical (programming). The subject is useful for any student who wishes to study software development, engineering, or ICT systems. Many of the tertiary-level courses have IT as a compulsory module in the first or second year. The compulsory module will be very similar to what was learned at school, so there might be a slight advantage in taking IT as a subject at school.

The practical component teaches the student programming using the Delphi language. The topics include using variables, string handling, repetition loops, conditional statements, array handling, as well as textfile and database handling. With the focus on writing algorithms and problem-solving rather than coding in a particular language, if a student does well in the practical component the transition to other programming languages at the tertiary level is achieved with relative ease.

The theory component teaches systems technologies (hardware and software), network technologies, Internet technologies, data and information management, solution development and the social implications of using ICT. The content is covered in the textbook. However, learners are expected to do additional independent research regarding current trends in ICT.

It should be noted that the subject requires higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, research skills, and problem-solving skills. While the theory component is similar to some other subjects, students who prefer to be given the "correct" solution to a problem so that they can memorize it will struggle with the practical component.