ACCESS To Higher Education: Computer System Unit

By the end of the course learners will:

1. understand the relationship between the basic hardware and software components of a computer system;
2. classify computers by type;
3. understand the developments of PC processors;
4. understand the characteristics of modern input/ouput systems, and be able to select appropriate methods for a given application;
5. understand the need for different levels of storage;
6. understand the characteristics of modern storage methods, and be able to select appropriate methods for a given application;
7. understand the differences in quality and speed of different printing devices;
8. understand the basic concepts of machine logic, truth tables, and logic gates;
9. understand how data is stored and manipulated in a computer;
10. understand the basic principles of how data is processed within a computer, and write simple programs in assembly language;
11. understand the principles of networking computers and the associated benefits;
12. be aware of the operation and uses of modern data communications method;

1. distinguish between hardware and software, and describe the functions of the basic hardware and software components of a computer system;
2. describe the different types of computer (mainframe, mini, PC, laptop, etc.) and their main characteristics;
3. analyse the developmentof the processors used in PCs;
4. a) describe the operational characteristics (speed, capacity, media used, costs, etc.) of modern input/output devices (e.g. OCR, OMR, bar code scanners, scanners, VDUs, printers, plotters);

b) select appropriate methods for a given business application, or identify situations in which specific systems are used;
5. describe the need for different levels of storage (e,g, main, backing, cache);
6. describe the characteristics (speed, capacity, media used, etc.) of modern storage methods (e.g. magnetic disk and tape, CD-ROM, optical), and select appropriate methods for a given business application;
7. compare the quality and speed of different types of printers, and identify appropriate uses for each;
8. a) use the AND, OR, NOT logic operations, and understand and construct truth tables for compound operations;

b) describe the role of logic gates in the design of computer hardware;
9. a) simulate the way in which data is stored and manipulated in a computer in binary form (e.g. ASCII codes);

b) perform simple binary arithmetic, including calculations of storage capacities;
c) interpret bit patterns as sequences of characters;
10. simulate the processing of data as processed within a computer using registers, buses, and simple machine code operations, and construct data tables;
11. a) identify the components of a computer network, and distinguish between local and wide-area networks;

b) identify the benefits of networking in a business situations;
12. select appropriate methods of electronic data exchange(e.g. telephone, fibre optic cable, satellite, EDI, electronic mail, the Internet, etc.) for a given situation.

A number of small exercises will be set and assessed,  and there will be one major in-course written assignment based on a real business situation.  There will be a written closed-book end-of-unit examination of 2 hours.  The balance of assessments will vary, depending on an individual learner's needs.