GCE AQA Computing Handbook

September 2013
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Table of Contents

Welcome to Computing ........................................ 3 Skills for Success ................................................. 4 Resources .......................................................... 5 Course Summary ................................................ 6 Course Specification ............................................ 7

WELCOME TO COMPUTING
Welcome to computing we very much hope that you will enjoy your studies at Varndean College and be successful in your qualifications. On your course you will have the opportunity to learn about and research a wide variety of computer based technologies. In addition to this you will develop a range of practical programming skills which will be extremely beneficial to you in further study and in a range of employment situations. Over the years we have had a high record of completion and success on this course and we aim for this to continue.

Our responsibilities
You will be taught by friendly and approachable staff who will support you to succeed. You will be taught the AS Computing course that comprises of 2 units. Unit 1 is assessed through a 2 hour practical examination. Unit 2 is assessed by a 1 hour examination comprising of compulsory short answer questions. A variety of teaching methods will be used to deliver your course, some computer based and some classroom based. Guest speakers or visits will be arranged as appropriate to enrich your studies.

Your responsibilities
Your tutor will explain in general terms what is expected of you whilst at Varndean College. In addition to this, the Computing department expect the following from you: Respectful behaviour to staff and students Interactions Punctuality Deadlines No food / drink Rooms and equipment Attendance, punctuality , equipment Seek Support E-mail / college systems No mobile phones
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Respectful behaviour to your environment

Commitment to your studies

Skills for Success

Goals / Targets Keep your longer-term goals in mind. What are your reasons for wanting to be successful in your AS Computing course? University? Career? Interest? Using a reminder of your longer-term aims can be useful when you are facing shorter-term choices.

Positive Attitude Remember: Whether you think you can or you cant, youre right. You may find some aspects of your studies challenging. Are you going to persevere? Are you going to find a way to overcome these challenges? Are you going to seek support? Hard Work There is a large amount of material that is covered at swift pace; you will need to work hard to ensure that you keep up with the course. Set aside a suitable amount of time to review your learning, complete homework and revise.

Attendance Students that do well in their studies have high rates of attendance to lessons (95%+). Missing lessons can lead to you to fall behind and miss out on important learning. If you miss a lesson, make sure that complete any outstanding classwork and homework.

Organisation Keep your work organised in a folder. Keep a record of homework dates, revision sessions and exam dates. Set aside a time and a place to complete homework, review your learning and revision.

Resources

Course Text Book The course textbook is AQA Computing AS, Nelson Thornes (Kevin Bond and Sylvia Langfield). The text book covers the AQA AS Computing syllabus and includes example past paper questions to aid revision. There are long-term and short-term loan copies of the book in the college Learning Resource Centre. Some students purchase their own copy of the text book. Virtual Learning Environment The colleges Virtual Learning Environment enables you to access all handouts, class presentations, worksheets and homework online. The VLE is particularly useful for catching up with missed lessons and revision. Learning Resource Centre The LRC has a variety of books covering Computing and IT subjects. There are a number of specialist dictionaries and excellent revision guides. In addition, a number of relevant periodicals are also available. Open Computer Access The LRC and Room 18 have a number of computers available to all students for college work Programming During the course you will learn to program in Visual Basic. Visual Basic 2010 Express can be downloaded for free from http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions/visual-basicexpress Course Tutor Your computing course tutor is Abha Aggarwal. You can contact your tutor by e-mail: aba@varndean.ac.uk

AS Computing Course Summary

Exam Board: AQA Qualification: AS Computing Units: Unit 1 / COMP 1 Problem Solving, Programming, Data Representation 60% of AS 2 hour on-screen examination Unit 2 / COMP 2 Computer Components, The Stored Program Concept and The Internet 40% of AS 1 hour written examination

2013 / 2014
September October 1.3 Data Representation 2.2 Logic Gates & Boolean Algebra 2.3 Machine Level Architecture November 2.1 Classification of Software 1.2 Programming December January 1.2 Programming 1.1 Problem Solving 1.4 System Life Cycle February 2.4 Hardware 2.5 The Internet March 2.6 Web Design 2.7 Legal, Social and Ethical Issues April May
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Unit 1 Revision Unit 2 Revision Unit 1 Exam Monday 2nd June 2014 am Unit 2 Exam Monday 9th June 2014 pm

June

AS Computing Specification
For the full AS AQA Specification go to : www.aqa.org.uk

Unit 1
1.1 Problem Solving
Principles of computation Problem Solving Finite State Machines Algorithms / Pseudo code Standard algorithms: Linear Search & Bubble sort

1.2 Programming
Data types Variables / Constants Assignment Selection Iteration Procedures & functions Data Structures Files Testing & Validation

1.3 Data Representation

Binary / addition / multiplication Twos compliment Fixed point decimal Hexadecimal Character coding Images Sound

1.4 System Life Cycle

Analysis Design Implementation Testing Evaluation

AS Computing Specification Unit 2

2.1 Classification of Software
System Software Application Software Generations of programming language

2.2 Logic Gates & Boolean Algebra

Logic Gates Boolean Algebra De Morgans Laws

2.3 Machine Level Architecture

Internal & External hardware components Functions of a processor Machine Code Fetch-Execute cycle

2.4 Hardware
Input Devices Output Devices Storage Devices

2.5 The Internet

Internet, Intranet & WWW IP Addresses & Domain names Internet registries, ISPs, DNS The Client Server Model Internet Protocols

2.6 Web Design

Web page construction HTML & CSS

2.7 Legal, Social and Ethical Issues

Data Protection Act Copyright, Designs & Patent Act Health & Safety Regulations Computer Misuse Act Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act Codes of conduct Digital Rights Management
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Robotics The Digital Divide