National Certificate in Digital Media Computing(G8JM 44)

National Certificate in Digital Media Computing(G8JM 44)

Course overview and skills development summary

Introduction

National Certificates are made up of Units. Each Unit is mapped against an agreed set of national standards to identify the appropriate level and credit value defined by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

The SCQF level is a measure of how hard the Unit is.

The credit value is a measure of the time, on average; it should take a learner to achieve the Unit. A single-credit Unit works out at an average of 40 hours teaching time and 20 hours self-directed learning. A double credit Unit works out an average of 80 hours teaching time and 40 hours self directed learning. If you’d like more information, it is available at .

Most National Certificates have mandatory and optional Units:

Mandatory Units provide the generic knowledge, understanding and skills needed to be successful in your chosen career. Every student has to complete them.

Optional Units give you an opportunity to choose a particular area of interest that you would like to learn about.

This document provides information about the Units that make up your Course and the skills you will be developing as you work through each Unit. It explains:

the way you will use Core Skills in your chosen area of work

how the Course is structured

It also describes the purpose of each Unit in the Course, including:

the subject-specific skills you will develop in each Unit

the Core Skills you will develop naturally as you work through each Unit

any Core Skill or Core Skill component that will be recorded on your certificate

Core Skills in your chosen area of work

As a skilled first line employee working in the Digital Technologies area you will by using Core Skills every day, whether you’re working on a specific task, dealing with clients, or working with your colleagues on projects.

Communication

You will need to listen to or read and understand employers’ and customers’ requirements. These will be given in various written, oral or graphical formats, and will come from a variety of sources. You may be required to interpret relatively complex instructions and follow them to an exact standard. You would also be expected to produce documents and other pieces of work to a similar standard.

Numeracy

You will have to be able to work with and manipulate various types of numerical information confidently. You will also make calculations, and there will be occasions when you will have to read or present numerical information in many different formats (for example graphically).

Information and Communication Technology

You will be using Information and Communication Technology every day. You must be able to use the main office type programs to a confident level to enable you to produce whatever format is required for output of a task. You will also be confident in file management, and basic security surrounding Information and Communication Technology.

Problem Solving

In Digital Technologies the majority of projects you work on will not work first time, so problem solving will be required to some degree. Working on a project may need logical thinking and organisation to identify where improvements can be made to achieve the outcome. These steps may need to be documented for future use.

Working with Others

Most activities in the Digital Technologies industry take place within a team environment. You will not only need to take instruction from others, but also to give instruction to other team members. You will need to review your contribution to the team as well as reviewing the contribution of others. Being an active member of a team is a valued skill that many employers will look for above technical skills.

Course structure for Digital Media Computing

To achieve this National Certificate you will need to achieve:

six Unit credits from the mandatory section

six Unit credits from the optional section

Mandatory Units (six credits):

Table 1

Optional Units (six credits):

The tables below show the set of optional Units from which candidates may select to make up the balance of SCQF points required for the award. A candidate may choose, as one of their options, only one Unit from Table 2 (Mathematics Units). The remainder, or all of their optional Units, will be selected from Table 3 (Other Optional Units). It is necessary for a candidate to select 2 credits at level 4 in order to achieve the conditions of this award from Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2 (maximum one credit):

Table 3 (up to six credits):

Unit summaries

This section provides a brief description of each Unit in the Course. It explains:

the purpose of each Unit

the subject-specific skills you will learn for each Unit

which Core Skills you will be developing as you work through each Unit

which Core Skill or Core Skill components are recorded in your Core Skills profile on your certificate

The Unit summaries are in alphabetical order so you can find them easily. This might not be the order you do them in.

Basic Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills (DW7H 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn basic skills in using Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

You will:

locate, process, and communicate information from a variety of online sources and types of online materials

use more than one source to be certain of accurate results

use a variety of software office and multimedia to produce a project from a given brief using the information you’ve collected

This Unit has the Core Skill of Information and Communication Technology embedded in it, so when you achieve this Unit your Core Skills profile will be updated to show that you have achieved Information and Communication Technology at SCQF level 4. In addition, you will also be developing aspects of the Core Skill in Communication.

Business Information and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (DV4J 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about the importance of information and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) when used in contemporary business organisations, and about how businesses use ICT and the benefits that it can bring.

You will:

describe the role of Business Information and ICT, demonstrating an awareness of the different sources of information used by business enterprises

describe users of Business Information and ICT, and explain the importance of ICT in running organisations including current uses, benefits and costs of ICT

use relevant terms and examples

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication and Problem Solving.

Computer Control Systems (D970 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will develop skills in operating computer control systems.

You will:

operate a previously designed control system by using software

following a brief, set various input controls to specified levels and be able to monitor and adapt the signals from a variety of output devices

collect the data output and present it in a format required by the brief

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving and ICT.

Computer Games: Digital Games Design (F1R2 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about underlying concepts and fundamental principals involved in digital gaming planning and design.

You will:

develop an understanding of a variety of games platforms, down to component level, including both hardware and software

learn about the basic requirements for constructing a level of a computer game of a specific genre

plan, design, and construct a level in a digital game to meet a brief — this can be done either as a desktop exercise or an actual software project depending on the brief and the software available

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, Communication and ICT.

Computer Games: Digital Gaming Design (F1K4 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about underlying concepts and fundamental principles involved in digital gaming.

You will:

develop an understanding of a variety of games platforms, software, genres, environments, and current and possible future trends in games and games technology

play a variety of games on different consoles and identify their genre and the player type associated with them

design an evaluation form to do this

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, Communication and ICT.

Computing: Animation Fundamentals (F1KB 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about the techniques and concepts involved in producing two-dimensional (2D) animation using software. The Unit is practical in nature, and you will gain knowledge and understanding of the techniques and concepts used in computer animation.

You will:

plan, produce and develop a short animation project from a given brief

create some two dimensional graphics

animate the graphics in one of the animation packages available — this can be bought and/or open-source software

demonstrate that you are aware of the legal constraints concerning data protection, misuse, and copyright

present your project

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, Numeracy and ICT.

Computing: Computer Hardware and Systems (F1K2 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about the basic structure and elements in a computer system.

You will:

upgrade and/or install a variety of components and software to a computer

adhere to current health and safety restrictions and requirements

fill in a logbook

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, Communication and ICT.

Computing: Computer Networking Fundamentals (F1KH 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn how to set-up a small computer network.

You will:

explore basic networking equipment and plan the installation of a small network

record faults and, using logbook and screenshots, explain how these have been resolved

select and safely use the correct tools to test, troubleshoot and fix a network in response to a user’s error report

be aware of the health and safety restrictions and requirements in carrying out these tasks

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, Information and Communication Technology, and Communication.

Computing: Digital Media Elements for Applications (F1KS 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will develop skills in the operation of digital media applications and the various media elements used in these applications.

You will:

interpret a given brief for a multimedia application

work collaboratively with others to set up computer hardware and software to capture video, sound and images

produce a project using the skills and techniques you have developed

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication, Problem Solving, Working with Others, and Information and Communication Technology.

Computing: Digital Media Elements for Applications (F1JM 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will develop the fundamental skills needed to generate images, 2D animation, audio and video files for inclusion in a multimedia application. You will learn how to use various hardware peripherals to capture media elements.

You will:

interpret a brief for a presentation that includes digital media elements

work collaboratively with others to set up computer hardware and software to capture video, sound and images

produce a project using the skills and techniques you have developed

As you do this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication, Problem Solving, Working with Others, and Information and Communication Technology.

Computing: Install and Maintain Computer Hardware (F1KF 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will develop the skills needed for setting up, maintaining and upgrading computer systems.

You will:

describe the major components of a computer

plan an upgrade to a computer with several hardware components

carry out this plan and identify and resolve any faults that occur

using a hardware logbook, demonstrate that you can maintain and prevent problems with computers

demonstrate that you know about health and safety, and disposal requirements

As you do this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication, Problem Solving and Information and Communication Technology.

Computing: Install and Maintain Computer Software (F1KP 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will develop the skills needed to correctly install and configure system and application software on a computer system.

You will:

describe the major components of a computer

plan an upgrade to a computer with several different types of software, including operating systems

carry out this plan and identify and resolve any faults that occur

install and maintain software that maintains computers and prevents problems and security issues

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication, Problem Solving, and Information and Communication Technology.

Computing: Interactive Multimedia for Website Development (F180 11) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about the design and development of animation and interactive multimedia applications, including digital narratives, for use on the World Wide Web. This Unit could be done in conjunction with some of the other web creation and design units.

You will:

plan, design and create a project for a website, to meet a brief

include both a short animation clip and digital narrative

plan and test the project throughout, evaluating and improving as you go

document your work in a log — this can be electronic, if it’s relevant to the brief

This Unit has the Core Skill of Problem Solving embedded in it, so when you achieve this Unit your Core Skills profile will be updated to show that you have achieved Problem Solving at SCQF level 4. In addition, you will also be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Communication and Information and Communication Technology.

Computing: Office and Personal Productivity Applications (F1K6 10) 1 credit

In this Unit you will learn about licence agreements and system requirements so you can make an educated decision on what type of software can be installed onto a personal computer.

You will:

undertake several tasks given in a brief to show you have the skills to use word processing, databases and spreadsheets — this can be done with bought and/or open-source software

demonstrate that you are aware of the legal constraints in areas including health and safety, data protection, misuse, and copyright

demonstrate that you can configure a variety of file types for different levels of access and security

This Unit has the Core Skill of Information and Communication Technology embedded in it, so when you achieve this Unit your Core Skills profile will be updated to show that you have achieved Information and Communication Technology at SCQF level 4.

Computing: Programming in a High-level Language — Fundamentals (F1K0 10) 1 credit

This Unit is designed to introduce you to computer programming by identifying the various components needed to construct simple programs using a high-level language. This Unit can also be used as an introduction to a more complex language that can be used in other Units.

You will:

identify the various components needed to construct simple programs using a high level language

create a simple software program for a given brief

As you are doing this Unit you will be developing aspects of the Core Skills in Problem Solving, and Information and Communication Technology.