• IS 12 (E238) Syllabus in MS Word
• IS 12 (E238) Syllabus as PDF
• Your Marks: An Explanation for TEE Students or
  you can download the PowerPoint Presentation

In the teaching, learning and assessment of this subject, these terms are taken to mean:

• Define: State the nature and essential attributes.
• Describe: Explain the properties in a given context.
• Apply: Put skills, concepts and knowledge to practical use in solving problems.

This guide is based upon 110 hours of instruction.

1. Define:

• datum
• data
• information
• system

2. Describe:

• information systems
• communications systems

3. Define:

• carriers
• service providers

4. Describe:

• management information systems
• computer systems
• computer-based information systems

5. Describe:

• centralised information systems
• distributed information systems

6. Describe:

• open information systems
• closed information systems

7. Apply logical data flow diagrams.

8. Apply analysis techniques.

9. Apply design techniques including ‘life cycle’ and ‘prototyping’.

10. Define and compare:

• ‘top down’ design
• ‘bottom up’ development

11. Define project management including:

• teams
• planning
• progress reports
• time management
• work assignment (work breakdown structure)

Note: Students are expected to develop skills in the analysis and
design of information systems in association with other sections of this subject.

1. Describe the fetch-execute cycle.

2. Describe the central processing unit (CPU) components in terms of the functions of:

• control unit
• registers
• arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)

3. Describe the roles of buses.

4. Describe the concepts of caching.

5. Define:

• reduced instruction set computer (RISC)
• complex instruction set computer (CISC)

6. Describe:

• sequential processing
• parallel processing
• distributed processing

7. Define:

• firmware
• software

8. Define levels of storage.

9. Describe the convergence and compatibility of computer architectures.

10. Describe trouble-shooting procedures.

11. Describe the role of preventative maintenance.

Note: Students are expected to be aware of underlying computer
technology in the day-to-day use of computers in various applications.

1. Define carriers and human communications media including:

• Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
• Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
• radio
• television
• cable television
• interactive media

1. Describe media including:

• Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)
• Data Communications Equipment (DCE)
• modems
• bandwidth
• optical and electronic transmission media, including copper
  (coaxial, unshielded twisted pair, shielded twisted pair), microwave and laser

2. Describe the role and purpose of standards in achieving connectivity including:

• RS232
• ISO 802.3
• X.25

3. Describe:

• noise
• attenuation
• error detection/correction standards

1. Define:

• digital networks
• ISDN
• LAN
• WAN
• cellular networks
• ISO-OSI: International Standards Organisation—Open Systems Interconnectivity

2. Describe the difference between LAN and WAN.

3. Define common problems with network interconnections.

4. Describe the structure of the Internet.

5. Apply the facilities of the Internet to personal communications.

6. Apply an effective search strategy to locate required information on the Internet.

7. Define the role of clients and servers.

8. Define LAN topology.

9. Describe network hardware including:

• hubs
• routers
• bridges

10. Define and compare:

• distributed information processing
• centralised information processing

11. Describe:

• the importance of data security
• data security techniques (including encryption)
• data security techniques (including encryption)
• how computer-based information systems can encroach upon an individual’s privacy
• application of ethics to the use of information resource

Note: Students are expected to be aware of communications technologies and
their interaction, and be able to use network facilities to retrieve information.

1. Define file organisation for:

• sequential files
• random files
• indexed sequential files (ISAM)

2. Apply relations, attributes, tuples, keys (primary and foreign) and indexing.

3. Describe normalisation to the Third Normal Form (3NF).

4. Describe:

• data integrity
• data redundancy
• data duplication

5. Describe the role of the data dictionary in systems analysis, design and development.

6. Apply entity-relationship diagrams.

7. Define database models:

• flat-file
• hierarchical
• network
• relational

Note: Students are expected to develop skills in using a relational database and
apply these skills to modify and to build simple computer-based information systems.

1. Define:

• machine code
• assembler languages
• procedural languages
• fourth generation languages (4GL)

2. Define and compare:

• interpreters
• compilers

3. Apply:

• sequence
• selection
• iteration

4. Apply modular principles and simple parameter-passing.

5. Apply data structures, including simple arrays and records.

6. Apply Pseudocode and Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams to solve simple problems.

7. Apply programming to solve simple problems.

Note: Students are expected to understand these principles common to languages
in a variety of contexts, rather than to learn a specific language.

Languages

• C (Macintosh C)
• Numeric (Numpy)
• Python

Easter: What was the date again?

• Last year?
• This year?
• Next year?
• In 10 years?
  
  
• The Date of Easter
• Determining the Date of Easter
• Easter Day—C program code
• Calculating the Date of Easter
• ASSA: Easter Dating Method
• Finding Easter Sunday Dates with a Calculator
• How Easter Date is Determined