Administration and IT

Staff

Mr B Mills (Faculty Head) 

Mrs A McDonald (Pupil Support) 

Ms A Logan 

Mrs L Phee

Mr G Strachan

Why Choose Administration and IT?

Administrative and IT job opportunities are increasing as all modern businesses need effective procedures to make sure that they are organised and functioning properly.  

Studying Administration and IT will uniquely enhance a learner’s employability in these growing sectors by teaching them how to use IT software to an industry standard and how to contribute positively to the Administrative systems that ensure a business is running successfully.

Moreover, the Course makes an important contribution to supporting the wider curriculum and a learner’s general education through developing a range of essential organisational and IT skills which will stand them in good stead regardless of the career path they ultimately choose.

Administration and IT does this by developing the following critical skills, knowledge and understanding.

• IT skills in the use of word processing, desk top publishing, spreadsheet and database software
• IT skills in using technology for communication and investigation (eg multimedia, e-mail and internet)
• Organisational skills (eg preparing business events and meetings)
• Understanding of how to develop good customer care systems
• Understanding of how key legislation affects businesses and employees
• Problem solving skills

S3 Administration and  IT

Course

In S3 pupils will follow an Administration and IT course as part of a broad general education, covering Level 4 Experiences and Outcomes.  During S3 pupils will also undertake some of the National 4 and National 5 Outcomes.

Course Assessment

The course will be assessed and marked throughout the session by teachers. These assessments are appropriate to the subject and level of study. Assessments may include a combination of practical work, case studies, examinations and projects.
 

Course Progression

The Business and Computing faculty will provide a range of progression pathways appropriate to learners’ needs.

Pupils who wish to continue to study Administration and IT can progress as follows:-

• Pupils achieving a National 4 award may choose to progress to National 5 Administration and IT
• Pupils achieving a National 5 award may choose to progress to Higher Administration
• Entering employment – employability is a core skill that the Course develops
• Further education – Administration and IT courses are available to study up to Degree Level
   

Homework

Learners would be expected to undertake approximately 20 hours of homework per unit. This will allow them the opportunity to consolidate, develop and revise the skills, knowledge and understanding being taught in the Unit.  

Homework activities will take a variety of forms in order to develop the organisational and problem solving skills of the course as well as breadth and application of subject specific knowledge.  
 

Equipment

No specialised equipment will be required for the study of Administration and IT at National 4 or National 5 levels.  However, access to IT outside of school would allow additional optional activities to consolidate IT skills taught.

National 5 and Higher Administration and IT

Course Outline

In this course, pupils will develop advanced administrative skills and digital literacy, enabling them to contribute to effective functioning of organisations in supervisory administrative positions. Pupils will also learn a wide range of administrative theory, which is important to the effective running of an organisation.

Relevant Prior Learning

Continuing pupils: pupils who achieved a National 5 A or B qualification should cope with the demands of the Higher course. Historically, pupils achieving below this have struggled to achieve a pass.

Crashing: the Higher AIT course is designed as a progression from the N5 course and builds on the skills learned at N5. This makes Higher AIT a demanding subject to crash and attain; therefore, only pupils who have shown the ability to achieve at Higher level should be considered for crashing the course. Pupils should have a minimum N5 Mathematics qualification.

Types of Learner

The course is suitable for candidates who are interested in the management functions of administration and advanced uses of digital technology, and who want to develop these skills further. Pupils learn valuable ICT skills that can be applied in the workplace and Higher Education; pupils interested in gaining these skills would benefit from this course.

Necessary Skills

Pupils require a high level of computer literacy and proficiency in using the Microsoft Office suite. Strong numeracy skills are essential for pupils to cope with the numerical demands of the spreadsheet element of the course. The ability to work independently is beneficial to pupils as is a high level of attention to detail.

Career Progression

This course is suitable for any pupil wanting to develop their skills and confidence in the use of common workplace and higher education software programmes such as Word, Excel and Access. A qualification in Administration and IT can support a wide range of careers including event planning, estate agents, legal secretary and hospitality.

Course Content

The course content is organised into 3 units:

Administrative Theory and Practice

In this Unit, learners will be required to provide evidence of their:

• knowledge and understanding of administration in the workplace and related aspects
• knowledge and understanding of effective teams and time and task management
• knowledge and understanding of the features of good customer care and the benefits of good customer care as well as the consequences of providing poor customer care
  
  

IT Solutions for Administrators

In this Unit, learners will be required to provide evidence of their:

• skills in using a range of complex functions of Word, Excel (spreadsheets) and Access (databases) to solve problems within an administrative context
• skills in analysing, processing and managing information in order to create and edit relatively complex business documents
  
  

Communication in Administration

In this Unit, learners will be required to provide evidence of their:

• advanced skills in using IT to communicate information with others in administration-related contexts
• knowledge and understanding of barriers to communication and ways of overcoming them
• knowledge and understanding of how to maintain security and confidentiality of information
   

Assessment Arrangements

Written and practical assessments are carried out at the end of each unit. Both the Internal assignment and final examination are externally marked by SQA.