Computing Science

Staff

Mr B Mills (Faculty Head)

Mrs C McConville

Mr N McLennan

Why Choose Computing Science?

Computing Science is vital for everyday life; it shapes the world in which we live and its future. Computer scientists play key roles in meeting the needs of society today and for the future, in fields that include science, communications, entertainment, education, business and industry.

Learners will develop an understanding of the central role of computer scientists as problem-solvers and designers, able to design, implement and operate hardware and software systems, and the far-reaching impact of information technology on our environment and society. They will also develop a range of transferable skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work, opening up a wide range of career and study opportunities.

Computing science does this by beginning to develop the following skills, knowledge and understanding:

Developing short computer programs using software development environments eg Visual Basic, Games Design
Understanding the role and impact of computing and information technologies on the environment and society
Investigating an emerging and innovative software development technology
Developing simple information systems
Web authoring
Applying basic computing and information science knowledge and skills to create solutions

National 5 / Higher and Advanced Higher
Computing Science

Level of Courses Available:

National 5/Higher/Adv Higher

Course Outline

Computing Science shapes the world in which we live and its future. The course brings together elements of technology, science and creative digital media, providing an insight into the challenge, excitement and reward to be found in these areas.

The course helps candidates to understand computational processes and thinking. It covers a number of unifying themes that are used to explore a variety of specialist areas, through practical and investigative tasks. The course highlights how computing professionals are problem-solvers and designers, and the far-reaching impact of information technology on our environment and society.

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: pupils electing to crash Higher Computing should have excellent numeracy skills, evident through having successfully achieved National 5 Maths at grade A or B.

Types of Learner

Necessary Skills

Pupils require strong numeracy and problem solving skills. The ability to work independently and deploy effective problem solving skills to find solutions to complex specifications are necessary. The course will develop problem solving skills such as Computational thinking but having a good foundation of problem solving and independent learning skills will be of advantage to the pupil.

Career Progression

This course is designed for learners who are considering further study or a career in computing science and related disciplines. It provides opportunities to enhance skills in planning and organising, working independently and in teams, critical thinking and decision making, research, communication, and self- and peer-evaluation, in a range of contexts.

Course Content

The course content is organised into 4 units:

Software Development
Database Development
HTML Development
Computer Systems

Software Development

In this Unit, learners will develop and learn Database Development practical and theory skills

Candidates develop knowledge, understanding and practical problem-solving skills in software design and development, through a range of practical and investigative tasks using appropriate software development environments. This develops their programming and computational-thinking skills by implementing practical solutions and explaining how these programs work. Tasks involve some complex features (in both familiar and new contexts), that require some interpretation by candidates. They are expected to analyse problems, and design, implement, test and evaluate their solutions.

Database Development

In this Unit, learners will develop and learn Database Development practical and theory skills

Candidates develop knowledge, understanding and practical problem-solving skills in database design and development, through a range of practical and investigative tasks. This allows candidates to apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, implement, test, and evaluate practical solutions, using a range of development tools such as SQL. Tasks involve some complex features (in both familiar and new contexts), that require some interpretation by candidates.

HTML Development

In this Unit, learners will develop and learn HTML Development practical and theory skills

Candidates develop knowledge, understanding and practical problem-solving skills in web design and development, through a range of practical and investigative tasks. This allows candidates to apply computational-thinking skills to analyse, design, implement, test and evaluate practical solutions to web-based problems, using a range of development tools such as HTML, CSS and Javascript. Tasks involve some complex features (in both familiar and new contexts), that require some interpretation by candidates.

Computer Systems

In this Unit, learners will develop and learn Computer Systems theory skills

Candidates develop an understanding of how data and instructions are stored in binary form and basic computer architecture. They gain an awareness of the environmental impact of the energy use of computing systems and security precautions that can be taken to protect computer systems.

Assessment Arrangements

The course is broken down into both a practical assignment and a theory examination.

The exam counts for 69% of the overall course grade. The practical assignment counts for 31% of the overall course grade.

Cyber Security

The Scottish Government’s Cyber Resilience Strategy – launched in 2015 – aims to make Scotland a world-leader in cyber resilience by 2020. A key part of this strategy is to educate and train young people to raise awareness of the threat and inspire the future cyber security workforce.

Figures released by Norton suggest that 13.8 million consumers were targeted by cyber attacks in 2016 alone so it is vital that Scotland creates a pipeline of cyber defenders for the future.

Computing Science Cyber Security Case Study

NPA Cyber Security (SCQF Level 5 & 6)

The NPAs in Cyber Security at SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6 provide foundation knowledge and skills in data security, digital forensics and ethical hacking — and provide a skills pipeline into the cyber security industry.

These awards are designed to raise awareness of cyber security and fill the current skills gap in this field. They will encourage learners to improve their cyber hygiene and enable them to identify security weakness safely, legally and ethically. They will also help learners to contribute more safely to virtual communities.

They are the first school-based national qualifications in cyber security to be developed and will prepare learners for further studies and future employment in this area.

Ethics and the law are fundamental aspects of these awards. Ethical considerations are included in every component Unit, and legislative considerations are included in all appropriate Units. The aim of the awards is to produce knowledgeable and skilled individuals who are aware of the potential misuses of, and unauthorised access to, computer systems but who use these competences for legal and ethical purposes.

There is a current skills shortage in the field of Cyber Security to defend against cyber-attacks. It is believed that education is key to addressing the skills gap. The NPA Cyber Security awards have

stemmed from the need to address the growing rise in easily preventable cybercrime.