Information Technology (Application Developer) Level 3 (Farnham College)

Course Overview
The qualification will be delivered through 5 units over a two-year period. There are three mandatory units, one internal and two external.

Unit 1 – Fundamentals of IT
A sound understanding of IT technologies and practices is essential for IT
professionals. Information learnt in this unit will create a solid foundation in the fundamentals of hardware, networks, software, the ethical use of computers and how businesses use IT.

After completing this unit, the knowledge, skills and understanding you have developed will underpin your study for the additional units.
Knowledge gained in the study of this unit will also help prepare you for relevant industry qualifications such as CompTIA A+, CompTIA Mobility+ and Cisco IT Essentials.

Unit 2 – Global Information
The purpose of this unit is to demonstrate the uses of information in the public domain, globally, in the cloud and across the Internet, by individuals and organisations. You will discover that good management of both data and information is essential and that it can give any organisation a competitive edge.

This unit will provide you with a greater understanding of how organisations use information sources both internally and externally and the types of information you will encounter. The skills gained by completing this unit will give you knowledge of the functionality of information and how data is stored and processed by organisations. You will also learn about how individuals use information of various types.

This unit will help you to understand the legislation and regulation governing information which flows in to and out of an organisation and the constraints and limitations that apply to it. You will also learn the relationship between data and Information.

Knowledge gained in the study of this unit will also help prepare you for relevantindustry qualifications such as VM Ware.

Unit 6 – Application Design
The world is increasingly reliant on applications that help individuals, business and organisations achieve specific activities or purposes. In this unit you will explore potential ideas for a new application and develop the fundamental design for it. You will then develop the designs for an application and how users will interact with it.
The application that you will design could be for any sector and for any purpose. You will have the opportunity to present your ideas, prototype them and gain feedback before refining your design.

Unit 8 – Project Management
This unit will provide you with the opportunity to understand and use various project planning skills and techniques, thereby enabling you to become more effective in the workplace.

The key to any project being a success is the planning and management that takes place. Project management skills are essential transferable skills that can be used for all projects whether it's traditional methodologies or more recently adopted agile approaches within the IT development environment. These skills can be adapted and used even on the smallest ‘tasks' during the planning and implementation stages.

Unit 13 – Social Media and Digital Marketing
The use of social media has increased massively over recent years and is now a world-wide phenomenon. Users of social media are able to share ideas and files, compare opinions and pass comment on the activities of their friends and contacts. In doing so, they are not only generating huge amounts of data about themselves, but also allowing others the opportunity to contact them and monitor some of their online activities. Social media also allows users to collaborate with others across the globe.