Description

Related Qualifications

ATHE Level 4 Diploma in Computing (QCF)

Scenario

You are currently working for a computer software company and have been assigned a project to design and develop a computer program, to help school children with maths problems. You have been asked to come up with an innovative and creative program which will allow children to solve different maths problems.

Activity 1

Before beginning the development of the program, your line manager has asked you to provide a report which will help influence the decisions to be made when developing the program. 

The report should include a critical:

⦁ evaluation of application programing interfaces (API) 

⦁ appraisal of the stages of the software development lifecycle

LO1, AC 1.1, 1.2 

Activity 2

Following your report your line manager has asked you to design a computer program to solve maths problems for children ages 10-13 years of age. The programme should include questions to answer and an appropriate interface. Produce:

⦁ a plan of the program which explains the language constructs which are to be used within the programme.

⦁ A design for the computer program which meets the client brief using flow design/algorithm and pseudo code.

LOs 1 and 2, AC 1.3, 2.1 

Activity 3

Your line manager is happy with your work to date and has now asked you to develop the computer program to the agreed brief. 

Following your program flow design and pseudo code from Activity 2, develop the computer program. Note any deviations from original design and annotate the code to explain the language constructs that have been used.

LOs 1 and 2, AC 1.3 and 2.2

Activity 4

You will now need to test the program you have developed, using a number of tools and techniques. You must analyse test results against expected results to identify discrepancies and produce a report outlining the results of your tests including:

⦁ test scenario

⦁ expected results

⦁ actual results

⦁ pass/fail

The report must also include recommendations for improvements to the computer program before final release to the client.

LO3, AC 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

Guidelines for assessors 

The assignments submitted by learners must achieve the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by the assessment criteria for the unit. The suggested evidence listed below is how learners can demonstrate that they have met the required standards.  

Activity number LOs and AC Suggested evidence

1 LO1

AC 1.1, 1.2 The learner will produce a detailed report which provides an evaluation of API interfaces and how these can be used during computer programming. The learner will also include an appraisal of the stages of software development lifecycles and they could relate this to the client brief.

2 Los 1 and 2

AC 1.3 and 2.1 The learner will produce a plan for their program to meet the design brief. Ideally they will produce an algorithm and/or pseudo code or flow diagram. This will clearly outline the key stages in the development of the program.  The learner will explain the language constructs that will be use in their program.

3 Los 1 and 2

AC1.3, 2.2 The choice of programming language used for this task should be decided in conjunction with the tutor. This will be influenced by the resources available and personal preferences. The learner’s program should be clearly annotated to show the language constructs that have been used within the programme.

4 LO3

AC 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 This task will need to follow the format as stated in the task including necessary changes to the program. The learner will produce a test plan and they will test their programme thoroughly. Any problems will be identified and corrected. Screen shots should be taken to show whether the elements have passed or failed the tests and any actual results provided. Ideally these will be pasted into a test table.

Instruction Files