Part 1: Formative Assessment
With the current shaping in globalization, there is a precocious need for the provision of up-to-date courses in technology and science, not forgetting a creative art which in the recent past has received mounting interest. My dream career lies in the information technology field and with the current effort in bridging the digital divide it is almost inevitable that, with appropriate skills in the future, I will be able to work in a company where I will handle the communication and networking. Such job placements are usually intensely involving and, therefore, one who aspires to
The ability to develop, manage and implement policies and procedures for computer systems together with electronic data processors is a milestone as far as an IT specialist is concerned. Luckily, this is one of the components of the courses that we are entitled to in Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies & Science. The course exposes us to a variety of leading hardware and software in the information technology field with significant emphasis on accurate inventory of hardware and software in the broad field of information technology. Moreover, it is a requirement that everyone taking the course to get acquainted to computerised accounting as well as spreadsheets, and most importantly website development and the information technology course exposes us to an excess of these.
Currently the world is experiencing spectacular improvements, though with constant challenges connected to temporal and spatial boundaries, relevant to the computational abilities of computers and other software based computation application protocols aimed at merging all somewhat related applications in terms of functionality leading to the production of exceptionally powerful tools in the information technology field. This is witnessed in the production of devices that allow people to visualize, simulate experiment and model things that would have been otherwise devilishly hard to work with. Worth noting is the fact that the information technology curriculum is designed in such a way that it permits frequent adjustment of the course outline which in turn enhances the student employability attributes. This is to say that, whenever there occurs even a small technological advancement, changes can be made to the information technology almost immediately- cost-effective changes that can be easily implemented without interfering with the existing curriculum.
Much of learning in an information technology course is done practically. With the notion that the realisation of technological development can only be achieved through the development of a skilled work force, global competition for production of skill man power has tremendously increased; all to underscore the current, accelerating the development in technology specifically in technological advancement (Kehoe 1). Considering that class teachings do not always provide learners with the relevant technological knowhow, the information technology course has provision for a great number of practical lessons with the aim of providing the learners with an environment that is only analogous to the real working environment. With the path set straight for information technology students, the students usually end the course with the employment path already laid out- courtesy of sufficient practical lessons- as compare to other students who have to contend to the ‘bewildering menu’ of the other vocational training with no mapped out career driven course outlines (Kehoe 16).
Part 2: Summative Assessment
The leading objective of any education system is to produce skilled manpower pertinent for economic development. State policy makers and other stakeholders have always affirmed that education should be focused on results with virtually all nations refocusing her finance to educational investment (Petti, Perrolle, Tsuchitani, Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China (U.S.), National Research Council (U.S.). Office of International Affairs 140). As asserted by OECD, education is the only means through which a ‘knowledge-based economy’ can be produced taking into account the role that knowledge and technology play in economic growth (9). Every given economy is in need of skilled manpower who acts as agents of technological and economical advancement (OECD 11).
Information technology knowledge acquisition is the moving border between the codified and tacit knowledge and hence possessing information technology skills is not only pivotal in the traditional sense but has evolved to be one of the basic tools required for survival in the technologically conscious world. To Neil an information economy will always opt for a high-level foundation in technical skills to be found in any given workforce (2). To ameliorate this, the information technology course offered at higher education level is specially designed to impact a common language framework to students who are also equipped with principle tools useful in facing the challenges at the workplace (Neil 4). Employers advocate for an information technology education system that provides learners with appropriate skills to meet the daily demand of the Information Technology job market. The information technology program, therefore, provides students with the networking skills that are required to install, design, maintain, and configure a variety of networks in accordance with the laid networks and information technology security strategies (Petti et al 145).
To fit well in to the job market, student need to be conversant with some of the essential element that are building block of the of the information technology profession. One such building block is the operating system. The course ensures that all the graduating students have been introduced to various operating systems like windows, Linux among others. Secondly, Computer hardware architecture, which forms part of the pertinent building blocks of information technology as a career is also taught to the student.
Every employer wants to improve quality and at the same time reduce cost. In most instances, the most convenient way to improve the quality at reduced cost according to the employers is usually through hiring individuals with more than one area of specialization. To make the student employable, the information technology course is framed in such a way that students get exposed to other essential components of the information technology field like spreadsheets, word processors and web design.
Again, credentialing institutions of information technology have always strived to make sure that the individual components of the course are arranged sequentially from elementary to complex thereby warranting the students with a smooth transition from one facet to another as well as providing the students the much needed opportunity to develop competencies in various applications like desktop applications.
It is, therefore, evident that the information technology course goes a long way to ensure that it provides skilled specialist.
Works Cited
Kehoe, Dermot. ‘Practice Makes Perfect: The Importance of Practical Learning.’ The Social
Market Foundation 1.1 (2007): 1-16. Print
Neil, Evans. ‘Information Technology Jobs and Skill Standards.’ EDUCAUSE 1.1 (2002): 1-15.
Print.
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). ‘The Knowledge-Based
Economy.’ OECD 96.102 (1996). Print
Pettit, Joseph Mayo , Perrolle, Pierre M. , Tsuchitani, Patricia Jones , Committee on Scholarly
Communication with the People's Republic of China (U.S.), and National Research
Council (U.S.). Office of International Affairs. Engineering education in the People's
Republic of China: report of a visit. Washington, DC: National Academies
