§-Information Processes and Technology syllabus

NSW · NESA← Information Processes and Technology

Information Processes and Technology syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the NSW Information Processes and Technology syllabus, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Option: Automated Manufacturing Systems

Module overview →

What are the characteristics of an automated manufacturing system and how does it use information to control production?

Describe the characteristics of automated manufacturing systems, including the use of sensors, controllers and actuators, open and closed loop control, and the role of feedback

How do CAD, CAM and robotics carry out the information processes in an automated manufacturing system?

Describe how the information processes are carried out in automated manufacturing systems, including CAD and CAM, robotics, CNC machines and the integration of design and production

What social, ethical and economic issues arise from automating manufacturing, and what are the emerging trends?

Describe the social and ethical issues raised by automated manufacturing systems, including the changing nature of work, retraining, safety and the environment, and emerging trends such as additive manufacturing and smart factories

Core: Communication Systems

Module overview →

How do real communication systems such as email, messaging, the internet and EDI carry out the information processes?

Describe examples of communication systems, including email, instant messaging, the internet and the web, electronic data interchange and teleconferencing, and how each transmits and receives information

How are networks structured and what media and methods are used to transmit data across them?

Describe network topologies, network types and transmission media, and compare transmission methods used to carry data between devices

What functions must take place for a message to travel from a source to a destination across a communication system?

Describe the communication framework as the functions performed when transmitting and receiving data, including message creation, organisation, control, addressing, transmission, synchronisation, error detection and decoding

What security, privacy and social issues arise when information is communicated across networks?

Describe the social and ethical issues raised by communication systems, including message security and encryption, privacy of communications, the effect on work and society, and the digital divide

What are the functions of a communication system and how do protocols make communication between devices possible?

Describe the functions performed within a communication system and the role of protocols and handshaking in transmitting and receiving data

Option: Decision Support Systems

Module overview →

How do data warehouses, data mining, OLAP and expert systems extend a decision support system?

Describe data warehousing, data mining, online analytical processing, expert systems and group decision support systems, and how they analyse stored data to support decisions

How do decision support systems help people make decisions and what tools and models do they use?

Describe the characteristics of decision support systems, including modelling, what-if analysis and the tools used, and compare them with expert systems

Core: Information Systems and Databases

Module overview →

What are the seven information processes and how do they describe what an information system does?

Identify and describe the seven information processes (collecting, organising, analysing, storing and retrieving, processing, transmitting and receiving, displaying)

How do information systems collect, analyse and display data, and what technologies support these processes?

Describe how collecting, analysing and displaying are carried out in database information systems, including data validation, querying and reporting, and the hardware and software involved

How is data organised for storage and retrieval beyond the relational database model?

Describe non-database methods of organising data, including flat files, hypermedia and free text retrieval, and the storage and retrieval methods used by information systems

What social and ethical issues arise from large database information systems and who is responsible for them?

Describe the social and ethical issues raised by database information systems, including privacy, data accuracy and quality, data ownership, control, and the impact of centralised data

How are relational databases structured and how is data retrieved from them using SQL?

Describe the organisation of a relational database into tables, records, fields, keys and relationships, and construct SQL queries to retrieve and manipulate data

How do information systems physically store data and retrieve it efficiently, and how is it kept safe?

Describe the storing and retrieving information process, including online and offline storage, indexing, the role of the schema and data dictionary, backup procedures and encryption

Option: Multimedia Systems

Module overview →

What is a multimedia system and how are its different media types represented and combined?

Describe the characteristics of multimedia systems, including the media types (text, graphics, audio, video and animation), how each is represented digitally, and the role of interactivity

How are the information processes carried out when creating and delivering a multimedia system?

Describe how the information processes are carried out in multimedia systems, including capturing and digitising media, authoring, compression, storage and delivery

What social and ethical issues arise from multimedia systems, and what are the emerging trends?

Describe the social and ethical issues raised by multimedia systems, including copyright and intellectual property, the merging of media, accessibility, and emerging trends such as virtual and augmented reality

Core: Project Management

Module overview →

What social and ethical responsibilities must a development team consider when designing a new information system?

Describe the social and ethical issues a project team must address, including privacy, security, accuracy, data quality, changing nature of work and the digital divide

What are the stages of the system development life cycle and how does a team move a project through them?

Describe the traditional stages of the system development life cycle (understanding the problem, planning, designing, implementing, testing, evaluating and maintaining) and the approaches used to build new information systems

How do project teams plan, schedule and manage the development of an information system?

Describe the tools and techniques used to manage a project, including scheduling, communication and the roles within a development team

Option: Transaction Processing Systems

Module overview →

How does a transaction processing system keep data correct when many users transact at once, and what issues does it raise?

Describe data integrity and concurrency control in transaction processing systems, and the social and ethical issues they raise, including bias in data, the changing nature of work and the move to online and data warehousing

What are the characteristics of a transaction processing system and how does batch processing differ from real time processing?

Describe the characteristics of transaction processing systems and compare batch processing with real time processing, including data integrity and recovery

How does a transaction processing system store and retrieve high volumes of transaction data reliably?

Describe storing and retrieving in transaction processing systems, including the data storage hierarchy, updating master files from transaction files, backup and recovery, and processing logs