You have recently been appointed as an IT advisor to a small business consortium in your local area.

Unit                   IT and Society K /560/7680

Level 4             12 Credits

Related qualification: ATHE Level 4 Diploma in Computing (QCF)

Sample Assignment

Scenario

You have recently been appointed as an IT advisor to a small business consortium in your local area.  The members are typically sole traders who meet regularly to discuss common issues directly impacting on their businesses and other matters affecting society in general. One of the emerging topics is IT to help manage and develop their businesses but also the wider issue of how IT impacts on society. You have recently been appointed as an IT advisor to a small business consortium in your local area.

At the next meeting you have been asked to present information to them relating to IT issues in society.  This will enable them to understand the requirements and ensure they can adopt best practice in their own businesses

Activity 1

The business consortium has asked you to inform the members how IT has changed the way people live and work. You will need to use actual examples to illustrate the points you are making and help their understanding. You need to produce the presentation materials and an accompanying guide which relates to the last 50 years and provides:

• an analysis of the most significant developments in IT over this time
• an evaluation of how IT has changed society in this time period
• an explanation of how IT has changed the way people work in this time

In addition you should provide an explanation of the impact on individuals of living in the information age.

LO1 assessment criteria, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

LO2 assessment criteria 2.2

Activity 2

The manager of the business consortium was impressed with your presentation and has asked you to produce a news article which can be displayed on their website.  This will inform new business owners about IT issues in society.

Your article should cover the following points and it should include examples from wider reading and research to support your explanation and evaluation:

• an explanation of how significant digital citizenship is to society
• an evaluation of current issues in society relating to personal data

Assessment criteria 2.1, 2.3

Activity 3

The manager of the business consortium would now like a report to help him understand the legal, ethical and regulatory issues in IT. He will then be able to use this information in meetings with any new business leaders who are considering joining the consortium.  Your report should cover the following points:

• an evaluation of the current legal, ethical and regulatory issues in IT
• an assessment of the importance of ethical guidelines in IT

In addition in order to help him understand the information in a stated context, he has specifically asked you to include a section in the report which:

• evaluates the impact of one current legal, ethical or regulatory issue in IT on a specific and identified organisation.

LO3 Assessment criteria 3.1, 3.2, 3.

Guidelines for assessors

There is no suggested word count for this unit. 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 below is how learners can demonstrate that they have met the required standard. 

Activity number	Assessment criteria	Suggested evidence
1	LO1 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 LO2 2.2	The learner must produce the materials for a presentation which meet the needs of the stated audience. The materials must include a supporting guide for the participants to use during and after the presentation. All of the materials must demonstrate an understanding of how IT has changed the way people live and work and be at a L4 standard.  The materials should include an analysis of the most significant developments over the last 50 years, for example internet, social media, robotics etc. They will include an evaluation of how IT has changed society in terms of the way we live, work and socialise and the impact on individuals of living in the information age. They may include an evaluation of changes which also include health care and education.  The learners should support their evaluation with real case study examples to support their arguments.  They will also explain how IT has changed the way people work in the last 50 years and they should include examples and images, for example links to the motor industry.
2	LO2 AC 2.1, 2.3	The learner must produce a magazine article in an appropriate format. The article should be aimed at business consortium leaders who may have little knowledge of IT issues in society. The learners must explain why digital citizenship is significant to society and they should outline both negative and positive impacts.  They will provide a balanced evaluation of current issues in society relating to personal data and they will use current case studies/case law to support their arguments.
3	LO3 AC3.1, 3.2, 3.3	The learners will produce a comprehensive report which addresses all the criteria in this task.  They will evaluate current legal, ethical and regulatory issues in IT.  They should use recent case law to enhance their arguments. Learners will assess the importance to an organisation of ethical guidelines in IT and they will link this to benefits to an organisation of behaving ethically in digital society. Learners will evaluate the impact of one current legal, ethical or regulatory issue in IT on a chosen organisation.  In completing this task learners must have access to specific information on an organisation to facilitate the evaluation required.