Learning Partnerships, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
AS30209 Developing technologies |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 1 at Weston College |
| Semester: 1 at Wiltshire College |
| Assessment: CW 100% |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: To give learners the opportunity to:
* investigate a range of developing technologies, explore their application and consider the ethical, moral and social implications of the advances. Learning Outcomes: On completion of the unit the student should be able to: * demonstrate knowledge, understanding and technical appreciation of a range of new and developing technologies and of their application; * identify the ethical, legal and moral issues associated with those technologies and evaluate their social implications. Skills: Intellectual: (T, F and A) Interpret information from a wide range of texts and electronic sources and synthesise information from a range of sources to gain an understanding of the technology and of its social implications. Professional: (T, F and A) Legislation such as data protection, computer misuse. Impact of technology on equal opportunities and accessibility. Practical: (T, F and A) Simulations, demonstrations and practical workshops; Key: (F and A) Communication. (T: Taught, F: Facilitated, A: Assessed). Content: A selection of four new and developing technologies in the field of computing will be covered. At present these might include, for example: * artificial intelligence; nanotechnology; ubiquitous computing; forensic computing; wearable computing; autonomic computing; distributed computing; robotics; animatronics; medical computing; global positioning systems; wireless; audiovisual; digital imaging; quantum computing. The underlying technology will be covered, together with considerations in each case of: * the historical context so far as it governs the technology; * commercial considerations in relation to their influence on the development and design of the technology; * practical application of the technology, both hardware and software, to areas such as security, health care, education, communication, transport, entertainment, leisure, defence, assistive technology, virtual reality, research and development; * possible future developments and implications of the technology. |