BTEC Level 3 IT Diploma
- Thread starter R∑BEL
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When I worked at a uni we got told that we had to come up with some new modules. Change the module code and the title was something like Community and Crime became Crime and Community.
Soldato
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- 26 Aug 2005
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- 6,901
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- London
Did a BTEC National Diploma 5 years ago. Really enjoyed the course. Got me accepted on a Computer Science BSc degree later on.
Well there's 18 units, 9 in the first year, 9 in the second. I think 4 are compulsory. The units I'm doing
Communications and employability: Learning about body language, learning how to write letters, learning about proofreading, learning about how to do presentations (as simple as, use the notes page)
Information Systems: I guess it's just data management. Currently doing an assignment about how a organisation has to handle data (data protection act etc) also about Management Information Systems.
Computer Systems: Hardware, learning basically what every component does and how it works (in the most simple terms, it sends data.....) Our last assignment was recommending a PC meeting specific user needs. Current assignment is our first and only practical...installing Windows and it's updates, changing a few settings...Not actually building a computer...
Database: Why databases can be useful, create a relational database (ours has like 5 tables), a few forms and reports. Explaining data duplication and how to prevent it and such. Easy in my opinion..
Spreadsheets: We spent most of the year learning basic things, our teacher is shocking spends an hour teaching (well showing us on Teach ICT...) something that only takes 5 minutes to understand. So we started our spreadsheet late on in the year. Creating a spreadsheet to meet user needs obviously, and just using a number of functions appropriately. Writing a user manual and a technical manual..
2D Animation: Researching the history of animation, all the different types and how it has moved on. Different techniques, we just have to make a 15 second animation using flash, including sound and so on.
3D Animation: Pretty much the same as 2D animation, the assignments are linked together so.. The lessons are the most boring lessons I have ever had..
Impact of IT on businesses: We had a trip to BA HQ for this. As simple as it sounds...Social networking, the internet and so on.
Digital graphics: Just learning about file compression and the different formats. Vector graphics and bitmap graphics. Drawing a few things, we finished this unit a while ago. Not much to it.
Next year apparently we do things like networking, maths? web design, software design and so on. The harder stuff. If you don't meet every 'pass' criteria this year though, you get kicked off the course. I think there might be 1 unit you can fail.
I and everyone else in my class hates it with a passion
Probably because of the teachers though to be fair. For example my spreadsheet teacher made us convert a spreadsheet into another format (I chose PDF) I failed because PDF isn't a file format...... :S?
So far everything we have learnt is basic, of course I haven't finished the course yet but you would have to go learn other things elsewhere I reckon to get any use out of it.
Communications and employability: Learning about body language, learning how to write letters, learning about proofreading, learning about how to do presentations (as simple as, use the notes page)
Information Systems: I guess it's just data management. Currently doing an assignment about how a organisation has to handle data (data protection act etc) also about Management Information Systems.
Computer Systems: Hardware, learning basically what every component does and how it works (in the most simple terms, it sends data.....) Our last assignment was recommending a PC meeting specific user needs. Current assignment is our first and only practical...installing Windows and it's updates, changing a few settings...Not actually building a computer...
Database: Why databases can be useful, create a relational database (ours has like 5 tables), a few forms and reports. Explaining data duplication and how to prevent it and such. Easy in my opinion..
Spreadsheets: We spent most of the year learning basic things, our teacher is shocking spends an hour teaching (well showing us on Teach ICT...) something that only takes 5 minutes to understand. So we started our spreadsheet late on in the year. Creating a spreadsheet to meet user needs obviously, and just using a number of functions appropriately. Writing a user manual and a technical manual..
2D Animation: Researching the history of animation, all the different types and how it has moved on. Different techniques, we just have to make a 15 second animation using flash, including sound and so on.
3D Animation: Pretty much the same as 2D animation, the assignments are linked together so.. The lessons are the most boring lessons I have ever had..
Impact of IT on businesses: We had a trip to BA HQ for this. As simple as it sounds...Social networking, the internet and so on.
Digital graphics: Just learning about file compression and the different formats. Vector graphics and bitmap graphics. Drawing a few things, we finished this unit a while ago. Not much to it.
Next year apparently we do things like networking, maths? web design, software design and so on. The harder stuff. If you don't meet every 'pass' criteria this year though, you get kicked off the course. I think there might be 1 unit you can fail.
I and everyone else in my class hates it with a passion
Probably because of the teachers though to be fair. For example my spreadsheet teacher made us convert a spreadsheet into another format (I chose PDF) I failed because PDF isn't a file format...... :S? So far everything we have learnt is basic, of course I haven't finished the course yet but you would have to go learn other things elsewhere I reckon to get any use out of it.
If you want to work with computers, you would be better off working on an apprenticeship. If you know about computers already, you will find most of the units of the course to be a waste of time and not really teach you much. Not a bad doss though.
I've nearly finished it, honestly one of the worst decisions I've made, I've learnt nothing from it and the course has been run very poorly.
At least it will allow me to go to university or an apprenticeship.
To give you an example of how dross it has been:
We did a unit where we had to discuss IT security and present it in the form of a website. That website was given to us.
This year we had another unit where we had to design a website, instead of letting us make our own they gave us the same website from the previous unit and instructed us to just edit it, we actually got taught nothing about Dreamweaver, nothing about HTML and nothing about CSS. We was given the left overs of a website that was already made for us in the first place instead of them teaching us how to make anything from scratch.
The real retarded thing? One of the criterias of the unit is to screenshot you making the website...from scratch. Right that makes sense. Idiots.
I ended up dropping that unit and I'm not the only one. Utter waste of time and they didn't give a ****. I was able to fill that units spot in with one from another level 3 course so it didn't matter that it goes down as a fail.
Edit: This'll be specific to my college but the computers are also terrible. We was 'upgraded' to Office 2007 and that barely runs on some of the computers, they take ages to login too and crawl to a halt at times.
Funny how they kit out the media department in iMacs but don't bother giving the IT side any decent machines to work on.
At least it will allow me to go to university or an apprenticeship.
To give you an example of how dross it has been:
We did a unit where we had to discuss IT security and present it in the form of a website. That website was given to us.
This year we had another unit where we had to design a website, instead of letting us make our own they gave us the same website from the previous unit and instructed us to just edit it, we actually got taught nothing about Dreamweaver, nothing about HTML and nothing about CSS. We was given the left overs of a website that was already made for us in the first place instead of them teaching us how to make anything from scratch.
The real retarded thing? One of the criterias of the unit is to screenshot you making the website...from scratch. Right that makes sense. Idiots.
I ended up dropping that unit and I'm not the only one. Utter waste of time and they didn't give a ****. I was able to fill that units spot in with one from another level 3 course so it didn't matter that it goes down as a fail.
Edit: This'll be specific to my college but the computers are also terrible. We was 'upgraded' to Office 2007 and that barely runs on some of the computers, they take ages to login too and crawl to a halt at times.
Funny how they kit out the media department in iMacs but don't bother giving the IT side any decent machines to work on.
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this pretty much
we had something like 75% of the students drop out over the first year
we had a PE teacher taking the info systems (databases) module, he knew NOTHING of the subject.
our programming teach spent more time drinking than teaching
tbh it was badly run and badly setup.
im on the last year.. don't like at all tbh.. 
but not much i can do.. its still free so i might as well finish it..
even thought my aim is to PASS no Merits no Distinctions.. course overall is easy-ish if you WANT to work and do that stuff.. but the only unit i was interested in was web developing.. everything else is waste of time.. specially business which in my eyes really doesn't fit the course..
but not much i can do.. its still free so i might as well finish it.. even thought my aim is to PASS no Merits no Distinctions.. course overall is easy-ish if you WANT to work and do that stuff.. but the only unit i was interested in was web developing.. everything else is waste of time.. specially business which in my eyes really doesn't fit the course..
I agree with this. I took the course over doing A Levels as I was told we would be able to get CCNA through the units as well, ended up only doing CCNA1...
The teachers didn't have a clue what they were talking about, and some asked the students for clarification at times.
It was far too easy, but tedious and very boring. Although I did get quite a lot of free time. 2 1/2 days a week and I finished each year in May due to completing the coursework.
I did this course about 3 years ago, organisation was awful (mainly down to college though). Didnt learn much and was very easy, got triple distinctions.
The only thing I enjoyed were the programming bits as we had a decent lecturer who knew Pascal and C inside out.
The only thing I enjoyed were the programming bits as we had a decent lecturer who knew Pascal and C inside out.
Associate
- Joined
- 14 Oct 2009
- Posts
- 502
- Location
- Newport, Shropshire
I was contemplating doing A similar course to this, but the extended version. I take it that it would be not worth my while. Is it better to do A levels to get into the Computer industry or get an apprenticeship where possible?
Was also considering doing a 5 month Zenos, what did you guys do after GCSEs?
Was also considering doing a 5 month Zenos, what did you guys do after GCSEs?