Foundation Programme

Dear learner

Welcome to ICT world. It is pleasure to have you in this class. I am excited to share the bolts and nuts of ICT, a subject of interest in recent years. In fact, you are joining a course that has attracted everyone; experts and non-expert people.

This course is organized into twenty lectures. In Lecture One, you are introduced to the general ICT concepts and introduction to computer device, its categories, generations, parts, applications and its capabilities and limitations.

In Lecture Two, you will explore some of the basic concepts of the computer hardware including various types of input and output devices. Lecture Three explores the functionalities of central processing unit and computer memory. As part of this lecture, you will also learn the basics of computer graphics.

In Lecture Four and Lecture Five you are provided with an overview of the software technologies. While lecture four focus on general software concepts, lecture five introduces you on basics of operating system.

In Lecture Six and Lecture Seven you are introduced to various features of Microsoft Windows operating system. Some of the basic features covered include computer drives, settings in control panel, file management, windows explorer and windows accessories.

In Lecture Eight the fundamental concepts of word processing are presented and discussed. Lecture Nine introduces knowledge of word processing using MS Word program. Various MS Word features such as setting background, borders and shading, margins, fonts, line spacing, headers and footers, word count, page and section break, and track changes are covered.

Lecture Ten consists of extensive coverage of MS Excel program where you will learn how to work with excel worksheets and workbooks. Formatting cells and Excel formula are also covered.

In Lecture Eleven, you are introduced to MS PowerPoint program with focus on formatting text slides, animations, printing slides and handouts and attaching different multimedia. In Lecture Twelve, concepts of computer database are introduced using MS Access program. It highlights on various types of database management systems, MS Access objects such as tables, queries, forms, module, macros and reports. The concept of data backup is also covered in this lecture.

Lecture Thirteen and Lecture Fourteen give overview of Internet use and computer network types. The WWW and Internet services are covered as well. Various e-communication types, information searching, social networks and online file transfer using cloud services are discussed.

Lecture Fifteen to Lecture Seventeen cover various concepts related to ICT for development aspects and use of ICT in everyday life. The aspects of e-commerce, e-banking, e-government, e-voting, e-learning are discussed. The ICT use in socio-development sectors such as ICT in education and health sectors, IT asset disposal process, impact of ICT on environmental management and human health are also covered.

Lecture Eighteen provides an overview of computer and IT security in general. Various security threats and malware, countering techniques and tools, cybercrime activities and basic data security concepts are presented.

Lecture Nineteen covers the concept of computer and IT ethics. In this lecture, various ethical and professional practices in IT field are presented.

The last Lecture Twenty discusses computer maintenance and troubleshooting process. Important steps and major issues associated with preventive maintenance for hardware and software parts are presented as well.

At a very last part of this study material, you will find a list of glossaries related to computer and IT field for mutual understanding of the terms used in this learning resource.

The main objective of this course is to introduce you to general ICT and computer skills and be able to apply them in your further studies and day to day activities. More generally, on the completion of this course, you should be able to use computer and various application software, access internet services and protect your computer.

The course is delivered through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode in a blended mode with online Learning Management System (LMS) called MOODLE. Some face to face sessions and practical demonstrations in the University computer laboratories will also be planned.

The course is designed for all non-degree students specifically students who undertake OUT foundation programme.

The assessment procedures and criteria for this course follow the standard OUT examination regulations for non-degree courses. The following regulations based on two assessment marking criteria shall apply for the assessment of this course:

• Main Timed Test (MTT)                     30%
• Annual Examination (AE)                  70%

The MTT shall be assessed from lectures 1 through 10 and AE shall cover the whole study material from lecture 1 through 20.

Thank you

Said Ally

Course Tutor