Modified 12 January 2007
Project detailsPlease Note: The project should not be limited to setting up a business only, but allow the learner to use any scenario/theme in his/her interest of either subjects or future entrepreneurship.
Running a business service from home: setting up a database of clients, sending out newsletters using mail-merge, drawing up a budget using the spreadsheet, setting up a slide show or prepare a web site to promote the business.
Survey of prices of products: setting up a survey form, setting up a database of products, setting up a spreadsheet indicating the prices and from which graphs can be drawn, writing a report on trends, etc.
With administering a sports club, posters for advertising can be prepared, letters and birthday cards sent to members, accounting and budgets can be done on spreadsheets and records can be kept of the achievements and other details of the members.
Organising a fund raising event at school
Running an awareness program for the community.
Marketing the school.
Candidates should use at least 4 packages (Word, Excel, Access and at least ONE other optional package such as PowerPoint, Publisher or FrontPage) for a project.
“Applications Projects Marking Grid (2007)” (an Excel workbook) is to be used to assess the application project. There is a spreadsheet for each package, for documentation and a summary sheet that must be completed. The instructions on the first worksheet must be followed.
The project must consist of the following:
Electronic files stored in folders on disk
A hard copy folder with a cover page on which the name of the candidate, the topic and the name of the school/centre are printed. The hard copy must consist of the following:
Certificate of authenticity
Table of contents - This must be a numbered table indicating all the different sections and the printouts that are bound together in a folder with page numbers as far as possible.
Scenario - The goal of this is to help the candidates with the planning
of their projects. In the assessment of the project, marks will be gained for
the functions of the packages that is demonstrated in this way.
The scenario is a Word document or a presentation in, for example, PowerPoint
that describes the following:
The objective of the project: Why was this scenario chosen? What does the candidate want to achieve by the project? For Example, the candidate lives on a farm where a dairy is established. A computer system is needed that will administrate the private sales of milk to the local inhabitants.
The nature and details of the environment of the project. For example, if the project is based on the functioning of a golf club, it may have the following headings: history, governing body, membership, employees and all the needs for electronic processing in the club like advertising the annual tournament, weekly wages, membership fees and keeping track of each member’s handicap.
The application of the packages: Here a short description is given of the documents that will be compiled by using each of the application packages. For example: Word for correspondence, Excel to keep record of income and expenditure, Access for the administration of members, workers, or clients and PowerPoint to introduce visitors to the grounds and premises of the club.
User’s Manual
The ultimate goal of the project should be to provide a working system that can
be used in the daily administration of the particular scenario. To achieve this,
files should be compiled to assist the user in the daily activities. These files
must contain documents that are prepared in such a way that the user can only
type in a minimum of details to prepare it for use. The candidate should set up
a serious of steps for a user to execute/follow. Candidates should not explain a
serious of steps on how to use some of the features of Microsoft OFFICE.
For example: A spreadsheet can be setup in such a way that the user only needs
to type in the quantities that is to be ordered. The work sheet or consecutive
work sheets will then do the final calculations/analysis and prepare the final
order that is automatically exported to a Word document that can be sent to the
supplier whose address is looked up by the mail merge function from a database
of suppliers. The user’s manual is a Word document or presentation with possible
screen dumps describing what the user must do to deliver the output required.
The following examples will give an idea: To fax the advert to the newspaper
Open a new Word document by using the template “Fax sheet” which is stored in
the directory for “Templates”. Complete the fax sheet by entering the date, fax
number of the newspaper. The number of pages will be 2 (1= fax sheet and 2 =
advert). Type a message to the newspaper in which it is stated when the advert
must be placed and how the account will be settled. Import the advertisement
that is stored in the DTP-directory. Make sure all details on the advert are
still valid Send the fax by using the Fax Wizard (Click on File, New, Letters
and Faxes, Fax wizard and follow the steps).
To pay wages on Friday
Open the “Wages” workbook that is stored in the Excel directory.
Make sure that all the names of workers are listed. If a worker has left, the particular row must be deleted. A worker who did not work for the particular week, but must remain on the payroll, must get a 0 in the column for hours worked. If a new worker must be added, just type in his/her name and tariff at the bottom of the list. All the formulae have already been copied into the remaining columns. Now sort the names in alphabetical order (Remember to shade all the rows and columns concerning all the workers).
Enter the number of hours’ normal time and over-time for the week for each worker. This can be obtained from the job card of each worker.
Switch to the worksheet for “Cash”. The list indicating the coins and notes required for the week’s wages will be completed automatically. This can now be printed and sent to the bank together with the cheque.
Open the document “Wage envelopes” that is stored in the Word directory. Merge the new worksheet that was created in no. 2 with this document and print the envelopes for the week. Make sure that the printer has been set up properly for printing envelopes.
Put the right amount of money in each envelope and give it to the worker.
Upkeep of the database
When a new member joins the club he or she must complete the entry form which is stored as a Word document in the Word directory.
Open the database Golf Club which is stored in the database folder. Open the table for Members in datasheet view. Click on the icon to add a new record. Enter the details from the entry form.
When a number of new members join the club at the beginning of the year you can use the form “New members”. Click on the tab at the bottom of the screen to go to a new record and complete the form for each new member.
When a member leaves the club the Boolean field “Active” must be adjusted accordingly. Do not delete the member as he or she might return after a while.
After every competition, the field for “Handicap” must be updated if there are any changes. The chairman will supply the necessary data. Use the “Handicap” Query and then the “Find” function to find the records where changes are to be made. Change only the figures in the “Handicap” field.
At the end of every year the duration of membership must be updated. There is an update Query that can be run. This will add 1 year to each member’s duration of membership in the “Years” field.
Contents
A selection of the printouts of all the applications must be filed in this
section. The different applications must be separate and as far as possible in a
logical sequence. Candidates must be cautioned that a variety of printouts are
worth more than a large number of a kind. It is, for example, only a waste of
paper to print 10 mail merge documents that are almost the same. For a
PowerPoint presentation it is not required to print the slides in outline view.
It will be better to print handouts In Access it is only sensible to print out
reports. Candidates must note that marks will be awarded for exceptional
printing like on envelopes, labels, on both sides of the paper, etc.
Candidate’s own evaluation
It is suggested that all the relevant sheets of the Excel workbook that are
used for the assessment of the project be made available to the candidates. They
must evaluate their own projects and motivate their evaluation by indicating
where the specific feature has been used. Applications Project Marking Grid
(2007)
The Applications Project Marking Grid (2007)
It is an Excel workbook that must be completed electronically for each
project. This is explained in full detail on the first worksheet of the
workbook. The certificate of authenticity must be duplicated for each candidate
and signed by both the candidate and his/her parent/guardian. The summary sheet
must be printed out and kept with the documentation of the project. Projects
that are presented for moderation must be accompanied by both the electronic
version and a hard copy of all the sheets in the workbook.
Return to Computer Applications Technology or Computer Studies lesson plan index. This work may be freely copied for non-commercial use only. Copyright © Pam Miller.