Course Overview M150 DATA, COMPUTING and INFORMATION Level 1: 30 points Computer and internet access required. No residential school.

The last thirty years have seen a massive shift from the use of computers for solving scientific and engineering problems and keeping massive databases of records for large organizations, to their use by almost everyone in virtually every area of modern life.

Techniques such as scanning and digital photography, the Internet and home computer use, and vast collections of information have transformed computers from something the ordinary citizen rarely saw to something that almost all of us have at least one of in our home or car in the form of a PC or a microcomputer controlling equipment. The steady integration of the technologies of networks, telephony and computing mean that we live in the midst of a digital revolution: our music, television, even our family photos and videos, are increasingly produced by a computer, whether it’s through the PC, or a microcomputer in the digital camera or television. This revolution provides us with increased opportunities to find information, to be creative, to communicate with friends and family. But it has also presented us with new dilemmas over ownership, privacy, security and surveillance.

The major theme of the course M150 is the transformation of data – what we can see and sense all around us – into information. The computer aids us to collect data, through the medium of text or by digitizing pictures or sound, then to store it conveniently and transform it into information, and through the medium of the Internet, to communicate that information as we wish.

You can view the Course Guide for M150. It consists of two parts. Part 1 contains the introductory information about the course and Part 2 contains an extract from a Unit and sample TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment) question.

Please note that you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to be able to view the .PDF files below. To get a free copy of Adobe Reader, please visit this link.

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Part 1 (306KB)

Part 2 (333KB)

The files are quite large and it is advisable not to download them if you using a modem. Copies of the Guide are also available at the Regional Offices for inspection.