Data Storage
| Grade | Work Samples |
|---|---|
| End of Stage 5 (end of Year 10) | |
| Grade C | Lou Indra |
Description of activity
Students will study the given scenario for the use of a large database system in a doctor's surgery. They decide on appropriate storage types and media for the different components and operations of the database. This includes input and output file types and media (including transmission media), database storage media, and backup storage media. They then discuss legal and ethical issues relating to the scenario and justify their selection of media in terms of these issues. They present their decisions and justification in the form of a written report (1-2 pages). The suggested duration for this activity is 1-2 periods.
Context
Students have been introduced to databases and have studied the role of data and information within database systems. This is one of the activities that would be included in the project portfolio, illustrating an early stage in the teaching and learning sequence when feedback is essential for the student. This feedback assists the student to clarify understanding of concepts, remedy misconceptions and plan for deeper understanding. Students have learnt about the different types of data and how they are represented and stored digitally on a computer. Students have undertaken a number of learning activities to develop an understanding of the legal and ethical issues that pertain to databases and database design. In an earlier activity, students had written a data policy document for a doctor's surgery that addressed these issues in the context of a given scenario. The purpose of this activity is to tie these concepts together and to have students make considered decisions in the ethical selection of appropriate storage media for a given database.
Areas for Assessment
Outcomes
A student:
5.1.2 selects, maintains and appropriately uses hardware for a range of tasks
5.2.2 designs, produces and evaluates appropriate solutions to a range of challenging problems
5.3.1 justifies responsible practices and ethical use of information and software technology.
Criteria for assessing learning
(These criteria would normally be communicated to students with the activity.)
Students will be assessed on their ability to:
- select appropriate file types and media for the input, storage and output/transmission of database data/information
- identify relevant legal and ethical issues relating to the scenario
- justify the selection of file types and media in terms of their relationship with identified legal and ethical issues.