New Project Assessment for May 2015 Session

Many teachers and students may not be aware that two assessment criteria have changed: Criterion E and Criterion G. The explanation which follows may help to clarify the changes.

The first change

Criterion E: Product development

The student must demonstrate the techniques, with screenshots, that were used to develop the IT solution identified in criterion B for the client identified in Criterion A and explain why they have been used.

An ITGS product is defined as one that includes at least three appropriate techniques.

The list of appropriate techniques is posted on the OCC.

The word appropriate techniques refers to non-basic techniques that are appropriate for the Product and for the IT solution being created. Simplistic techiques may be used in the product, but those would not be featured in Criterion E.

It is important to consider the marks in the 6-7 markband. There are several changes that have to be noted. First of all the overall structure of the product must be included at the beginning of Criterion E and must be explained. Furthermore each of the non-basic appropriate techniques must be described and explained and accompanied by screenshots. Reference to the screenshots must be made from the text. Otherwise, whoever is looking at the screenshot will not know why it is included.

Whenever code is demonstrated either in text or a screenshot, it must be annotated. A screenshot must also be included to show the outcome of the code. A person reading the code cannot determine from the code itself what the outcome would look like.

In most cases it is necessary to annotate screenshots with arrows, circles and text so that it is clear what the screenshot is showing.

All of the sources used in the development of the product are identified in Criterion D. However, the sources relating to the appropriate techniques must also be clearly indicated in Criterion E as well.

 The second change

Criterion G: Required elements

This criterion assesses the extent to which the four formal requirements are met.

• The content within the product is sufficient for an IT-literate third party to reliably evaluate its effectiveness and the product functions as
• The prescribed cover page is used and functions as
• Appropriate file names and folder structures are used throughout the
• A screencast is included with the product.

Criterion G is actually not a new requirement, but allows 1 mark to be awarded for the screencast. Criterion G is particularly important because it provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate that the product is fully functional, show the overall structure of the product and explain each of the appropriate techniques that are included in Criterion E.

Often students are not aware that they may not change the Forms.zip folder or file names and that they must be saved as .pdf files in the documentation folder. No product folder may be submitted empty. Even if a website cannot be downloaded from the web, evidence from the making of the content for on the website must be included.

Where products are saved in a particular format used by an application, a cross-platform file format must also be submitted in the Product folder. For example, desktop publishing products created in InDesign would be submitted and also a cross-platform file format such as pdf.