Aims & Objectives

Course Aims

• Encourage the systematic and critical study of: human experience and behaviour; physical, economic and social environments; and the history and development of social and cultural institutions

• Develop in the student the capacity to identify, to analyse critically and to evaluate theories, concepts and arguments about the nature and activities of the individual and society

• Enable the student to collect, describe and analyse data used in studies of society, to test hypotheses, and to interpret complex data and source material

• Promote the appreciation of the way in which learning is relevant both to the culture in which the student lives, and the culture of other societies

• Develop an awareness in the student that human attitudes and beliefs are widely diverse and that the study of society requires an appreciation of such diversity

• Enable the student to recognize that the content and methodologies of the individuals and societies subjects are contestable and that their study requires the toleration of uncertainty

• Enable the student to evaluate social and ethical considerations arising from the widespread use of IT by individuals, families, communities, organizations and societies at the local and global level

• Develop the student’s understanding of the capabilities of current and emerging IT systems and to evaluate their impact on a range of stakeholders

• Enable students to apply their knowledge of existing IT systems to various scenarios and to make informed judgments about the effects of IT developments on them

• Encourage students to use their knowledge of IT systems and practical IT skills to justify IT solutions for a specified client or end-user

Assessment Objectives

Knowledge and understanding of specified content

• demonstrate an awareness of IT applications and developments in specified scenarios

• demonstrate an awareness of the social and ethical significance of specified IT applications and developments

• demonstrate technical knowledge of ITGS terminology, concepts and tools

• demonstrate technical knowledge of IT systems

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of topics related to the annually issued case study (HL paper 3 only)

Application and analysis

• explain the impacts of IT applications and developments in specified scenarios

• analyse the social and ethical significance of specified IT applications and developments

• transfer IT knowledge and make connections between specific scenarios

• apply technical knowledge of IT systems acquired through independent research to provide supporting evidence in possible decisions relating to future courses of action related to the annually issued case study (HL paper 3 only)

Synthesis and evaluation

• evaluate local and global impacts of specified IT developments through individually researched studies

• evaluate a solution involving IT to a specified problem using knowledge of IT systems

• discuss the social and ethical implications of specified IT policies and developments

• evaluate, formulate and justify possible strategic courses of action related to the annually issued case study (HL paper 3 only)

Use of ITGS skills

• demonstrate evidence of project management in the development of a well-organized product to resolve a specific issue

• use IT tools and the product development life cycle (PDLC) to create an original product in consultation with a client

• demonstrate evidence of the use of appropriate techniques to develop an original IT product