5 Effective use of information technology

The purpose of this course is for you to create a portfolio of your work to represent you as an effective user of information technology (IT) within your study or work activities. This will involve using criteria to help you select examples of your work that clearly show you can use and improve your IT skills. However, by far the most important aim is that you can use this assessment process to support your learning and improve your performance overall.

Using information technology skills effectively within your study or work activities involves applying your skills appropriately in different situations, reflecting on your performance and identifying how you might improve in the future. For the assessment work, you will need to show that you can use information technology to handle text, images and numbers. Improving your IT skills involves planning what you hope to achieve, using your skills and monitoring how things are going, and standing back at critical points to reflect on your performance.

It is important to plan ahead for the assessment work and carefully consider what you need to present as evidence. Make sure the work you are doing provides opportunities for you to practise and apply your IT skills and the work you intend to present for assessment includes handling text, images and numbers. You need to take time to practise and apply your skills over a period of time. You should allow at least 3–4 months to improve, apply your skills and put together your portfolio.