Access to HE Diploma (Computing)

Introduces the conventions of academic writing, covering how to structure arguments, develop ideas from a plan and present work appropriately for different audiences and purposes. Learners practise applying scholarly writing principles to their own assignments throughout the course.

Develops a toolkit of reading strategies for engaging with technical and academic texts, together with effective methods for recording and organising information from multiple sources. Understanding how language functions in relation to purpose and context is a central focus.

Builds practical digital skills in word processing, spreadsheet manipulation and presentation software, and explores how data from different applications can be combined into cohesive documents. This unit provides an essential foundation for the more advanced computing units that follow.

Examines the hardware and software building blocks of modern computing, from input and output devices to storage technologies and data communications. Learners gain an understanding of how the individual components of a system work together to process and transmit digital information.

Covers the rules of indices, surds and algebraic expressions, and introduces function notation as a foundation for computational thinking and algorithm design. Learners solve a variety of problems that demonstrate the mathematical underpinning of modern programming and data structures.

Explores core cyber security concepts including current threat landscapes, attack methodologies and the defence mechanisms organisations deploy to protect digital assets. Learners evaluate real-world scenarios and develop a critical understanding of security risk management.

Introduces relational database design, covering terminology, structural organisation and the manipulation of data to produce meaningful output. Learners build and test a working database with appropriate user interfaces, applying good practice at every stage of the development cycle.

Develops the mathematical techniques of differentiation and integration, applying them to coordinate geometry of straight lines and a range of practical problem types. These skills underpin fields such as machine learning, graphics rendering and scientific computing.

Provides a conceptual grounding in artificial intelligence, tracing the principles of machine learning from supervised algorithms through to the neural network architectures that power deep learning systems. Learners assess the capabilities and limitations of AI in contemporary applications.

Examines the principles governing the responsible use of generative AI tools in academic and professional contexts, with particular attention to academic integrity, bias and data privacy. Learners evaluate specific tools against ethical frameworks and safe-use guidelines.

Introduces the software development lifecycle, from understanding programming language features and writing code to meet a specification, through to testing, debugging and documenting finished programs. Good practice in design, commenting and version control is emphasised throughout.

Extends mathematical knowledge through logarithms, trigonometric methods and the study of sequences and series, all of which have direct applications in algorithm analysis, cryptography and signal processing. Learners work through structured problem sets to build fluency and confidence.

Builds programming competence through the design and implementation of programs of increasing complexity, using both basic and advanced constructs of a high-level language. Learners handle data structures, correct faults methodically and demonstrate that finished programs meet their specifications.

Extends the calculus techniques introduced earlier, covering differentiation of composite and implicit functions and applying these methods to optimisation and curve-sketching problems. The skills developed here are particularly relevant for study in computational mathematics and AI.

Covers the constituent elements of a web page, the markup and styling languages used in its production, and the process of designing, building and publishing a live site. Learners gain practical skills directly applicable to front-end development and UX design.

Develops advanced trigonometric skills including arc length, sector area and the use of both simple and complex identities to solve problems. These mathematical techniques support further study in graphics, signal processing and engineering computing.