Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute
Upper Grand District School Board
Course Outline
Department: Business
Course Title:
Introduction to Information Technology
Course Type: Open
Grade: 9
Course Code: BTT1O
Credit Value: 1
Department Head: Stephen Fleming
Teachers: David Fast
Teacher email: (not mandatory)
Date of Development: October 1, 2015
Curriculum Document:
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites:
https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/se
condary/business910currb.pdf
Course Description:
This course introduces students to information and communication technology in a business
environment and builds a foundation of digital literacy skills necessary for success in a
technologically driven society. Students will develop word processing, spreadsheet, database,
desktop publishing, presentation software, and website design skills. Throughout the course,
there is an emphasis on digital literacy, effective electronic research and communication skills,
and current issues related to the impact of information and communication technology.
Term Work (70% of the final mark)
Unit Title, Big Ideas, and Unit Culminating Tasks
Digital Literacy: Students will demonstrate the understanding of computer and information
terminology, and apply effective techniques when managing files and conducting electronic
research. Unit test and project.
Productivity Software: Students will use word processing, spreadsheet and database
software to manage information and create a variety of common business documents. Unit
test and project.
Design Software: Students will use presentation software to create and deliver effective
presentations; use desktop publishing software to create publications; demonstrate an
understanding of the uses and design of effective websites, and develop their own web
pages. Unit projects.
Business Communications: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics
of effective business documents and maintain a portfolio of exemplary work. Produce a
business portfolio.
Ethics and Issues in Information and Communication Technology: Students will demonstrate
an understanding of legal, social, and ethical issues relating to information and
communication technology, and assess the impact of information and communication
technology on personal health and the environment. Unit project.
Culminating Tasks/Exams (30% or the final mark)
Course Culminating Task/Exams and Description
Culminating task: Create a business portfolio of documents using each of the Micro Soft
Office software applications. (25%)
Exam: Open book, multiple choice, exam day evaluation. (5%)
Based on the range of students’ learning needs, a selection from the strategies listed below may be
utilized. Refer to list of teaching and assessment strategies.
Teaching Strategies:
This course provides differentiated learning for its students by implementing the following
teaching and learning strategies:
 Activity-based Strategies: Oral presentations, panel discussion, and repetition and
practice.
 Direct Instruction Strategies: Cloze, demonstration, guided writing, lecturer, mnemonic
devices, practice and drill, prompting, review, visual stimuli, and Socratic dialogue.
 Independent Learning Strategies: Homework, independent reading, independent
study, learning log, memorization, portfolio, reflection, report writing, and response
journals.
 Inquiry and Research Model Strategies: Inquiry process, questioning process,
research process, writing process.
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Learning skills accommodation: Interpersonal intelligence, intra-personal intelligence,
logical-mathematical intelligence, verbal-linguistic intelligence, and visual spatial
intelligence.
Technology and Media-based Strategies: Communications applications, computer
assisted instruction, email applications, Internet technologies, media presentations,
media production, multimedia applications, and online public access catalogs.
Thinking Skills Strategies: Case study, classifying, concepts verification, concept
mapping, expressing another point of view, issue-based analysis, lateral thinking,
media analysis, meta-cognitive reflection, oral explanation, problem posing, problemsolving, and writing to learn.
Assessment and evaluation strategies:
Our theory of assessment and evaluation follows the Ministry of Education's Growing Success
document, and it is our firm belief that doing so is in the best interests of students. We seek to
design assessment in such a way as to make it possible to gather and show evidence of
learning in a variety of ways to gradually release responsibility to the students, and to give
multiple and varied opportunities to reflect on learning and receive detailed feedback.
Growing Success articulates the vision the Ministry has for the purpose and structure of
assessment and evaluation techniques. There are seven fundamental principles that ensure
best practices and procedures of assessment and evaluation by Virtual High School teachers.
VHS assessments and evaluations,
 are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
 support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are
learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First
Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
 are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and,
as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and
experiences of all students;
 are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course and
at other points throughout the school year or course;
 are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide
multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
 provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to
support improved learning and achievement;
 develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning,
set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.
Textbooks/Learning Resource Materials (align with Policy 603)
Fees for Learning Materials/Activities
Learning Materials/Activities
Cost
Please refer to the GCVI Student Handbook for our school policies on:
● academic integrity
● late and missed assignments