Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Digital Technologies

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse the tools and techniques for 3D sculpting using desktop and virtual reality (VR) devices respectively.
• Develop a 3D sculpt for a specified brief, using virtual reality (VR).
• Produce a virtual showcase of the sculpt in a scenario using augmented reality (AR).
• Evaluate the 3D sculpting pipeline from virtual reality (VR) to augmented reality (AR) showcase workflow.

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse a client brief to define a comprehensive animation strategy for a given media format, considering factors such as target audience and desired message.
• Use industry-standard tools and techniques to develop animation-ready characters, including rigging and skinning, in support of the defined animation strategy.
• Create animated characters that effectively express emotion through facial expressions and body language, contributing to the overall narrative and supporting the animation strategy.
• Present finished animations for a specific media production, gathering audience feedback and comments to evaluate the effectiveness of the animation and inform future projects.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the key components related to the object orientated programming paradigm, analysing design pattern types.
• Design a series of UML class diagrams.
• Implement code applying design patterns.
• Investigate scenarios with respect to design patterns.

What you'll be able to do

• Evaluate a project brief to establish the specific parameters for a rendering and visualisation project within a defined media type, such as animation or architectural visualisation.
• Develop and manage the necessary assets, including 3D models, textures, and lighting setups, required for rendering and visualisation.
• Apply industry-standard digital lighting and rendering techniques to create high-quality visualisations for a defined media type, optimising for realism and visual appeal.
• Present the final visualisations, along with supporting development work, for a defined media type, demonstrating the creative process and technical skills involved.

What you'll be able to do

• Produce a Software Design Document by analysing a business-related problem and deduce an appropriate solution, including a comprehensive set of initial requirements.
• Use appropriate design and development methodologies, along with relevant tools and techniques, in the creation of a business application.
• Work both individually and collaboratively as part of a team to plan, develop, and produce a functional business application, accompanied by comprehensive support documentation.
• Evaluate the performance of the developed business application against the specifications outlined in the Software Design Document and the initial requirements, identifying areas for improvement.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the role of an Application Programming Interface (API) in software development and assess its suitability for a given scenario.
• Design a solution that extends the functionality of an existing application by utilising relevant APIs, considering factors such as data exchange and security.
• Implement an application in a suitable development environment, based on the designed solution, ensuring proper integration with the chosen APIs.
• Test the developed API for a given scenario to identify and address potential security vulnerabilities, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine applied analytical modelling methods.
• Prepare a large data set for use in an applied analytical model.
• Demonstrate the use of an analytical model with a large data set.
• Investigate improvements to an applied analytical model.

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse encryption ciphers and algorithms to determine their effectiveness as methods to secure data within a cloud environment.
• Discuss the security risks and potential issues related to the practical application of public key encryption methods.
• Demonstrate the practical use of cryptographic and cryptoanalysis tools for the purpose of improving security within a virtual private network (VPN).
• Evaluate advanced encryption protocols and their suitability for application within an organisation considering a move to cloud-based services.

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse common threats and defence practices with a view to improving security within a cloud infrastructure.
• Design defence-based security solutions ensuring effective cloud security management for a business case.
• Deploy security solutions to mitigate threats in a cloud environment to meet the needs of the business case.
• Evaluate how secured cloud infrastructure mitigates potential vulnerabilities through monitoring strategies.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine big data and visualisation for decision making, including the characteristics of big data and the benefits of data visualisation.
• Investigate statistical and graphical techniques, tools and industry software solutions for big data and visualisation, including data mining, machine learning, and data analytics platforms.
• Demonstrate the use of industry software to manipulate data and prepare visual presentations for a given data set, including data cleaning, data transformation, and chart creation.
• Assess the role, responsibilities and challenges for data specialists, including data scientists, data engineers, and data analysts.

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse the role of different IT systems in support of organisational objectives.
• Compare flexible and reliable IT systems that respond to organisational requirements within an organisational context.
• Evaluate IT systems that support value-added change within organisations.
• Recommend practical IT systems solutions to given organisational scenarios.

What you'll be able to do

• Discuss business processes and the mechanisms used to support business decision making.
• Compare the tools and technologies associated with business intelligence functionality.
• Demonstrate the use of business intelligence tools and technologies.
• Discuss the impact of business intelligence tools and technologies for effective decision-making purposes and the legal/regulatory context in which they are used.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the fundamentals of Cloud Computing, considering areas of application, architecture, and platform options available
• Design a suitable deployment model for a system to be hosted in the cloud, based on a given scenario and its specific requirements
• Explain different Cloud Service Providers’ (CSP) approaches to providing a cloud architecture framework, considering their suitability for various business uses
• Assess the technical challenges and potential risks inherent in migrating existing IT systems to the cloud environment, and propose mitigation strategies

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the concept of customer lifetime value, including methods for calculation and the factors that influence it.
• Evaluate the different segments within a customer base and identify appropriate opportunities for customer value creation.
• Apply appropriate techniques and methods to increase customer lifetime value.

What you'll be able to do

• Explore the nature of cybercrime, including different types of cybercrime and their impact.
• Investigate cyber threat actors, including their motivations, capabilities, and common attack methods.
• Investigate cyber security threats and hazards, including vulnerabilities, exploits, and attack vectors.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of information assurance concepts applied to ICT infrastructure, including security policies, access controls, and encryption.
• Investigate incident response methods to cyber security threats, including detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.

What you'll be able to do

• Discuss the theoretical foundations of data analytics and how they inform decision-making processes in management and business environments
• Apply a range of descriptive analytic techniques, utilising statistical methods, to convert raw data into actionable insights
• Investigate a range of predictive analytic techniques to discover new knowledge and forecast future events based on data analysis
• Demonstrate the application of prescriptive analytic methods to determine the best course of action for a given situation, based on data-driven insights

What you'll be able to do

• Examine abstract data types, concrete data structures, and algorithms, understanding their properties and relationships.
• Specify abstract data types and algorithms using a formal notation to ensure clarity and precision.
• Implement complex data structures and algorithms in a practical coding environment.
• Assess the effectiveness of different data structures and algorithms in terms of performance, efficiency, and suitability for specific tasks.

What you'll be able to do

• Use an appropriate design tool to design a relational database system
• Ensure the database system addresses a substantial problem or need
• Develop a fully functional relational database system
• Base the system development on an existing system design
• Test the developed system against predefined user requirements
• Test the developed system against predefined system requirements
• Produce comprehensive technical documentation for the database system
• Produce clear and concise user documentation for the database system

What you'll be able to do

• Investigate the influence of the digital environment on the effective marketing of business organisations.
• Examine digital tools and techniques for an integrated marketing approach within business organisations.
• Design a digital marketing campaign using multi-media to optimise content that targets key audiences.
• Evaluate methods of monitoring and measuring a digital marketing campaign in line with marketing objectives to increase engagement and conversions.

What you'll be able to do

• Determine the nature and scope of the technical challenges, ensuring sustainability, within the digital technologies sector, including energy consumption, e-waste, and resource depletion.
• Explore the importance of collaborating with other disciplines in developing digital technical solutions to sustainability problems, including environmental science, engineering, and social science.
• Evaluate the use of sustainable techniques in relation to their contribution to a low carbon economy, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and circular economy principles.
• Calculate the carbon footprint of a digital technologies' solution, including identifying sources of emissions and using appropriate calculation methods.

What you'll be able to do

• Explore how digital technologies impact organisational change.
• Evaluate how the use of digital technology impacts on an organisation’s strategy and operations to meet its needs.
• Investigate how digital technologies influence leadership decision making in relation to a specific industry.
• Present a new or emerging digital technology solution to manage a change initiative within a specific organisation.

What you'll be able to do

• Review which emerging technologies are necessary and appropriate when designing software applications for the future.
• Research an emerging technology and its impact on a given end-user group.
• Develop multiple iterations of an emerging technology solution based on requirements.
• Consider the ethical, social, economic and legal factors that play a role in the success of emerging technologies.

What you'll be able to do

• Discuss the theoretical foundation of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on users and organisations
• Analyse the approaches, techniques and tools to deploy Intelligent Systems in an organisation
• Modify an AI-based system to improve how exhibits intelligence in response to a real-world problem
• Evaluate the technical and ethical challenges and opportunities of Intelligent Systems

What you'll be able to do

• Explore an identified market to determine its characteristics and potential
• Define the concept for a game based on research and analysis of the identified market
• Plan the development of a functional game prototype, outlining key stages and resources
• Develop a functional game prototype using industry-standard tools and techniques
• Implement the game prototype based on a defined project development plan
• Evaluate the principles, techniques and practice of video game development
• Evaluate project planning methodologies used in game development
• Evaluate the use of industry-standard tools in the development process

What you'll be able to do

• Explore the basic principles of information security governance for meeting assurance, quality and performance standards in the cloud.
• Investigate the use of Information Security Management Systems (ISMSs) in organisations.
• Develop a business case for a cloud-based ISMS solution for a given business scenario.
• Design a Security Posture Assessment for a cloud environment identifying risks.

What you'll be able to do

• Explain the underlying context for digital innovation and market disruption that leads to business transformation, including the impact of emerging technologies and changing customer expectations.
• Explain the different types of digital transformation, including business model transformation, process transformation, and cultural transformation.
• Discuss the requirements for a successful digital transformation, including leadership support, employee engagement, and a clear vision.
• Evaluate the range of methods for protecting ideas as part of digital transformation strategies and their advantages and disadvantages, including patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.

What you'll be able to do

• Analyse the necessary and appropriate aspects of IoT when designing software applications.
• Outline a plan for an appropriate IoT application using common architecture, frameworks, tools, hardware and APIs.
• Develop an IoT application using any combination of hardware, software, data, platforms and services.
• Evaluate your IoT application and the problems it might encounter when integrating into the wider IoT ecosystem.

What you'll be able to do

• Investigate different types of organisational structures and cultures prevalent in the digital economy sector
• Explore the role, impact, and influence of various stakeholders within a digital economy organisation
• Investigate digital-led approaches to management and leadership, including agile methodologies and remote team management
• Assess the relationship between motivation, organisational behaviour, performance, and reflective practice within a digital team environment

What you'll be able to do

• Explore the concepts and principles underpinning network management, including its importance in modern IT infrastructure.
• Plan the design of a network infrastructure, considering factors such as scalability, security, and performance requirements.
• Set up and configure network devices and services, ensuring proper functionality and integration within the network.
• Review the protocols and standards associated with networking and network management, such as TCP/IP, SNMP, and VLANs.
• Use appropriate tools and methods to effectively manage a network, including monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimisation.
• Implement network security measures and risk management strategies to protect the network from threats and vulnerabilities.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine fundamental networking principles and the protocols that govern network communication
• Explain the function and operation of various networking devices within a network infrastructure
• Design efficient and effective networked systems to meet specific requirements
• Implement and diagnose networked systems, troubleshooting common network issues

What you'll be able to do

• Examine commonplace networking principles used in a cloud infrastructure to support communication within a business context
• Explain the operation of various networking technologies within a cloud infrastructure, detailing their functions and interactions
• Design a comprehensive networking solution for a cloud-based system, tailored to meet the specific requirements of a given business use case
• Enhance the network performance of a cloud-based system developed for a given business use case, optimising for speed, reliability, and security

What you'll be able to do

• Evaluate the context of a negotiation and identify the key considerations to prepare for a negotiation, including stakeholder analysis and objective setting.
• Manage information and documentation relevant to tenders and contracts, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Develop a pitch to achieve a sustainable competitive edge, incorporating persuasive communication and value proposition.
• Assess the outcome of a pitch and negotiation, identifying areas for improvement and learning.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the key concepts of social media for different business activities.
• Examine the key features of social media for different business activities.
• Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on the market.
• Discuss the uses of social media and their impact on the audience.
• Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on client need.
• Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on market research.
• Plan a social media campaign for an organisation, based on user research.
• Implement a social media campaign plan for an organisation to meet business objectives.

What you'll be able to do

• Explain the fundamental principles and practices of animation
• Create animations using industry-standard tools and techniques
• Ensure animations meet the specific requirements outlined in a given brief
• Integrate a finished animation within a defined media product
• Ensure the animation is appropriately integrated in response to a brief
• Evaluate audience feedback received following the presentation of an animation within a defined media product
• Analyse audience responses to inform future animation projects

What you'll be able to do

• Explore the evolution of digital technologies and their impact on contemporary work environments
• Examine the importance of continuous professional development for achieving career success in the digital economy
• Demonstrate a range of transferable skills applicable to the digital workplace, including communication skills used for effective problem-solving
• Review and analyse ways in which feedback mechanisms can be used to support professional development planning and inform future roles within the workplace

What you'll be able to do

• Define basic algorithms to carry out an operation and outline the process of programming an application to solve problems
• Explain the characteristics of procedural, object-orientated and event-driven programming to understand different programming paradigms
• Implement basic algorithms in code using an IDE to create functional programs
• Determine the debugging process and explain the importance of a coding standard to ensure code quality and maintainability

What you'll be able to do

• Explain the role and process of project management, including the project lifecycle, key stakeholders, and project governance.
• Describe the principles of project management and the tools available to assist the process, including planning, scheduling, risk management, and communication.
• Specify the elements of a project plan in terms of organisation and people, including roles and responsibilities, communication channels, and reporting structures.
• Create a project plan for a specified outcome, including defining project scope, setting objectives, and allocating resources.

What you'll be able to do

• Examine the principles of risk-based testing and its relationship to system requirements.
• Create a customised risk-based test strategy, including detailed plans and appropriate testing techniques, tailored to a given specification.
• Demonstrate the implementation of a risk-based test plan, producing and documenting the associated outcomes and results.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of a risk-based test plan and critically analyse its associated outcomes in relation to the identified risks.

What you'll be able to do

• Assess potential risks to IT security within an organisation
• Describe a range of IT security solutions available to mitigate identified risks
• Review mechanisms used to control organisational IT security, considering their effectiveness
• Manage organisational security by implementing and monitoring security measures

What you'll be able to do

• Describe different software development lifecycles (SDLCs) and their characteristics
• Explain the importance of conducting a thorough feasibility study prior to commencing a software development project
• Undertake a complete software development lifecycle, applying appropriate methodologies and techniques
• Discuss the suitability of various software behavioural design techniques for different project contexts

What you'll be able to do

• Explain server technologies and management services associated with hosting websites
• Explain server technologies and management services associated with managing websites
• Categorise website technologies, tools and software used in website development
• Utilise appropriate website technologies, tools and techniques
• Apply good design principles to create a multipage website
• Create a Test Plan to systematically review the performance of a multipage website
• Use a Test Plan to systematically review the design of a multipage website

What you'll be able to do

• Explore a range of digital technology working environments and cultures
• Prepare a work-based learning and development plan that enables monitoring and reflection
• Review work-based learning and development in a digital role
• Reflect upon own skills and knowledge developed through work-based learning experience in a digital environment and plan for the future