Queen Anne High School Crest Queen Anne High School Crest

Education Industry Links

The Computing department has had and continues to have a wide range of connections with industry.

In the recent past visits have included a tour of the offices of Viz, a computer games creator based in Dunfermline, visits to Heriot Watt University for information on the Computing department and the chance to create a web site as well as the GSC Imax to see how Theme Park rides are created with the aid of computer systems in their design.

In the session 2002 - 03 there are two talks planned for the S5/6 pupils by Tim Musson, from the School of Computing on the courses available at Napier University and the way that their courses articulate with industry. An important feature of the courses on offer is the chance to have a years work experience after second year and Tim will explain the significance of this aspect of the courses for the future prospects of the pupils that study there.

A group of 12 pupils will again visit Heriot Watt University for information on the Computing department and the chance to create a web site. These pupils will come from S4 classes and will be 50% girls, 50% boys as selected by the Principal Teacher upon nomination by their classroom teacher for effort in class.

In addition it is hoped that a group of pupils from S4 will also visit a computer factory. The Principal Teacher will explore the possibility of obtaining a tour of the Sun factory in Linlithgow. If this is not possible further attempts to have such a visit will be made, the next option would be to contact IBM in Greenock for a tour of their facility.

In 2003 – 04 we have had a group of 4 Advanced Higher pupils involved in a team-building exercise at St Andrews University. This day was organised through Careers Scotland and Scottish Enterprise and we requested that the event should become an annual event for schools to take part in. One member of the Advanced Higher class was also taken to Abertay to gather information on the Computer Arts degree course.

In addition to these in and out of school EIL opportunities it should be noted that as part of all courses in S3 to S6 there are areas of work that are directly relevant to industry and with access to the Internet in all teacher areas of the department teachers can take their pupils to locations all round the world to experience the most up-to-date ways in which industry makes use of computer systems.

E.g. Robotics in S Grade allows us the chance to integrate into the course the opportunity to visit companies that make robots, from robots used to climb outside hospitals in Paris to clean windows to ASIMO, created by Honda and onto the way in which surgeons can carry out operations remotely through the use of robotics (a surgeon in the USA performing an operation in Italy).

E.g. In computer systems in S Grade / Int 1 / Int 2 / Higher we can examine the latest devices available for Input / Process / Output and as Backing Storage. We can visit companies such as the Cray corporation to see how fast their supercomputers work, or look at which companies are making LCD displays for laptop computers, etc.

The opportunities afforded to us are virtually endless, teachers in the department should ensure that they seek out new applications to enhance their lessons and to share any resources they have found useful with all members of staff. It is therefore left to the imagination of teachers and pupils to explore the Internet whenever they can to enhance the work that they are doing in class in discovering new industrial applications of computer systems.

Back to top