Assessment focuses: AF1, AF2, AF3
Context
Pupils were given the task of solving an imaginary crime that had been committed on the school premises. They were given a range of ‘evidence’, including tape-recorded interviews, handwritten and typed notes, and photographs. To increase engagement and enable the pupils to get to know some of their new teachers, they were told the main suspects were teachers.
Pupils considered how to collect and store information needed for the investigation and explored the advantages of using a computerised database. They set up a data file using appropriate fields and field types to organise the information. They were then given a larger prepared data file, which they queried to find the suspect. At the end of the activity, pupils discussed data protection.
Pupil's work
Sorting and searching data
In small groups, pupils were asked to sort and search data using two different criteria: a set of suspect cards and a data file. Pupil H commented:
‘It took our group a long time to sort our cards, even though we only had 30 to look through. When we used FlexiData, it started off taking a long time too because we set up queries but once we knew how to set them up it was very fast. So if we had 1000 suspects or even a million, it would be faster on the computer but with a million, it would be really slow to sort them out using the cards. There would probably be too many cards to sort through. We need to set up a computer database to store the information we collect.’
Considering evidence
Commenting on the evidence they had been given, Pupil H said:
‘I think it would be better when interviewing teachers to use handwritten notes to collect the information, but we need to have the headings to use because otherwise something could be missed out. The recorded interviews are good but we can't then search through them to find out height and stuff.’
Pupil H suggested that the group needed to collect the following information:
‘I think we need to ask about how big their shoes are, their hobbies and whether they have any pets, like dogs. We also should find out whether they are a man or woman and their hair colour because in one of the pictures from the crime scene, there was a hair left. One of the pictures was a cup with lipstick on.’
For homework, Pupil H devised a list of questions.
Setting up fields
To make sure he set up the correct fields, Pupil H listed the responses he would get from each question.
He used this information to organise and set up his own data file to process the collected data.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
Pupil H set up the necessary fields using the information he had gathered from the crime scene pictures and interviews.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
Pupil H set up different field types to structure and organise the information needed to solve the crime.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
Refining work
Pupil H checked his data file and the way the fields had been set up by entering some example records.
‘I first had free text for hair colour but changed it to multi-choice. I then changed it again to add ‘black’ because I had forgotten that option. This let me test how I would set up my file if I had to store all the interviews with the teachers.’
This helped him understand how a data file needs to be structured so it can be searched effectively once all the information has been collected and entered.
Carrying out structured queries
Pupil H was given a much larger pre-prepared data file to continue his investigation of who had committed the crime. He used the picture sources provided to narrow down what he needed to search for. He used a planning sheet to structure his queries.
He carried out the searches.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
FlexiData is published by Flexible Software Ltd. Further details can be found at www.flexible.co.uk
Materials created using Smart Skills Builder for ICT © Smart Learning Ltd. Used with kind permission.
Refining the structured queries
Pupil H refined his searches to identify the culprit.
‘I kept searching the results from the last query and just narrowed it down till I got who the suspect was. When I ended up with just one person, I checked to see if all the clues fitted and my final result was actually correct. I did this because if you get the wrong person for murder then it could be that the real murderer just gets away.’
Class discussion
The class discussed whether they thought the crime investigation was a real scenario. Pupil H commented:
‘We know this was made up because in the final data file that we were given, some of the teachers had very funny names. Also, even though we interviewed some of the teachers, when we got the final file, their details were mixed up, like some of them had red hair, when in real life they have black hair. And in our school, we don't have 100 teachers. Also, some of the fields were blank, which means that some of my searches may not be correct because not all the information has been collected for each teacher.’
Group discussion
In small groups, pupils reviewed what they had learned and how they would solve a similar problem. Pupil H commented:
‘I think it's important to get all the headings – fields, correct to make sure that you can search for stuff so you get the answers you need. We should have presented our searches in a professional way so that it was clear who the different suspects were and how we eliminated others. If we had to do another crime-scene problem, I would pay more attention to the evidence and definitely make sure I had set up the fields properly.’
Class discussion on data protection
The class talked about a real news story where large numbers of records had gone missing, to identify the main issues. Pupil H commented:
‘If you have information on a computer, you can search it very easily but you have to make sure you don't just copy large databases on USB keys because something like this could happen. And with the database of children going missing, that is millions and millions of records. We don't ever get to see anything that big really. But if you had it, you could use it for the wrong stuff.’
The class discussed the Data Protection Act and then in small groups, pupils were given scenarios to consider. Pupil H correctly provided answers to some of the scenarios. For example:
‘I think the fingerprints of teachers who have left have to be deleted, because the school can only keep the data for the teacher if they are working there, not keep it forever.’
