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OCR (9–1) J277 · taught by the people who built the field
The OCR GCSE (9–1) Computer Science (J277), built so that each part of the specification is taught by someone with a real claim to it. The qualification has two written papers — Computer Systems (J277/01) and Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming (J277/02) — and the eight modules below cover both in full.
For Computer Systems, von Neumann teaches the architecture named after him, Shannon — who showed all data reduces to bits — teaches memory and storage, Dijkstra teaches networks, the Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum teaches security, and the Wozniakian Analysis Simulacrum teaches systems software and the impact of technology. For Computational Thinking, the Knuthian Analysis Simulacrum — drawing on Knuth’s great study of algorithms — teaches algorithms, Ada Lovelace, the first programmer, teaches programming, and Turing teaches Boolean logic, languages and IDEs.
An independent educational project. Universitas Scholarium is not affiliated with or endorsed by OCR or Cambridge. The J277 specification is the externally authored curriculum; what the Universitas provides is who teaches it.
John von Neumann Simulacrum
The CPU and the fetch-execute cycle, taught by the man the architecture is named after. The purpose of the CPU; the ALU, control unit, cache and registers; the registers of the Von Neumann architecture (MAR, MDR, Program Counter, Accumulator) and the difference between an address and data; CPU performance (clock speed, cache, cores); and embedded systems.
Open module →Claude Shannon Simulacrum
Where the bits live, taught by the man who showed all data reduces to them. Primary storage (RAM, ROM, virtual memory, cache); secondary storage (optical, magnetic, solid-state) and how to compare it by capacity, speed, portability, durability, reliability and cost; the units of data from bit to petabyte; why data must be binary; and data-capacity calculations.
Open module →Edsger Dijkstra Simulacrum
How computers talk, taught by the man whose shortest-path algorithm runs inside the routers. LANs and WANs; client-server and peer-to-peer; network hardware; the internet, DNS and the cloud; star and mesh topologies; wired and wireless; encryption, IP and MAC addressing; the common protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, POP, IMAP, SMTP); and the concept of layers.
Open module →Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
Threats and defences, taught by the founder of cybernetics — the study of how a system keeps control of itself. The forms of attack (malware, social engineering, brute-force, denial-of-service, data interception, SQL injection) and the prevention methods (penetration testing, anti-malware, firewalls, user access levels, passwords, encryption, physical security).
Open module →Wozniakian Analysis Simulacrum
The invisible work that makes a computer usable, taught by the engineer who built one so an ordinary person could use it. The operating system (user interface, memory management, multitasking, drivers, user and file management); utility software (encryption, defragmentation, compression); and the ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology.
Open module →Knuthian Analysis Simulacrum
Thinking in exact steps, taught by the author of the field’s great study of algorithms. Computational thinking (abstraction, decomposition, algorithmic thinking); designing and refining algorithms with pseudocode, flowcharts and trace tables; and the standard searching (linear, binary) and sorting (bubble, merge, insertion) algorithms.
Open module →Ada Lovelace Simulacrum
Building a program, taught by the first person ever to write one. The fundamentals (variables, operators, sequence, selection, iteration); data types and casting; string manipulation and file handling; and producing robust programs through defensive design, input validation, authentication and testing with normal, boundary and erroneous data.
Open module →Alan Turing Simulacrum
The decisions at the bottom of everything, taught by the man who showed logic and computation are one. Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT, gates and truth tables, combining gates); high-level and low-level languages; translators and the difference between a compiler and an interpreter; and the tools of an Integrated Development Environment.
Open module →