Ontario Grade 12 TEJ4M Computer Engineering Technology (Grade 12, University/College Preparation)
Chapters: 4
1. A. Computer Technology Fundamentals
A1 Computer Hardware · A2 Computer Systems · A3 Electronics, Robotics, and Computer Interfacing · A4 Networking Concepts · A5 Data Representation and Digital Logic
- Basic Computer Organisation – A computer system has hardware (parts you can touch) and software (instructions). Input devices bring data in, the CPU (ALU + Control Unit + registers) processes it, and output devices give results. Memory forms a ladder: registers and cache are tiny and fastest, primary memory (RAM, ROM) holds running programs, and secondary storage (HDD, SSD, pen drive) keeps data permanently. Memory is measured in bits and bytes: 8 bits = 1 byte, and each bigger unit (KB, MB, GB, TB, PB) is 1024 times the one before.
- Computer Systems: Setup, Firmware, Ports and Maintenance – A working computer system needs the right hardware, connections, firmware, operating system and care. Devices connect through standard ports (USB, HDMI, Ethernet) whose standards fix shape, power and speed. At power-on, firmware (BIOS or UEFI) runs a self-test (POST) and starts a boot loader, which loads the OS. A disk can hold several partitions so two operating systems can be installed (multi-boot). Permissions control who can read, write or run files. Utilities clean, update and back up the system; the 3-2-1 rule keeps data safe.
- Electronics, Robotics and Computer Interfacing – A control system has an input (sensor), a process (microcontroller or computer running a program) and an output (LED, buzzer, motor). We use Ohm's law to choose part values, for example an LED resistor R = (Vsupply − VLED) ÷ I. A chip pin gives only a small current, so a transistor or relay switches bigger loads. Microcontrollers are cheap, small and have pins built in; a desktop PC is powerful but needs an interface board. We draw circuits with standard symbols, simulate them, build them safely and test them with a multimeter.
- Computer Networks and How the Internet Works – A network is a group of devices linked to share data. Each device has an IP address. Data is cut into numbered packets. Routers pass each packet hop by hop towards its address, and TCP puts the packets back in order. DNS turns a website name into an IP address. Clients ask, servers answer. Firewalls, passwords, updates and encryption keep a network safe.
- How Networks Grew and How Data Travels – A computer network is a group of connected devices that share data. Networking began with ARPANET (1969), grew into NSFNET (1980s) for universities, and joined with other networks to become the Internet, a network of networks. Every data communication has five parts: sender, receiver, message, communication media and protocol. Bandwidth is the range of frequencies a channel can carry (in Hz); data rate is how many bits travel per second (bps). Every device on a network has an IP address. Data can move by circuit switching (a fixed path is booked first) or packet switching (data is cut into packets that travel on their own).
- Data Analysis – Data analysis means turning raw data into answers. It follows a cycle: ask a question, collect data, clean it (remove errors, repeats and blanks), organise and transform it, analyse it with summaries such as mean, median, range and patterns, show it with a good chart, and draw a careful conclusion. Watch for outliers, small samples and bias, and remember that a correlation between two things does not prove that one causes the other. Data must also be stored safely and used with permission.
2. B. Computer Technology Skills
B1 Hardware Solutions · B2 Computer Systems · B3 Electronics, Robotics, and Computer Interfacing · B4 Network Setup and Management · B5 Computer Programming
- Solutions: How Things Dissolve and How Much Can Dissolve – A solution is a uniform mixture of a solute dissolved in a solvent. In water (an aqueous solution) the solute breaks into particles too small to see, so it never settles and passes through filter paper. Concentration tells how much solute is present (mass % = solute ÷ solution × 100). Solubility is the most that can dissolve in 100 g of solvent at a given temperature; beyond it the solution is saturated. Evaporation, crystallisation and distillation separate solutions.
- Basic Computer Organisation – A computer system has hardware (parts you can touch) and software (instructions). Input devices bring data in, the CPU (ALU + Control Unit + registers) processes it, and output devices give results. Memory forms a ladder: registers and cache are tiny and fastest, primary memory (RAM, ROM) holds running programs, and secondary storage (HDD, SSD, pen drive) keeps data permanently. Memory is measured in bits and bytes: 8 bits = 1 byte, and each bigger unit (KB, MB, GB, TB, PB) is 1024 times the one before.
- Electronics, Robotics and Computer Interfacing – A control system has an input (sensor), a process (microcontroller or computer running a program) and an output (LED, buzzer, motor). We use Ohm's law to choose part values, for example an LED resistor R = (Vsupply − VLED) ÷ I. A chip pin gives only a small current, so a transistor or relay switches bigger loads. Microcontrollers are cheap, small and have pins built in; a desktop PC is powerful but needs an interface board. We draw circuits with standard symbols, simulate them, build them safely and test them with a multimeter.
- Leadership and Management: Leading People, Teams and Change – Management gets work done through planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling. Leadership inspires people to work towards a shared goal. Leaders choose a style that fits the people and the task, build qualities like communication and integrity, guide teams through their stages, plan projects with schedules, delegate well, and help people accept change.
- Programming Basics: Sequence, Selection, Loops and Functions – A program is a set of exact instructions a computer follows. Every program is built from three structures: sequence (steps in order), selection (if/else choices) and iteration (loops). Variables store values. Functions group code into reusable, named blocks, which makes programs modular and easier to test, debug and maintain.
3. C. Technology,the Environment, and Society
C1 Technology and the Environment · C2 Technology and Society
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.
4. D. Professional Practice and Career Opportunities
D1 Health and Safety · D2 Ethics and Security · D3 Career Opportunities
- Health and Safety: Hazards, Risks and Controls – A hazard is anything that can cause harm. Risk is how likely the harm is and how bad it would be: risk = likelihood × severity. A risk assessment finds hazards, decides who could be harmed, rates the risk, adds controls and is reviewed. Use the hierarchy of control: eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, admin (rules, training, signs), then PPE last. Safety signs use colour and shape. Workshops, art rooms and workplaces need guards, ventilation, labelled materials, clear exits and first aid. Laws in most countries make employers and workers share the duty to stay safe.
- Ethics: How to Decide What Is Right – Ethics (moral philosophy) asks what we ought to do and why. Values such as honesty, kindness, fairness and respect guide choices. Three main theories help: consequences (utilitarianism, Bentham and Mill: most good for most people), duty (Kant: act on rules you could want everyone to follow; treat people as ends, never only as means) and virtue (Aristotle: build good character; virtue is the mean between extremes). Conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong. Freedom brings responsibility. Meta-ethics asks what "good" means and whether values are universal or relative. Applied ethics deals with the environment, animals, work, friendship and peace.
- Career Planning: From Knowing Yourself to Your First Job – Career planning has five steps. 1) Know yourself: interests, skills and values. 2) Explore career families and find out the work, study needed, pay and demand. 3) Plan a pathway with SMART goals and a plan B. 4) Search for jobs with a CV, cover letter, digital portfolio and interview practice. 5) Make the move from school to work and keep learning, because careers change over a lifetime.