BASIC Computer Skills

THE MWALIMU NYERERE MEMORIAL ACADEMY (MNMA)

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
(ICT)-PEMBA BRANCH

Course Code Course Name Course Credit

GST 04102 Basic Computer Skills 12
 Logistics
Facilitator: JASSON L. DOMITION
[Link] (IFM)
PGDE(UDSM)
email: jassondomition@[Link]
Office: Third Floor, ICT.
Consultation Time
Thursday
12:00 -14:00 hrs
Or
By appointment
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 2
 Course Overview
• Description of the Course
• Prerequisite Modules
• Learning Context
• Learning materials
• Assignments
• Readings
• Grading
• Schedule -as per your timetable….
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 3
 Course Description
• The course is a comprehensive program designed to
provide students with fundamental Computer Skills.
• It introduces Computer, its parts and computer
organization.
• It also present procedures in assembling computer
components and for performing computer boot up
and shut down.
• Furthermore; the course describe operating system
and utility software functionalities.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 4

 Cont…
• In addition the course teaches file
management, document production using
word processing package, data analysis using
spreadsheet package, preparing presentations
using presentation application, data storage
and data manipulation using database
application and performing various operations
using the internet.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 5

 Prerequisite Modules & Learning
Context, Learning Materials
• Prerequisite Modules: None
• Learning Context:
• This module will be conducted through
lecturrete, discussions, demonstrations and
role play, simulation and study tour,
assignments, seminars, and laboratory
exercises.
• Learning materials: Text Books, Handouts,
computers, manuals and Internet.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 6
 Assignments & Readings
• Two kinds of assignments
– Lab exercises
– Group Assignments
• Readings
1. bharihoke, Deepack (2006), Fundamentals of
Information Technology 2nd Edition, Anurag Jain
New Delhi

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 7

 Integrated Method of Assessment
• You will be assessed • Course work carries
through continuous 60%
assessments • Semester examination
(Coursework) that carries 40%
comprise of two
compulsory Tests, Lab
tests and assignments,
min projects etc.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 8

 Basic computer organisation
Introduction
•In today's world, we use computers for all our
tasks.
•Our day-to-day activities: paying bills, buying
groceries, using social media, seeking
entertainment, working from home,
communicating with a friend, etc., can all be
done using a computer.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 9

 Cont…
• So it is important not only to know how to use
a computer, but also to understand the
components of a computer and what they do.
• This topic explains all concepts related to
computer in detail, from origin to end.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 10

 Cont…
• You learn about the components of a
computer, the concept of hardware and
software, representation of data/information
and the concept of data processing.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 11

 Cont…
• What is a Computer?
• A computer is an electronic device that accepts
data from the user, processes it, produces results,
displays them to the users, and stores the results
for future usage.
• OR
• A computer is a programmable machine designed to
perform arithmetic and logical operations automatically
and sequentially on the input given by the user and gives
the desired output after processing.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 12
 Cont…
• Computer components are divided into two
major categories namely hardware and
software.
• Hardware is the machine itself and its
connected devices such as monitor, keyboard,
mouse etc.
• Software are the set of programs that make
use of hardware for performing various
functions.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 13
 Cont…
• Data is a collection of unorganized facts &
figures and does not provide any further
information regarding patterns, context, etc.
Hence data means "unstructured facts and
figures".

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 14

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 15

 Cont…
Information is a structured data i.e. organized
meaningful and processed data.
Functions of Computers
• Receiving Input: Data is fed into computer
through various input devices like keyboard,
mouse, digital pens, etc.
• Input can also be fed through devices like CD-
ROM, pen drive, scanner, etc.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 16

 Cont…
• Processing the information: Operations on the
input data are carried out based on the instructions
provided in the programs.
• Storing the information: After processing, the
information gets stored in the primary or secondary
storage area.
• Producing output: The processed information and
other details are communicated to the outside
world through output devices like monitor, printer,
etc.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 17
 Computer Concepts & Description
• History of Computers
• The history of the computer dates back to
several years.
• There are five prominent generations of
computers.
• Each generation has witnessed several
technological advances which change the
functionality of the computers.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 18

 Cont…
• Characteristics of Computer System
• Characteristics of Computer System involve
Speed, Accuracy, Diligence, Versatility,
Reliability, Automation, Memory.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 19

 Cont…
• SPEED : In general, no human being can compete to
solving the complex computation, faster than
computer.
• ACCURACY : Since Computer is programmed, so
what ever input we give it gives result with
accurately.
• STORAGE : Computer can store mass storage of data
with appropriate format.
• DILIGENCE : Computer can work for hours without
any break and creating error.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 20
 Cont…
• VERSATILITY : We can use computer to perform
completely different type of work at the same
time.
• POWER OF REMEMBERING : It can remember
data for us.
• NO IQ : Computer does not work without
instruction.
• NO FEELING : Computer does not have
emotions, knowledge, experience, feeling.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 21
 Cont…
Basic Applications of Computer
• Computers play a role in every field of life.
• They are used in homes, business, educational
institutions, research organizations, medical
field, government offices, entertainment, etc.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 22

 Cont…
• Components of Computer
• Computer itself a combination of different type
of separate electronic device. i.e. Computer
only will be computer if it has INPUT DEVICE,
PROCESS UNIT, and OUTPUT DEVICE.
• Input Devices – Keyboard, Mouse, etc
• Input devices help to get input or data from
user.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 23

 Cont…
• Output Devices
• Output devices help to display output to user
• For examples:
• Monitor : This is an output device which is
used to show the result of the instructions.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 24

 Cont…
• There are variety of monitor available in the
market such as, CRT Monitor, LCD Monitor,
Touch Screen Monitor, TFT Monitor etc.
• Printer : This is an out put device which is
used to show the result on the paper.
• There are plenty of printer available in the
market like inkjet, Laser printer, dot matrix
printer etc.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 25

 Cont…
• Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) : This is
and electronic device which is used to manage
the power supply of computer.
• Computer Memory: Storage devices
• Computer memory refers to storage area
where data is stored.
• It is of two types: Primary
Memory & Secondary Memory.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 26

 Cont…
• Primary memory : Random access memory (RAM).
Stores data temporary and loose its data when power
goes off.
• It is therefore called Volatile memory.
• Secondary memory eg. Hard Disk (HDD) : This is used
to store the data in massive amount and permanently.
• And stores data even when power goes off (Non-
volatile)
• There are so many type of HDD available in the
market, i.e. SATA, PATA, External HDD, Internal HDD.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 27
 Cont…
• Also CD/DVD ROM : This is used to store the
data permanently.
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) : This is used to
connect the external device to the computer.
• Ethernet Cable : This is used to connect
computer with other computer.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 28

 Cont…
• Concept of Hardware and Software
• The term hardware refers to mechanical
device that makes up computer.
• Software: set of instructions that enables the
computer hardware to function.
• Software can be categorized into two types -
System software & Application software.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 29

 Cont…
• Programming Languages
• The languages that are used to write a
program or set of instructions.
• Programming languages are broadly
categorized into three types - Machine level
language, Assembly level language, High-level
language.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 30

 Cont…
• Representation of Data/Information
• Computer does not understand human
language.
• Any data, letters, symbols, pictures, audio,
videos, etc., fed to computer should be
converted to machine language first.
Computers represent that data into different
forms.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 31

 Cont…
• Data Processing & Data Processing Stages
• Data processing is a process of converting raw
facts or data into a meaningful information

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 32

 Parts of the Computer and their
functions
1. The computer case

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 33

 Cont…
• This is the part that holds all of the internal
components to make up the computer itself.
• It is usually designed in such a manner to
make fitting a motherboard, wiring, and drives
as easy as possible.
• Some are designed so well that it is easy to
make everything look tidy and presentable
too.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 34

 Cont…
List of computer case sizes (known as form factor):
•Very small form factor: Supports Mini ITX
motherboards
•Small form factor: Supports micro ATX motherboards.
•Standard form factor: Supports standard ATX
motherboards.
•Larger form factors: Supports ATX and XL-ATX
motherboards.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 35

 Cont…
2. Motherboard

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 36

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 37

 Cont…
• The motherboard is the main board that is
screwed directly inside the computer case.
• All other cards and everything else plugs directly
into the motherboard, hence its name.
• The CPU, RAM, drives, power supply and more all
get connected to it.
• Its function is to integrate all the components
with each other so they can communicate and
operate together.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 38
 Cont…
• A good motherboard offers a wide amount of
connectivity options.
• It also has the least amount of bottlenecks as
possible.
• This allows all the components to operate efficiently
and to fulfill their maximum potential as they were
designed to do.
• Obviously, as the physical size of a motherboard is
reduced, it begins to limit connectivity options and
functionality.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 39
 Cont…
• Motherboards come in the following sizes:

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 40

 Cont…
3. CPU: Central Processing Unit
•The CPU is basically like the brain of a
computer.
•It processes all the information on a
computational level.
•It takes information from the RAM and
processes it to perform the tasks required from
the computer.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 41

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 42

 Cont…
• It is usually seated in a socket that utilizes a
lever or a latch with a hinged plate with a cut
out in the center to secure it onto the
motherboard.
• It has many copper pads underneath it for the
contacts of the socket to push up against
them to make electrical contact.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 43

 Cont…
• There are other ways CPU’s can be attached
to the motherboard.
• Here are some common examples:
• ZIF (Zero Insertion Force): Although this a
more desirable socket, they are mostly found
on older computer motherboards.
• A lever-operated a mechanism to clamp the
pins of the processor.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 44

 Cont…
• PGA (Pin Grid Array): It is also a ZIF socket but has a
different pin pitch and contains a different pin count.
• LGA (Land Grid Array): More commonly found on
motherboards today. A levered hinged plate with a
center cut out clamps down on the processor.
• BGA (Ball Grid Array): The CPU is soldered directly
onto the motherboard. This makes it a non-user
swappable part. It is susceptible to bad connectivity.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 45

 Cont…
• A processor generates a decent amount of heat,
especially when it is working under high loads.
• It will run even hotter when it is set to a higher
clock speed in order to make it run faster. This
is called overclocking.
• This is why a heatsink and fan assembly is
required in order to draw the heat away from
the processor and distribute it to thin sheets or
fins of metal for the fan to cool down.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 46
 Cont…
• There are so many different types of
processors. The top manufacturers for
computers are Intel, AMD, and NVidia.
4. RAM: Random Access Memory
• RAM is a data storage device that can provide
fast read and write access.
• RAM is also volatile which means that it loses
all the stored data the moment power is lost.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 47

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 48

 Cont…
• The RAM keeps data ready for the CPU to process.
• The speed of the RAM is a big contributor to the
overall speed of a computer.
• It plugs directly into a long slot which has contacts
on either side of the slot.
• It too has a clock speed, just like a processor. So, it
can also be overclocked to deliver increased
performance beyond the intended specification.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 49

 Cont…
• Certain RAM modules are sold with a heat
spreader. It helps dissipate the heat from the
individual memory IC’s, keeping them cooler.
• RAM has evolved like any other component.
• RAM used on the motherboard often makes
use of DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM
(Synchronous Dynamic Random Access
Memory) type memory.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 50

 Cont…
5. Graphics Card: A graphics card processes the
data from the motherboard and sends the
appropriate information to the monitor in order
for it to be displayed.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 51

 Cont…
• It can do so using an HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, or
VGA connector.
• A graphics card can also be referred to as a video
card or a display card.
• It takes the burden of all the video processing
from the main CPU. This gives a computer a big
boost in performance.
• Because of the large processing requirements for
a gaming graphics card, fans are almost a given.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 52
 Cont…
• A graphics card plugs into a PCI Express
(Peripheral Component Interconnect Express)
slot on the motherboard.
• It is a serial expansion bus slot that is capable
of a high amount of bandwidth, in two
directions.
• A graphics card has a GPU (Graphics
Processing Unit) which is the main component
that requires cooling.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 53
 Cont…
• A GPU is slower than a CPU, but it is designed to
deal with mathematical operations required for
video rendering.
• The amount of memory on the card varies
depending on the manufacturer’s design.
• Graphics cards use GDDR (Graphics Double Data
Rate) SDRAM which is specially designed to be
optimized for graphics performance.
• GDDR is built to handle a higher bandwidth
compared to plain DDR ram.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 54
 Cont…
6. Sound Card

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 55

 Cont…
• Most of the time the sound chip built into the
motherboard is used for audio output.
• But, if you are a sound enthusiast or prefer
higher detailed audio while playing a game,
you might be inclined to use a sound card.
• Sound cards plug into a computer in multiple
ways. It can be through USB, PCI slot, or PCI
Express x 1 slot.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 56

 Cont…
• A sound processing chip on the card does all
of the audio processing and is usually not a
very powerful processor.
• A sound card can offer a wide range of
connectivity with various audio equipment.
• A few examples could be optical audio, 1/4
inch jack, or RCA connectors.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 57

 Cont…
7. Hard Drive

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 58

 Cont…
• A hard drive is found in most computers. It’s
usually a mechanical drive that stores all the
data.
• Apart from storing data, it can also be used as
a boot drive in order to run the operating
system from it.
• An operating system is a software program
that makes a computer useable. Like
Microsoft Windows for example.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 59
 Cont…
• The biggest vulnerability of a mechanical drive
is the physically fragile nature of it.
• One bump the wrong way can destroy a whole
drive.
• A mechanical hard drive contains one or more
platters that spin anywhere between 5200 to
10000 RPM (revolutions per minute). The read
and write heads are spaced only about 0.002
(51 micro M) of an inch away from the platter.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 60
 Cont…
• This gives you an idea about the physical
limitations regarding its fragile nature.
• Small areas on the platter can be arranged to
represent a 1 or a 0.
• It can be changed using the drive head to
magnetically alter the material to represent
the correct value.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 61

 Cont…
8. SSD: Solid State Drive

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 62

 Cont…
• An SSD is also a type of hard drive, but it
doesn’t have any moving parts. It consists of a
bank of flash memory that can hold a
reasonable amount of data.
• While SSD’s are increasing in size all the time,
they aren’t cost-effective for storing large
amounts of data.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 63

 Cont…
• A mechanical drive has a cheaper gigabyte to
dollar ratio.
• However, the SSD is a high-performance drive.
It’s fast and cannot be as easily damaged by
dropping it or taking a few knocks

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 64

 Cont…
9. PSU: Power Supply Unit

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 65

 Cont…
• A power supply mounts inside the computer case.
This converts the AC mains supply from the wall
socket and supplies the correct DC voltages to all the
components inside the computer.
• A computer power supply supplies the following
voltages:
• +3.3v: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard.
• +5V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard and
other internal components.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 66

 Cont…
• +12V: This voltage is supplied to the
motherboard and other internal components.
• -12V: This voltage is supplied to the
motherboard.
• A power supply also comes with its own
cooling fan. This helps all the internal
components to stay cool when the power
supply is subjected to bigger loads.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 67

 Cont…
10. Monitor

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 68

 Cont…
• A monitor is what you use to see a visual
representation of the graphics data sent from the
graphics card of the computer.
• There are various types of monitors on the market.
The most commonly used is a LED-backlit LCD
monitor.
• There are also a variety of different sizes with
different aspect ratios.
• The aspect ratio is simply the ratio between height
and width.
07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 69
 Cont…
• For example, a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor will
have 16 parts wide to 9 parts in height.
• There are also curved monitors, but they are
more expensive.
• Monitors also have a fast response time in
order to keep up with the high demands
required to eliminate delays with user input
for gaming.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 70

 Cont…
11. Keyboard

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 71

 Cont…
• A keyboard is one of the ways to communicate with a
computer.
• By typing a key from the keyboard, it sends a small portion
of data to tell the computer which key was pressed.
• The computer can use this information in many ways. An
example could be a command or a character that can be
used in a document.
• I talk about my personal favorite keyboard over here.
• There are two main different types of keyboards.
Mechanical and membrane types.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 72

 Cont…
12. Mouse

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 73

 Cont…
• A mouse allows the user to move a pointer
displayed on the monitor and experience a
more intuitive interaction with the computer.
• These days mice have more buttons than the
common three.
• The three main buttons, however, allows the
user to select, grab, scroll and access extra
menus and options.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 74

 Cont…
• A computer mouse can be wired or wireless.
The latter obviously requires batteries.
• You can take a look at my favorite mouse
right here.
• Optical mice of today allow for very accurate
precision and smooth movement.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 75

 Cont…
• Common external peripherals
• Here are some common peripherals that get
connected to a computer and extends its
usefulness.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 76

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 77

 Cont…
• A scanner can take anything on a piece of
paper and scan it to produce a replicated
digital image.
• This is also very handy for saving physical
photos that you want to preserve.
• Once the photo is stored digitally, it won’t
decay as a physical photo does over time.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 78

 Cont…

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 79

 Cont…
• Computer speakers can connect up to the
sound card at the rear of the computer.
• Another way they can be connected is by a
monitor that already has built-in speakers.
• Generally, the sound quality is poor from a
monitor’ speakers. That’s why most people
buy a set of computer speakers to have on
their computer desk.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 80

 Cont…
• You can even connect up a 7.1 surround
speaker system to certain sound cards.
• This can add a nicer experience when it comes
to gaming, playing music, or watching a film.

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 81

 SUMMARY

07/30/25 GST 04102: BASIC COMPUTER Skills 82