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The DiDA (Diploma in Digital Applications) is an optional information and communication technology (ICT) course studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students (aged 14-16) in England and Wales. The course was introduced in 2005 (after a pilot starting in 2004) by the Edexcel examination board and is being taken up by an increasing number of schools to replace their previous BTEC or GCSE courses in ICT.

The course consists of four units:

• Using ICT
• Multimedia
• Graphics
• ICT in Enterprise

Each module is assessed entirely using coursework.

Students who complete the Using ICT module alone receive an Award in Digital Applications (AiDA), which is equivalent to one GCSE or Standard Grade. Those who complete the Using ICT unit and any one of the other three units receive a Certificate in Digital Applications (CiDA), which is equivalent to two GCSEs or Standard Grades. Students who complete all four modules receive the full Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA), which is equivalent to four GCSEs or Standard Grades.

Each module is stated to take approximately 90 guided learning hours to complete. Pupils completing any module of the DiDA course do so by reading an online web resource (see external links) and then independently completing a set number of tasks. These tasks, as well as the planning and design work, are presented in an e-portfolio to be marked.

The DiDA course is entirely paperless, with all work being created, stored, assessed and moderated digitally.

Many factors have lead to the Diploma in Digital Applications almost being banned. This includes the boredom that the students are subjected to,and the pressure put upon students as young as 13.

The exam board is also unable to respond efficiently to questions due to the limited explanations on the website. Neither can teachers, as they are unable to provide guidance. On several occasions this has lead to breakdown and tears in students.

File types have also been an area of concern. The exam board would not accept standard popular file types such as Microsoft Word and originally Microsoft Excel, even though they are one of the most important make ups of the project. This means that every single file has to be converted to PDF before entry.

The project consists of several labourious tasks, which are sure to turn children to truancy from ICT lessons

• Edexcel: DiDA
• Example DiDA online task