Sheffield Hallam University



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|PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION | |

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|Please view the disclaimer. | |

|AWARD and COURSE TITLE |BSc (Hons) Computing |

|INTERMEDIATE AWARDS |BSc Computing |

| |University Diploma in Computing |

| |University Certificate in Computer Studies |

|Name of the Teaching Institution |Sheffield Hallam University |

|Faculty and Department |ACES / Computing |

|Mode(s) of Attendance |FT / PT / SW |

|(eg. FT/PT/SW/DL) | |

|UCAS CODE |G504 |

|Professional/Statutory/Regulatory Body Recognising this|British Computer Society |

|Programme | |

|QAA Subject Benchmark Statement or other relevant |Computing |

|external reference point | |

|Date of Validation |June 2011 |

|Revised (see end of doc) |January 2012 |

1 PROGRAMME AIMS

This is a practically oriented, vocational course in the understanding, design and exploitation of computation and computer technology, particularly as applied to the management, design, delivery and support of IT services in data-driven business IT applications.

The programme aims to:

1. Develop technically literate graduates, typically intending to take IT team leader/management roles.

2. Develop a critical awareness of the current and coming technical environments, particularly in the area of the design, implementation and support of robust, mid- and large-scale databases, of data exchange between diverse databases, and of building systems based upon diverse databases.

3. Equip graduates with key skills required for employment within the IT industry and a strong understanding of the need for continuing professional development and lifelong learning.

4. Produce graduates who recognise the professional and ethical issues involved in designing and deploying IT system and can be guided by appropriate professional ethical and legal practices.

This Honours Degree course is specifically designed to equip graduates with the vocational and underpinning theoretical skills to team-lead (and eventually manage) projects in the support, design, and development of computing systems in organisations (big or small) that have IT systems already running. Some 65% of advertised job vacancies in Computing are in these areas[1]. In large organisations a graduate may concentrate on a focused role such as Information Architect, Business Intelligence or IT Service Analyst specialist. In a smaller organisation a graduate may cover a much wider scope, including the design and operation of a full IT service support facility.

The course is designed to meet the requirements for graduates to gain Chartered Engineering status from the British Computer Society.

2 PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

2.1 Knowledge and understanding covered within the Programme. By the end of the programme you will be able, especially with respect to data-driven applications, to

1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to the management of computing and design of computer applications.

2 Analyse user and system requirements of systems exhibiting real-world levels of complexity, to produce system specifications and development plans.

3. Use industry-standard modelling techniques to design computer based systems, and use these models to make predictions and analyse tradeoffs.

4 Deploy appropriate theory, practices and tools to service manage, specify, design, implement and evaluate computer-based systems.

2.2 Intellectual/Subject/Professional/Key skills covered within the Programme: by the end of the programme you will be able to

5 Present succinctly to a range of audiences (orally, electronically or in writing) rational and reasoned arguments that address a given information handling problem or opportunity.

6 Critically evaluate the professional, moral and ethical issues involved in exploiting computer technology and be guided by appropriate professional, ethical and legal practices.

7 Work as a development team member, recognising the different roles within a team and different ways of organising teams.

8 Exercise numeracy skills and use effectively general IT facilities.

9 Manage personal development including using time management and organisational skills.

10 Present evidence of soft and hard skills related to employability, using presentation models and formats appropriate to the context.

Note: LOs 1-9 above are derived directly from model Learning Outcomes as listed in Higher Education Academy’s “Employability Profile for Honours Degree Programmes in Computing”, 2006.

LO10 adds Programme objectives for PDP

3 LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

3.1 The approach to Learning and Teaching within the Programme

You will experience and engage in a variety of activities as you progress through the course. There is clear evidence that the most effective ways to learn and understand the skills of management, design and development of IT systems are to (i) understand the underlying principles, (ii) experience applying the principles to realistic examples, using industry-standard methods and tools, and (iii) reflect upon and evaluate the learning gained. We have designed a balanced mix of these activities to help you with the knowledge, understanding and skills we have outlined above, as you develop as an IT specialist student and enhance your employability.

We specify in module documents the types of activities you will encounter in each module, but the overall range of ways in which we will help you with your learning include:

• Lectures, tutorials, seminars and IT lab sessions, together with learning materials on paper and / or computer-based. All modules are supported by the use of a virtual learning environment.

• Problem-based and practical activity-based sessions, many in PC laboratories.

• Group and individual project work, ranging from short to extended tasks, at various points throughout the course.

• Peer-supported activities, some of which may be cross-level.

• Work on the range of written, spoken and visual communication skills, specialist and generic IT skills, and information-gathering skills which will be embedded through many of the core activities of the course.

• The course has a very strong tradition of offering one year supervised work based placements. These are structured to help both yourself and the employer gain the best educational benefit from the placement.

• The active use of a Personal Development Plan and a Personal Development Portfolio (together referred to as PDP), the former to help you take independent (autonomous) control of the development of your technical and soft skills, and the latter to give a firm record of achievements made.

In preparation for your future career, as you progress through the programme, you will be encouraged to become more independent (autonomous) in your approach to learning. The balance of activities will change as you progress to encourage you to become an increasingly independent learner: for example through work-based projects, the Professional Placement, and the completion of an individually-specified Project that contributes 25% of your Final Year mark.

The total time we expect you to put into a 20 credit module is 200 hours. Typical timetabled class contact will be 48 hours for a 20 credit module. We expect you to use the balance of this time working on the materials, tasks and directed reading for each module, as guided by tutors.

3.2 The approach to Assessment and Feedback within the Programme

You will be assessed in a variety of ways; the style of assessment will be matched to the learning being undertaken. Thus your understanding of, and engagement with, the body of material may be assessed by a mix of progress meetings, blogs, written or electronic coursework assignments, presentations, phase tests, and examinations.

Your broader key and professional skills development is supported by modules across the course, giving you opportunities to practise skills in both technical and non-technical topic areas. The assessment of these skills is correspondingly handled in a variety of ways. For instance, an element of the credit for an assignment from a module will be devoted to a presentation, or perhaps to demonstrating group working skills. You may then use the outcomes of these exercises, together with your further reflection, to support your PDP.

Assessment has two main purposes: one is so that we can find out how well you are learning and progressing (summative assessment); the other is so that the assessment tasks you carry out can help you as you move onto the next stage of your learning (formative assessment). Many of the assessment tasks will fulfil both of these purposes.

We specify in module documents the mix of assessment tasks you will encounter in each module. In all cases the assessment criteria will be made clear to you in advance.

You will receive feedback in a variety of ways throughout the course:

• After a piece of assessed work is submitted, we will normally mark it and return marks and/or comments, typically within a specified number of weeks (currently three) of the submission deadline. In some cases, generic feedback will be provided more quickly, while the work is still fresh in your mind. You will receive written and/or verbal feedback from the lecturer on an individual or group basis, depending on the nature of the assignment.

• You will typically receive informal, face-to-face feedback from lecturers as part of normal classes, particularly tutorial, seminars, problem solving and laboratory classes, project supervision meetings, etc.

• You will also receive feedback from your peers, for instance when you are giving presentations, or working in groups, as you will at various stages of the course.

• In the case of industrial placement your industrial supervisor will provide regular feedback through reviews of your work and performance reviews during the year. Your visiting tutor will give verbal feedback on your performance on placement.

More formally, at the end of each academic year, you will receive a written statement of your results for every module you have taken. Periodically you will attend meetings with tutors to review your overall progress.

4 PROGRAMME DESIGN AND STRUCTURE

Figure 1 presents the course structure in diagrammatic form. All modules are 20 credits unless shown otherwise.

|First Year |Second Year | |Final Year |

|(Level 4): |(Level 5): | |(Level 6): |

|Foundations |Applications Development - Techniques | |Management and Architectures |

| |and process | | |

|Information Systems |Enterprise Information Systems | |Management of Information Systems Projects |

| |Elective C2 |Industrial |Elective Pool C4A: |

|Programming for Computing |OOADI |Placement |Advanced Web Applications |

| |IT Service Delivery |Year |Man IT Environment & Security |

|IT Service Support | | |Elective Pool C4B: |

| |Database Systems | |Data Warehouse / Data Mining |

| | | |Adv DB & Client Server Applications |

|Computer Tech for Business |E-Business | |Professional Development or |

| | | |Professionalism & Employability |

| | | |(10 credits) |

|Professionalism and Communication Skills |Professional Project for Computing | | Project (30 Credits) |

|Maths for Computing |Option: Eg | |Option: Eg |

| |Additional choice from C2 | |Additional choice from C4A or C4B |

| |Info Management | |Managing Change |

| |Effective Design for Multimedia | |Knowledge Management |

| | | |Exploiting Technology Enhanced Learning |

Figure 1 - Course Structure

The First Year is a broad study of computing, from analysis of user requirements through to programming and technologies. Mathematics and Professional & Communication Skills are introduced, with additional resource packs available for any students wanting further support in these key skill areas.

The Second Year allows you to choose between themes – either a service management theme or a software design and implementation theme (you are welcome to use an Option choice to select to study both these themes) Further modules in databases, e-business and enterprise-scale information processing systems give you a deeper understanding in three different aspects of how organisations structure and process data. Not least of the modules, there is a group-based professional project, where you apply modern project management methods in a project that may have real external or out-of-Department clients. These projects help reinforce all the employability skills prior to Placement, and may well be instrumental in giving you evidence you can use to get through competitive placement selection systems.

Normally you would take a one-year Industrial Placement period after the second year. This could be anywhere in the UK or abroad. The University has a very well established team of staff who will help find placement opportunities and help you through the application process. Employers pay a salary directly to you. Tutors visit to monitor your learning, and to confirm that the Placement is suitably organised for you to learn about IT.

The Final Year continues the themes of IT service management or IT systems design. Depending on your Level 5 choice, or placement experiences, again you can do both themes. A key feature of the Final year is that you can select an individually-specified project, which will take 25% of your time to complete. Many students find that this is the ideal opportunity to showcase their ability to develop and demonstrate and interest in a particular topic.

5 PROGRESSION/CAREER ROUTES

Possible progression or career routes after you have completed this programme include

Potential careers from Honours graduation

Previous students from this course have entered a wide variety of careers in the computing industry, including programming, web systems design, systems analysis, business organisation, IT support and systems maintenance. Some 70% of all professional IT jobs are categorised as “Systems Design / Systems Development”. Once you have employment experience, you should be aiming to be team leader or manager within such an organisation.

The course makes use of up-to-date industry strength software, including Oracle, Microsoft SQL-Server, e-commerce systems, and SAP. SAP is used by 500 of the 1000 largest companies in the world. Of course you may have further experience of these or other packages depending upon what you do on Placement.

A number of students choose to go on to gain Teaching qualifications. The Level 6 Option module Exploiting Technology Enhanced Learning is a popular choice for these students.

Potential progression to Masters study

This course is in integral partnership with the four-year (5 if placement is taken) Masters degree in Computing. The first two years of these awards are completely in common. After that studies are shared, but the MComp take further advanced level modules.

Due to the commonality between this course and the MComp Computing award, students enrolled on the BSc Honours in Computing may transfer to the MComp in Computing course if they achieve of a 2.1 average performance or better (as determined by the University regulations) on the second year of study. Transfer may take place after the Placement year.

Students who terminate their studies at Honours level are still welcome to apply to join one-year Masters courses at Sheffield Hallam. At the time of writing, suitable MSc courses include Database Professional, Information Technology Management, Cloud Computing and a new course currently being developed in consultation with SAP, where we would be one of only four UK universities invited to run courses for full-paid SAP trainees.

Flexible study

The Department offers the award of BSc Honours in Computer Studies for students who particularly wish to study non-standard combinations of computing modules. For example this can be used to further particular specialisms at Levels 5 and 6. Please be aware that logistics such as timetable clashes mean that not all combinations of studies can be accommodated. Transfer to Computer Studies does not normally take place during the first year of study.

6 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND ENTRY PROFILE

6.1 The Formal Entry Qualifications

|Academic Qualifications (including A / AS level grades |Normally 240 UCAS tariff points from level 3 qualifications. Appropriate |

|and subjects, where applicable) |level three qualifications include GCE A levels, BTEC, AVCE and |

| |equivalents. |

|Level of English language capability |GCSE English grade C or above. Equivalent qualifications will be accepted|

| |International Applicants to be competent to the level of TOEFL 570 (paper|

| |based tests) or 230+ (computer based tests) or IELTS at least 6.0 |

|Any other specific, formally certified qualifications |none |

|Previous relevant work or work-related experience |none |

|Any specific articulation arrangements recognised for |none |

|this programme | |

|Professional qualifications |none |

|Any other specific entry requirements |GCSE Mathematics grade C or above. Equivalent qualifications will be |

| |accepted |

6.2 Entry Profile

Your prior educational achievement, be it formal or informal, should include some experience of working with computers. In addition you will need a commitment to study and self development. The University can support you in developing your study skills but you must have the determination to succeed on this course.

Computer systems management and design often requires complex problem solving, where different stakeholders system often have different perceptions of the business needs, so may have conflicting requirements for the IT system itself. An enjoyment of solving problems and an aptitude for identifying key factors of a situation would be a strong advantage on this course.

6.3 Non-standard Entry Requirements

Applicants with non standard entry profiles will be assessed individually on merit. Appropriate credit will be given for industry based qualifications (e.g. Microsoft, Adobe or Cisco certification) as well as any international qualifications.

Those applicants without formal qualifications will normally be assessed via formal interview which will seek to ascertain how prior experience has equipped the applicant with the skills necessary to complete the course. Where appropriate, applicants will be asked to complete a series of tests to ensure they have the required skills in IT, English and numeracy necessary to be successful on the course.

6.4 Use of Prior Credit

Applicants may be admitted to any appropriate point of the course providing they can demonstrate that they have met the appropriate learning outcomes for previous levels of study. For example a student may be admitted to level 6 study provided they meet both the credit requirements for completion of levels 4 and 5 study and that their prior learning matches most of the learning outcomes for this award.

The University's procedures for Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) and Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) will be applied by the Portfolio Director to assess their suitability for the course. This will determine the entry point and required programme of study based on the evidence supplied.

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[1] Source e-Skills 2010 Quarterly Review of ICT Labour Market, Q3 2010



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