BSc (Hons) Information Technology (Software Engineering)
Course Leader: Dr Peter Collingwood
p.c.collingwood@shu.ac.uk
This is part of the Summer School Programme. This course is designed as a final year degree continuation from the Advanced Diploma studied in Malaysia. The course has been designed to broaden and deepen the knowledge you have gained in your Advanced Diploma.
The University has validated your study at TAR College, and has approved an additional programme of three computing and information management units which will, when taken following your TAR College Advanced Diploma, give you a total study experience worthy of recognition for a UK Bachelor of Science honours degree. The programme you will undertake here at Sheffield comprises 60 credits of work at UK degree level 6.
Entry Requirements
This course is only available for students who have completed their Advanced Diploma at Tunku Abdul Rahman College in Malaysia in or after 2002 in one of the following courses:
- Internet Technology
- Information Systems Engineering
- Business Information Systems
- Computer Science & Statistics
- Computer Science & Computer Mathematics
- Computer Science & Management Mathematics
Overall aims of the course
- Produce computing graduates equipped to work as software professionals across the spectrum of industry, commerce, business, the professions and public service
- Give graduates substantial knowledge and practical skills in the development of "fit for purpose" software systems by the appropriate use of current software engineering methods and methodologies
- Provide experience, analysis and discussion of contemporary software development methods, methodologies, tools and technologies in order to support critical and evaluative judgement
- Equip graduates with requisite key skills and install a sense of the need for continuing professional development and lifelong learning
- Provide a vocational, technical and commercially relevant education accessible to students with entrance qualifications from a wide range of disciplines.
Modules of Study
In your Advanced Diploma you learned practical and theoretical skills about the organisation and application of data. Most of the examples will have been quite small ones. In this Honours course we look at larger-scale systems, and look at skills typically needed by actual industrial/commercial applications.
Case Studies in Software Design
At this stage of the Software Engineering route, students will have experienced a wide range of software applications and implementation techniques. Further, they will have been introduced to the fundamental concepts and issues in Software Design. However, they will have had little opportunity either to apply these principles in depth or to explore (& evaluate) the pragmatics of design techniques based on UML or other contemporary development strategies such as agile methods or the use of Design Patterns. Also, they will not have had the opportunity to explore how user interface concerns such as look and feel and accessibility can be folded into the development process.
The aim of this module is to redress this imbalance. It does so by adopting a practical approach in which different software design techniques are used to develop software solutions in a specific case study. The techniques themselves and issues surrounding them will also be presented and discussed. The debate provided and the experience gained through practicing the techniques will provide fruitful grounds for evaluation of benefits to be gained by the adoption of the techniques in question.
Applications: Architectures & Frameworks
Much of contemporary software development uses and extends existing, pre-developed application "frameworks"; the most important of these frameworks being .NET & Java EE. In this module you will explore the reasons why frameworks are important and why large-scale systems development relies upon them. You will gain practical experience of using contemporary frameworks such as Struts, Spring or .NET to build complex software and develop a critical awareness of the features and facilities of different frameworks. You will gain an appreciation of current thinking in systems architecture and implementation, such as Service-oriented Architectures or Aspect-oriented Programming and you will investigate the relationships between frameworks, architectures and design patterns.
One module from the following
Practical Projects (Computer Applications)
Professional skills, technical knowledge and project planning and delivery techniques taught in earlier modules are used to give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can work independently and apply their learning to solve specific problems. It also allows them the chance to critically assess methods, techniques and tools in real problem solving contexts within a quality framework. The latter is engineered by each individual student to fit individual project needs, but has salient characteristics, such as the project plan, definition of milestones, feedback and review at prescribed times, product change and enhancement, matching user expectations and considerations of the wider context of the project.
As part of this module, there will be an opportunity to engage with businesses, industry professionals and practitioners.
Advanced Web Applications
In your course you have studied Web application development and the associated technologies. The discipline of Web application development is rapidly diversifying. Students who are seeking a vocation as Web practitioners are now expected to possess a broad knowledge of available technologies, for example server scripting tools, XML, the Microsoft.net framework, module platforms and numerous Web development software tools.
This module will further arm you with a critical insight into the numerous technologies which are today driving cutting edge Web applications. This will enable you to make an informed choice of appropriate server-side technology, relative to the project in hand. Additionally, you will be introduced to a number of software innovations which are enabling businesses to converge Web applications across diverse platforms. The approach will incorporate practical, hands-on learning in combination with analysis of business case studies.
Pattern of Study
Although the course runs for approximately the standard dates for summer-based TAR courses, this course has a distance-learning based "Preparation Studies" period prior to your arrival in Sheffield. This takes the equivalent of two weeks of full-time study, and may be done at any time in the period March to the end of May. Sheffield Hallam will provide a Blackboard web site linked to an integrated email system to support this study period.
You will require access to the Internet (using any standard web browser) to complete the work of this Study period. It is a compulsory part of the course.
Because the equivalent of two weeks of the course is taught by Distance Learning, we hope that it is possible to arrange teaching in Sheffield to have a one-week gap in teaching to enable travel, plus other smaller gaps to allow you complete the assessment work of the modules.
If you would like to apply for this course, please follow the application process. The Portfolio Manager for the course is Denise Perry. For more information email D.Perry@shu.ac.uk
