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AWARD and COURSE TITLE / BSc (Hons) Web Systems Design
INTERMEDIATE AWARDS / BSc Web Systems Design
University Diploma in Web Systems Design
University Certificate in Computer Studies
Name of the Teaching Institution / Sheffield Hallam University
Faculty and Department / ACES / Computing
Mode(s) of Attendance
(eg. FT/PT/SW/DL) / FT / PT / SW
UCAS CODE / G590
Professional/Statutory/Regulatory Body Recognising this Programme / British Computer Society
QAA Subject Benchmark Statement or other relevant external reference point / Computing
Date of Validation / June 2011
Revised (see end of doc) / January 2012
1PROGRAMME AIMS
This is a practically oriented, vocational course in the understanding, design and exploitation of computation and computer technology, particularly as applied to the creation of web-based business applications and their supporting infrastructure.
The programme aims to:
1Develop technically literate graduates, typically intending to take web development or IT team leader/management roles.
2Develop a critical awareness of the current and coming technical environments, particularly in the area of the design, implementation and support of robust business-to-client and business-to-business web-based information systems.
3Equip 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.
4Produce 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 comuting 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.
This Honours Degree course is specifically designed to equip graduates with the vocational and underpinning theoretical skills to develop multi-tiered business applications hosted on and accessed through the web. A typical tiered system can include a browser-based rendering of the web page, an applications layer controlling the busiess logic and one or more layers to organise and access the data. The course studies e-business strategies and data interchange between companies as well as individual-customer-facing web systems.
The course is designed to meet the requirements for graduates to gain Chartered Engineering status from the British Computer Society.
2PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES
2.1Knowledge and understanding covered within the Programme. By the end of the programme you will be able, especially with respect to web-based information systems, to
1Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to the management of computing and design of computer applications hosted on or accessed through the web.
2Analyse user and system requirements for “e-“ applications systems and data interchange, and examine how technical and non-technical requirements can be met using industry-strength platforms and architectures.
3.Use industry-standard modelling techniques to design computer based systems, and use these models to make predictions and analyse tradeoffs.
4Deploy 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
5Present succinctly to a range of audiences (orally, electronically or in writing) rational and reasoned arguments that address a given information handling problem or opportunity.
6Critically evaluate the professional, moral and ethical issues involved in exploiting computer technology and be guided by appropriate professional, ethical and legal practices.
7Work as a development team member, recognising the different roles within a team and different ways of organising teams.
8Exercise numeracy skills and use effectively general IT facilities.
9Manage personal development including using time management and organisational skills.
10Present evidence of soft and hard skills related to employability and study skills, 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 relates to further SHU objectives for PDP.
3LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT
3.1The 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 enquiry-based learning 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.
3.2The 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.
4PROGRAMME DESIGN AND STRUCTURE
Figure 1 presents the course structure in diagrammatic form. All modules are 20 credits unless shown otherwise.
Year 1Level 4:
Foundations / Year 2
Level 5:
Applications Development - Techniques and process / FY
Level 6:
Management and Applications
Information Systems / Web Applications Development / Industrial Placement Year / Management of IT Projects
Programming for Computing / Web Architectures / Advanced Web Applications
Web Design & Development / Database Systems / Elective:
- Mobile Applications
- Adv DB & Client Server Applications
- Exploiting Technology Enhanced Learning
Computer Techologies for Business / Effective Design for Multimedia / Option: Eg
- Additional choice from Elective
- Data Warehouse/Data Mining
- Managing Change
- Knowledge Management
Maths for Computing / Option: Eg
- Information Management
- E-Business
( 30 Credits)
Professionalism and Communication Skills / Professional Development Project / Professional Development
or
Professionalism & Employability
(10 credits)
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 has a greater focus towards IT systems development. Four modules each show you the context of an aspect of systems development and gives you practise in its application: system analysis, databases, e-commerce and web architectures. You can use an Option choice to broaden your studies. A Professional Project module allows you, through an enquiry-based learning style, to work with students from other disciplines of IT on projects inspired by – and ideally sponsored by – external clients.
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 extends your studies into advanced applications. You study and apply industry-standard software frameworks for building robust web application. The Elective gives you a choice between studying different aspects of how web systems are supported or applied. The Option again gives you an opportunity to widen your scope of studies – although you are also welcome to select a second Elective choice. 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.
5PROGRESSION/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 variety of careers in the computing industry, including web systems design, web administration, database administration, IT service support, technical sales, e-learning materials development and teaching.
The course develops skills in mainstream programming environments, typically Visual Studio and programming languages such as C#, ASP.Net and JavaScript. It also give you experience of developing applications using industry strength systems such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL-Server, the “dot NET” platform, and SAP. SAP is used by 500 of the 1000 largest companies in the world. Of course you may gain further experience of these or other packages depending upon on your Placement activity.
A number of students choose to go on to gain Teaching qualifications. The Level 6 Elective module Exploiting Technology Enhanced Learningis a popular choice for these students.
Potential progression to Masters study
This course operates within the same Portfolio as the four-year (5 if placement is taken) Masters degree in Computing. Students with good grades (65%+) at the end of their first year of their Web Systems Design course may apply to transfer to the Masters route.
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 suitable MSc course include Cloud Computing, Database Professional, Information Technology Management, 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.
6ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND ENTRY PROFILE
6.1The Formal Entry Qualifications
- Academic Qualifications (including A / AS level grades and subjects, where applicable)
- Level of English language capability
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
- Previous relevant work or work-related experience
- Any specific articulation arrangements recognised for this programme
- Professional qualifications
- Any other specific entry requirements
6.2Entry 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.
Web systems 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. In addition, web systems typically use a range of advanced software technologies in any one application. An enjoyment of solving problems and an aptitude for identifying key factors of a situation would be a strong advantage on this course.
6.3Non-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.
6.4Use 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.