Computing BSc (Hons)

Modules

Methods of assessment for course overall: 76% coursework

• Business & Professional issues
  As a new entrant to the university, this module prepares you for developing an understanding of - and skills for - academic study and the world of work, and the professional and personal skills you will need. You will be introduced to all aspects of university study and being an IT professional, allowing your ideas to be explored and developed throughout your time at LSBU and beyond. The topics studied will be used to develop the skills that both a graduate and an IT professional will require and will give you ample opportunities to develop your intellectual skills as well as your practical ones. In addition to these topics on professionalism, the module will introduce you to a range of topics relating to computer-based information systems, e-business and how business organisations work. The module is largely based on some existing model syllabi (as devised by professional bodies such as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) but this has been adapted for the particular needs of LSBU's new entrants.
• Mathematical Analysis for Informatics
  Programmes within the Informatics domain will have an emphasis on the business and managerial functions of organisations. This module will introduce you to the logical and discrete mathematical structures and models, which are commonly used in the broad field of Informatics and which underpin any study of a branch of this discipline. The module will emphasise the formulation of problems into mathematical forms, the interpretation of solutions and the identification of problem characteristics to help suggest modelling approaches. Provisions will be made (typically one hour per week) to allow us to bring you, if necessary, to a level of confidence and expertise in those areas of essential basic mathematics that should have been covered at earlier levels.
• Media, Computers and Networks
  This module introduces the overall structure and operation of the computer systems and networks found in all areas of business and daily life. Emphasis is given to the different types of information that must be stored and processed, and how this information is distributed over different types of network. You will gain an appreciation of the difference between high-level and low-level programming languages and how program instructions are executed at the machine level. The role of operating systems, peripherals, and networking hardware and software will be introduced.
• Socio-Technical Analysis of Requirements
  The module will provide you with a first course in systems theory and the analysis of requirements from a socio-technical perspective. The module explores the modelling of both hard and soft requirements from human, data and process centred perspectives. You will study requirements analysis as the expression of the business rules of an organisation. Elements of organisational theory, organisational behaviour with particular reference to technology and culture are introduced alongside systems architectures, the systems development life cycle and aspects of change management. UML is used throughout.
• Software Development for Business 1
  This module will introduce you to developing small business systems using PC based applications. In this module you will learn how to build integrated systems that meet business users' requirements. The bottom up approach adopted by the module will enable you to explore and learn how to use the various tools that these applications provide for building and integrating systems. You will consider the need for and use of programming languages and the requirement to adhere to a professional approach when developing software systems.
• Software Development for Business 2
  This module helps you to understand, to develop a vocabulary and acquire some simple programming skills using a programming language. It does this by having you develop your own system over the weeks, supported by the exercises and examples provided in parallel. This experience will include a familiarity with Objects and Classes, some experience in simple GUIs, a look at good development principles and the kind of support an IDE will provide; all important aspects of the application development process in whatever environment or programming language you may use in the future.

• Business Database Systems
  The database is now the underlying framework of the information system and has fundamentally changed the way companies, organisations and individuals alike work. This module covers the fundamentals of the database field. The subject of the database field is concerned with how to use computers to store and manage data, usually large quantities of data. This is, first and foremost, an introductory module to database management systems.
• Digital Business Applications
  In this module you will learn about the technologies used to build the distributed applications by which digital business is conducted. You will learn how dynamic client interfaces to applications held on remote servers are built and how dynamic processes on servers use databases and other files to both provide and interact with those client interfaces. As well as experimenting with the fundamental mechanisms involved you will explore how these are used in a range of complex real world business applications.
• Research and Professional Practice
  This module will provide you with the necessary methodological, analytical and development skills needed to design, implement, and analyse a piece of independent research or development piece of work in the form of a consultancy tender, reflection, etc. at an undergraduate level in the field of Informatics. The module will focus on general issues you are likely to adopt for your research project such as: the Research and Development life cycle; collecting and analysing primary and secondary sources of knowledge; elementary consultancy skills, ethics and managing your time effectively and presenting your findings in a coherent manner. The module will focus on specific issues related to your chosen pathway by providing specific pathway tutorial groups where you will explore, in greater depth, those issues most likely to be relevant for your chosen pathway.
• Systematic Software Development
  This module will deepen your understanding of software development processes and their associated products. You will learn how to develop software systematically from initial requirements through to acceptance testing, and how to achieve high quality in terms of reliability, robustness and maintainability. You will enhance your programming skills and develop new skills in the areas of program design utilising patterns, user interface design and implementation, and rigorous testing.
• User-Centred Design
  User-centred design and usability are recognised as major contributing factors in the success of business and mass market information systems. The rise over the last 2 decades of the internet/web along with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), multimedia and ubiquitous mobile devices has led to an almost universal uptake of highly sophisticated interactive systems. This module provides you with the practical tools and techniques required to design, develop and evaluate effective interactive systems in an ever-changing digital age.

• System Design Techniques
  This module explores the techniques for systems analysis and design, divided mainly into four areas: Traditional methodologies, Agile methodologies, Systems Thinking methodologies and professionally recognised project management techniques.
• Enterprise Architectures
  This module will introduce you to the concept of the Enterprise Architecture – the high-level internally compatible representations of an organisations business models, data, applications, and information technology infrastructure. Being able to understand and develop the enterprise architecture is a key skill set for ensuring that the IT capabilities are fully aligned with the general organisational goals. This introduction focuses on the component architectures of the IT Infrastructure, including networking technology, data centres, and so on and will introduce you to the IT management and control frameworks ITIL and COBIT.

Optional sandwich year. A sandwich placement in the IT sector.

• Distributed Computer Systems
  Our everyday lives depend increasingly on distributed systems linking computers and other devices - from mobile phones to ambient systems - together in a seamless and transparent way. The components of such systems are usually geographically distributed. This module develops the concept of message-passing concurrency and provides a comprehensive source of material on the principles and practice of distributed computer systems.
• Engineering Software
  There are situations where the software we develop must be highly reliable, for example, safety-critical applications and software designed for re-use. From studying this module you will gain insight into some of the techniques used in the development of highly reliable software.
• Honours Informatics Project
  The project contributes significantly towards the final degree. In the final year you spend about 2 days a week on your project. Future employers will probably ask you about your project, and use performance in the project as one of the most reliable guides to your potential. As a final year 40 module for the Honours degree, the project allows you to demonstrate, through a practical application, the extent of theoretical knowledge gained in the first two years of study, practical skills acquired in the subsequent year of industrial or commercial training and further theoretical and practical skills acquired during the final year of study.
• IS Project Management
  As you come towards the end of your Honours degree in a Computing/IT subject area, this module takes a broad and reflective view of the profession in a holistic and critical manner. It considers matters of professional and ethical relevance, and particularly considers issues that are of contemporary significance to the subject area.

• Social & Collaborative Computing
  This unit looks at all aspects of social networking that are currently used for both business and pleasure. It also examines collaborative software and how it can be used to best effect. The unit provides a thorough understanding of user activity in these areas, how users can be supported and managed and how the various systems can be used to their best effect.
• Web Services, Security and Management
  This module covers the practical issues of both hosting and managing web sites, including security and server configuration. It also covers the various approaches used to implement the web services that enable cloud computing, and the competing techniques for implementing the semantic web.