Computing, Foundation Degree - 2016/17

The Foundation Degree in Computing is an excellent route into studying computing at university level. The Foundation Degree in Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University is distinctive because of the involvement of employers and the computing sector. Industrial placement (approximately 8-10 weeks) and work-based learning have been at its heart and this involvement is incorporated into the development, delivery and assessment of the programme. Lance, a Year 2 student, remarked: "The industrial placement is a very valuable resource; I was able to use the experience to explore whether a career in the education sector was for me. I gained some valuable insights and made some firm friends in a local secondary school." The programme aims to provide students with an up-to-date, relevant Higher Education qualification in computing in conjunction with the IT industry. Students develop skills, understanding and knowledge of computing that are underpinned by rigorous and broad-based academic learning incorporating key skills. The assessed work experience and industrial placement further provide work-specific skills that are relevant to the IT sector. There is an emphasis on direct technical skills developed through a number of courses across the two-year (full-time) programme of study. Students develop knowledge and understanding of the organisation of computer systems in terms of hardware, software and data processing and there are continual forms of summative and formative assessments and small group workshops. “Thanks to my ‘Industrial Placement’ module I was able to gain valuable workplace experience in an area of IT that I might never have considered before. The knowledge and understanding I acquired during my placement helped me secure a job in central London as a software tester, an opportunity I would never have received without the industrial placement,” said Daryoosh who completed the course this year.