M O D U L E S

There are five compulsory modules. In addition, all students take one of the three core modules associated with the strands, and four elective modules. For MSc students, one of the elective modules must be Professional Software Development.  

Compulsory modules

• Foundations
• Computer Systems and Networks
• Database Systems
• Further Programming
• Professional Skills

Core modules

• Cultural and Heritage Informatics (Arts strand)
• IT for Management and Business (Management strand)
• User Centered Software Design (Software strand)

Elective modules
Students will select four elective modules in the second semester.  The elective module list typically includes:   
Arts:  2D Digitisation,Document Encoding,Multimedia Systems;
Management:Financial Modelling for Management,Human Factors & Organisational Relations,IT Project Management; 
Software:Professional Software Development,Advanced Programming,Algorithms and Data Structures,Internet Technology.  Please note that this information may not reflect the exact range in any year. 

Foundations

There are three components to this module: Programming, Information Management, and Computer Systems. The module introduces key concepts of programming, and students will design and implement simple programs in an object oriented language. The underlying structure of the computer will be described, as well as methods of representing data within a computer. Ways of storing, manipulating and presenting information will be introduced through discussion of common application tools. This is a highly practical module: students will have the opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts in extensive, supported laboratory sessions.

Computer Systems and Networks
The Computer Systems and Networks module provides an overview of the fundamental principles behind computer architecture, operating systems, and networking. The main themes of the module are the organisation of systems into levels of abstraction and the interactions among these levels. The student will gain a working understanding of digital circuits, machine language, processes, virtual memory, and the structure and function of the Internet.

Database Systems
The database module will discuss the theory and practice of using a database to manage sets of data. The module will concentrate on the use of Relational databases, these being the most widely used kinds of database system, and will give experience of both a personal database system and an industrial strength system. The module content will include relational database theory, database design, database implementation and the kinds of facility supported by database systems.

Further Programming
This module will introduce problem solving and object oriented programming, building on the skills acquired in the Foundations module. The student will gain a firm grasp of basic programming concepts central to all areas of Information Technology and the ability to design solutions to problems using suitable algorithms and data structures, implement programs in Java with good design and clear robust code, and provide informative and concise documentation

Professional Skills
The emphasis in this module is on skills of analysis, reasoning, and debate, and on the laws and codes of conduct relevant to the IT industry. Students are encouraged to adopt a principled viewpoint on complex issues in and around IT. The module covers issues such as intellectual property, computer misuse, and health and safety, and the range of current IT industries will be introduced through lectures by visiting speakers.

Core modules

Cultural and Heritage Informatics (Arts strand)
This module investigates the application of IT in the heritage sector, which plays an increasingly central role in the conservation, preservation, and access to our cultural, natural and scientific heritage. Archives, libraries and museums which embark on the creation of new types of information resources, retroconversion, digitisation, and public outreach require better trained IT specialists.

IT for Management and Business (Management strand)
This module provides the student with an understanding of the role of information technology in organizations and the varied ways in which it may contribute to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. The student will gain an appreciation of the impact of information technology on organizational strategy, marketing and operations.

User Centered Software Design (Software strand)
This module will consider the importance of designing for the user – considering users’ tasks and contexts, and describing methods for ensuring that the final implemented system meets the users’ needs.

Elective modules

The Arts Strand

2D Digitisation
Digitisation of analogue materials is increasingly important to the strategies of heritage institutions. This module will promote the analytical skills for assessing the content of analogue material, provide a framework for selecting appropriate digitisation standards for analogue material, and introduce digital capture techniques, metadata and its application.

Document Encoding
The module introduces the principles of electronic text, covering text encoding standards (e.g. SGML, XML and XHTML), the process of analysing text to define the appropriate encoding approach, and the ways that encoded texts can be used for research. While this module focuses on the humanities the technologies and methods that it covers have important application in commercial organisations (e.g. production and financial).

Multimedia Systems
This module introduces the range of technologies by which data drawn from different media (structured text, images, sound, video, and animation) can be produced, represented and deployed. It includes principles of multimedia design, software tools used to produce and render multimedia data, evaluation, and iterative development.

Preservation of Electronic Records
This module introduces the theoretical, methodological and practical skills in the management and preservation of materials in digital form. It covers the use of information resources in contemporary organisations, the preservation of digital data and problems associated with their maintenance, retrieval, storage and distribution, the legal and compliance issues surrounding digital resources, and the role of standards in reducing risks to the long term sustainability of digital resources.

The Management Strand

Financial Modelling for Management
This module is designed to develop students’ awareness of the economic and financial effects of IT and technological developments in organisations. It will provide the student with an awareness of how the use of information and communications technology (ICT) impacts upon organisations, in terms of resource management with a focus on both strategic and operational effects.

Human Factors & Organisational Relations
This module is designed to develop students’ awareness of the range of human factor issues related to technological change in organisations. It will provide the student with an appreciation of how information and communications technology (ICT) impacts upon organisations, in terms of organisational structures, work design and organisation, employee relations, human resource management strategies and employee health and safety.

IT Project Management
This module will introduce students to management through its focus on projects, the most commonly found approach to managing IT developments.  It will familiarize the student with the management methods and techniques most widely used to plan, organize and control projects undertaken by information technologists.

The Software Strand

Professional Software Development
(Compulsory for all MSc students)
This module explores the development of large-scale information systems, from initial ideas right though to systems delivery and end-user evaluation, and also the associated software project management problems. Within the software development process, the focus is then on two major topics: requirements engineering, finding out what the customer really wants; and object-oriented systems analysis and design, presenting modern techniques for developing systems.

Advanced Programming
The Advanced Programming module shows how to build reasonably large programs in an object orientated style. It will cover a number of common design patterns and show how to implement them in a program. An important part of the module examines different programming styles, contrasting those styles that make it easy to integrate a large number of software modules with those that will cause problems.

Algorithms and Data Structures
This module focuses on data collections: stacks, queues, lists, sets, maps, trees, and graphs. It shows how to exploit such collections in application programs. It shows how to represent collections by suitable data structures (arrays, linked lists, search trees, hash tables), and how to manipulate these representations by suitable algorithms (insertion, deletion, searching, merging, sorting).

Internet Technology
This module will concentrate on the theory and up-to-date practice of developing dynamic web sites. The module will be designed around a discussion of a three tier architecture in which the browser, the server and a database make up the three tiers. It will discuss appropriate database structures for web sites,protocols for networking data and programming at the browser and server end. It also discuss emerging technologies such as XML and Web Services for supporting distributed computing.

Multimedia Systems
This module introduces the range of technologies by which data drawn from different media (structured text, images, sound, video, and animation) can be produced, represented and deployed. It includes principles of multimedia design, software tools used to produce and render multimedia data, evaluation, and iterative development. 

IT Project Management
This module will introduce students to management through its focus on projects, the most commonly found approach to managing IT developments.  It will familiarize the student with the management methods and techniques most widely used to plan, organize and control projects undertaken by information technologists.