COMPUTER SCIENCE

This module will provide you with the opportunity to improve your understanding of web development, and your judgement of the effectiveness of different development techniques, both in theory and in practice. You will cover important techniques and issues in designing and building large scale web systems, as well as considering development methods and patterns which enhance maintainabilty and testability, such as web components, Model-View-Controller, Object Relation Mapping, and HTML template engines. The module will familiarise you with relevant web development frameworks such as ASP.NET, and compare this with alternatives such as Object-Oriented PHP, Enterprise Java, and server-side JavaScript.

The module introduces algorithmic techniques for various sets of problems and teaches how to analyse algorithms in terms of their complexity. The techniques build upon the data structures and algorithms studied in previous modules so that you can further develop your use of methods for solving complex problems. Examples will be used throughout to demonstrate each approach.

This module aims to address the aspects and challenges of big data analytics by introducing fundamental concepts and algorithms. It starts with introduction of methods and tools of data collection, followed by methods of dealing inconsistent data, missing data and redundant data, on which techniques of data preparation including data cleaning, data transformation and integration are addressed. The module will then cover methods for structured data and unstructured data, where techniques for structured data include data mining (in particular parallel data mining techniques) and those for unstructured data include social network analysis and text mining. A further aim of the unit is to introduce software systems used for big data analytics.

The need for computational power and data storage continues to drive demand for more highly capable systems. Highly data-intensive applications demand fast access to terabytes, petabytes, even exabytes of storage; processor intensive applications demand access to various types of processors in various configurations. Such applications are increasingly being developed in both scientific and industrial contexts and need to be variously scalable and supportable for large numbers of geographically distributed users. This module will provide insights into how Cloud Computing attempts to meet the varying needs of such applications.

This module will teach the principles of security in web and cloud-based systems and how these principles apply in a range of different applications. You will learn about cyber security frameworks, standards and best practices, and how to apply these within an organisation. The module also covers the core technical elements of web and cloud-based security systems and the current trends in cyber security; threats, their importance, and why they are difficult to deal with.

This module will provide a deep and systematic understanding of the nature and conduct of computer science research. It will equip you with the ability to undertake independent research. You will also consider the Legal, Social, Ethical and Professional (LSEP) issues applicable to the computer industry.

You will gain valuable work experience on a 48-week work placement. This is an exciting opportunity to put what you have learned into practice, broaden your experience and demonstrate your abilities to potential employers.

The module studies in detail the activities associated with software development process as performed by a development team that adopts an Agile methodology. Topics covered include the concepts, principles, practice and philosophy of an Agile approach to software development. You will work in groups to learn about collaboration: environment, programmer collaboration, team values, customer involvement, standards and reporting. The module covers planning, release, risk assessment and estimating. It also considers agile development: incremental requirements, customer tests, test-driven development, refactoring, simple design, incremental design and architecture, spike solutions and performance optimisation. Finally, you will learn to manage agile projects: roles, values and team philosophy; management of scope and the business/economic issues such as time, cost, quality and risk.

The module provides guidelines, design principles and experience in developing applications for small, mobile devices, including an appreciation of context and location aware services. You will develop an appreciation of interaction modalities with small, mobile devices (including interface design for non-standard display surfaces) through the implementation of simple applications and use cases. The module will also introduce wireless communication and networking principles that support connectivity to cellular networks, wireless internet and sensor devices. You will also learn about transaction and e-commerce principles over such devices to support mobile business concepts.

The purpose of this module is to bring together material in the key areas of professionalism and careers, finance, health and safety, environmental concerns, law and intellectual property, in the context of the software industry. You will apply relevant computing-related legislation and professional codes of conduct to day-to-day situations that arise in business, and evaluate risks associated with those situations. You will also explain your five-year career plan and know what steps need to be taken to achieve it.

The module will introduce the field of artificial intelligence and study the principal ideas and techniques in key topic areas including problem solving, knowledge representation and machine learning. The module will cover problem solving (problem representation, uninformed and informed search), knowledge representation (logic-based languages, e.g. description logic, and ontologies and the semantic web) and machine learning (symbolic learning, decision trees and Bayesian learning).

This module will provide an opportunity for you to conduct research into an unfamiliar aspect of Computing Science and enable you to develop and apply computing skills to a substantial problem. You will synthesise what you have learned from other modules and be provided with an opportunity to work independently.