Programming is an engineering tool that plays a vital role to drive most of the modern technologies surrounding us, including the technological devices for communication, transportation and entertainment. In other words it can be said that our modern lifestyles are heavily dependent on programming.

Moreover, businesses increasingly rely on computers and the software run on them. Programming skills and a broader and deeper understanding of programming are therefore becoming increasingly important to the jobs market.

This module will provide an introduction to fundamental concepts associated with operating systems and will lay the foundations for other Computer Science modules that will require a broad understanding of operating systems principles. A good understanding of operating systems is very important for computer scientists in order to design efficient solutions to a wide range of programming problems including concurrent programming, resource management and performance analysis.

This module will initially introduce the key components of operating systems, their role and purpose, and historical background. The module will also cover core themes such as concurrency, scheduling, memory management, security, virtual machines, device management, file systems, and real time and embedded systems. It will combine theoretical concepts and fundamentals with practical exercises that will provide hands-on experience in understanding, managing, and manipulating operating systems.

The vast majority of web applications are connected to databases for the purpose of storing and retrieving information. On this module you will be introduced to relevant concepts and technologies, applying them to the development of such applications. You will gain knowledge and skills concerning data modelling (entity-relationship models) and relational database implementation and administration (using SQL).

You will also acquire new programming skills (e.g., writing server-side scripts in PHP) in order to produce applications that provide useful functionality. You will also gain practical experience in the use of web frameworks to develop web applications to enhance your employability skills.

The module provides you with an opportunity to build on the learning and to develop knowledge of cyber security and how it relates to information and network security. This module builds on Hardware and Security Fundamentals module and will allow you to protect a network system from issues of cybercrime, based on security principles and the principles of how to defend networks from attack.

This module refers to the wider inclusion agenda, rather than just pupils with special education needs or disabilities. It considers the barriers to learning that pupils may have within the subject specialism, and specific classroom approaches or interventions that can be used to address these barriers.

This module, Subject Studies, provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to explore the nature of your specialist subject in the context of learning and teaching in the secondary school.  The module provides substantial support for your professional practice in school, applied through the professional practice modules.  This module provides a strong philosophical underpinning to your awareness of the importance of your specialist subject in the secondary school curriculum.  By undertaking this module you will be shaping your own rationale for your approach to the teaching of your specialist subject, and to meeting the needs of the learners as they move through the secondary school phase.

This module will provide opportunities for you to progress from professional practice 1, by support you in embedding and enhancing your classroom practice as evidenced by the teaching standards. During your placement, you will consider the wider area of inclusion and how, in your subject specialism, specific classroom approaches can be developed to address the many barriers to learning that pupils hold.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a core component of computer science, aiming at developing intelligent agents that mimic human’s cognitive capability in learning, reasoning, and problem solving.

As a branch of AI, machine learning (ML) allows to create software that adapts and learns (from examples), rather than being explicitly programmed for a particular outcome. Both AI and ML rely on managing, processing and analysis of large datasets, something that Data Science (DS) is concerned with. Many services provided by technology giants such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Amazon, etc. are powered by DS, ML and AI. The recent advances in these subjects have already led to significant industrial applications such as self-driving cars and Industry 4.0.

Mobile technologies, particularly in the form of smart phones, are now the de-facto mode for us to communicate and navigate information.  Building on this success, wearables have the potential to make computer technology ubiquitous. Although encompassing many forms, probably the most prevalent example of wearables is seen in the emergence of powerful ‘smart watches’.

This module will focus on combining theoretical concepts around user experience design with practical “hands-on” approaches used widely in industry and academia to create effective interactive experiences.

You will learn about the user-centred design process that places a core emphasis on designing products, applications, and software for “people”. In particular, you will learn techniques for gathering and understanding a target audience’s requirements, the importance of universal design and accessibility, and methods for undertaking rapid prototyping.

This module will allow you to actively examine your professional practice in the workplace and to develop a reflective approach to personal development.  Through studying it, you will further develop your practice-based enquiry skills.  Increasing importance is placed on evidence-based enquiry to inform professional development in education.

This module, The Professional Teacher, provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to explore and understand in practical terms the meaning of professionalism in the context of your subject specialism.  You will understand the holistic and positive role of a teacher and the practices and policies of the education framework in which you operate.  Implicit in this will be the development of your understanding of how children learn in your subject (pedagogy) and how this is organised, delivered and measured in the current range of school systems.  

Working in partnership with schools over a sustained period of time in school, this module, Professional Practice 3, enables you to build on and demonstrate your mastery and achievement of the professional standards and expectations of teaching through practical, school-based experience.  You will have the opportunity to work alongside experienced teachers and other education professionals to develop your knowledge, understanding and skill in the classroom and the wider school environment.