Computing Science

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course covers the techniques for creating sophisticated websites, emphasising architecture and design issues, and the provision of client-side and server-side dynamic content, with a particular focus on the use of XML.

Structure

Assessment

1 2.5 hour examination (50%) and continuous assessment (50%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course introduces internet and world-wide web technologies, and teaches how to build and maintain websites that are rich in information content, interactive, and easy to use. The design of websites is approached through the principles of information architecture, and students are given opportunities to critique existing websites and design their own sites. Website implementation using HTML/XHTML and authoring tools is covered. The course focuses upon interactivity in websites, introducing both client-side interactivity (using JavaScript) and server-side interactivity (using PHP). Dynamic generation of web pages from database tables is also covered. Finally, the course examines the maintenance and management of large websites (including CSS and XML) and issues in web security and privacy.

Structure

Assessment

1 2-hour short-answer exam (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

At the end of the course, students should be able to design and implement a complete database application, from the initial conceptual modelling stage to implementation with an SQL-based relational database system. They should have an overall appreciation of the internal organisation of a database system, and of the main tasks of a database administrator. They should also be able to build server-side support for Web-based persistent data applications. They should have a basic knowledge of the information retrieval techniques supporting search engines. And they should understand why the performance characteristics of search engines are very different from those of database systems.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Ernesto Compatangelo

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

At the end of the course, students should be able to analyse the requirements of a software system, design a system structure using leading edge design techniques, and devise strategies for testing and evaluating a software system. They should have developed a good knowledge of software engineering techniques and be ready to employ these techniques in later parts of the degree programme.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course provides grounding in the field of e-commerce, e-health, e-science and e-governance, with case studies illustrating the infrastructures, models, and activities in various industrial and public sectors.

Structure

Assessment

1 two and a half hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J. Masthoff

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

- Adaptive Hypermedia.
- User modelling.
- Recommender systems (e.g. content-based and collaborative filtering).
- Group modelling.
- Affective and persuasive computing.
- Application domains (e.g. personalised news, personalised e-learning, personalised digital tv, personalised e-commerce, psersonalisation in health-care).
- Usability aspects of adaptive systems (scrutability, believability, privacy).
- Designing and evaluating adaptive systems.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures (to be arranged) and 1 two-hour supervised practical (to be arranged) per week.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%), and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Ritchie

Pre-requisites

x

Co-requisites

x

Notes

Overview

x

Structure

x

Assessment

two hour exam (50%); continuous assessment (50%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor C Mellish

Pre-requisites

Undergraduate degree in Computing or comparable experience.

Overview

Formal linguistic models of English: word categories, sentence constituents, phrase-structure grammar rules, features. Modelling syntactic phenomena.
Parsing: shift-reduce parsers, chart parsers, handling ambiguity, definite clause grammars.
Semantics and pragmatics: meaning representations, reference, speech acts.
Generation: content determination, sentence planning, and realisation.
Applications: grammar checking, machine translation, database interfaces, report generation, dictation.
Speech: hidden Markov models, statistical language models, speech synthesis.

Structure

Two one-hour lectures per week; one two-hour practical per week.

Assessment

1 two and a half-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Sally Middleton

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Co-requisites

CS5073 Foundations of Computing Science

Notes

Overview

Introduction:
Systems within organisations. Different kinds of systems serving different purposes. The need for systems analysis and design. The systems development life cycle. Prototyping.

Project management issues:
Project planning, team organisation, software measurement and metrics, cost estimation, feasibility studies, risk analysis.

Systems analysis and design - requirements elicitation, interviewing, system modelling, functional vs. non-functional requirements, developing a system specification, object libraries, design patterns.

Unified Modelling Language (UML) and omparison with structured methods (e.g. SSADM).

Computer-aided software engineering.

Software testing - testing strategies and methods, quality assurance and management, verification and validation.

Structure

This course will be delivered independently through webCT, but students will be given the option of attending two one-hour lectures and one two-hour practical session each week.

Assessment

One two-hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Sally Middleton

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

Introduction to Programming; Object creation and interaction; Class definitions; Simple data types; Strings; Method structure; Control structures; Structured program design; Scoping; Expressions: arithmetic, conditional, string; Internal and external method calls; Collections; Iterators; Casting; Arrays.

Computing Science Fundamentals: Sets; Boolean algebra; Propositional logic and truth tables.

Structure

This course will be delivered independently through webCT, but students will be given the option of attending the three one-hour lectures and one two-hour practical each week on-campus.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor C Mellish

Pre-requisites

Only available for students on the MSc/PgDip in Information Technology.

Notes

Overview

The topic studied may be self-proposed by the student, or the student may take a topic suggested by an academic member of staff.
Topics will be related to the area of the MSc Project and gaps in the students' knowledge.
How to analyse and specify gaps in knowledge.
Independent study skills (how to use textbooks, internet, papers, colleagues; what level of detail to study at; time management).
Reviewing materials, including scientific papers, technical documentation, and marketing materials about related products and services.
Communicating knowledge to a general computer science audience.

Structure

One one-hour lecture. Two one-hour meetings with academic supervisor at the start of the course to draw up a plan for independent study. One hour meeting with academic supervisor per week, in which students discuss their progress and problems.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%). Students will produce a dissertation (about 30 pages) about the topics they studied in the course, and the systems studied and critically analysed. Marking will be done by an expert in the area studied, moderated by the course organiser.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course delivers a thorough understanding of enterprise programming models and techniques for distributed systems, including a comparative analysis of the major industry platforms.

Structure

Assessment

1 2.5 hour written examination (50%) and continuous assessment (50%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course, delivered in collaboration with the School of Law, covers essential business strategy and associated legal issues in e-commerce

Structure

Assessment

1 2.5 hour written examination (50%), continuous assessment (35%), and oral presentation (15%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

K Christie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

At the end of the course, students should be able to design and implement a complete database application, from the initial conceptual modelling stage to implementation with an SQL-based relational database system. They should have an overall appreciation of the internal organisation of a database system, and of the main tasks of a database administrator. They should also be able to build server-side support for Web-based persistent data applications. They should have a basic knowledge of the information retrieval techniques supporting search engines. And they should understand why the performance characteristics of search engines are very different from those of database systems.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Chris Mellish

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Knowledge-based systems have become increasingly important in all branches of industry, finance, commerce, medicine, the civil service, etc. They enable the knowledge and skills of expert individuals within the organisation to be made more widely available in order to improve the quality of decision-making at all levels.
This course gives an introduction to the basic ideas of Knowledge-Based Systems. It addresses the representation of knowledge and uncertainty about knowledge, and search methods for making conclusions from this knowledge.

The ideas presented in this course will be investiagted through developing applications using the "Production System" CLIPS. This is an expert system development tool developed by NASA.

Structure

Assessment

1 two hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Notes

Overview

This course identifies fundamental data structures and algorithms as the basic building blocks of software systems, and provides experience of their implementation and application using the Java programming language.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Bruce Scharlau

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course aims to provide a modern introduction to business computing, centred on the concept of an enterprise data model. Students will learn how to design and implement enterprise data models, and will gain practical skills in using modern RAD tools to rapidly develop business applications that exploit an enterprise model. Business-to-business transactions will also be examined, wherein standard interfaces are established between multiple organisations' models and applications using XML-based technologies. Java Web applications will also be introduced in order to develop both front-end and back-end applications.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Judith Masthoff

Pre-requisites

If undertaking the Information Technology programme.

Co-requisites

If undertaking the Information Systems programme.

Notes

Overview

The course provides an introduction to the issues surrounding human-computer interaction. It addresses the topic from a number of perspectives: as an instance of human information-processing; as a user-centered design problem; and as a standards / guidelines led process. It also provides an introduction to the relevant Java APIs, which allow user-interfaces to be constructed. Considerable emphasis is placed on the importance of evaluation of user-interface designs and implementations. The role of technical documentation as part of the human-computer interface is discussed and students given the opportunity to develop those skills. Multimedia technology is studied as an example of advanced HCI.

Structure

Assessment

One 2 hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course covers the technology underlying agent-mediated applications including protocol design and models of coordination for open distributed systems. During the course two key application areas are studied: workflow management and virtual organisations.

Structure

Assessment

1 two and a half hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr E Compatangelo

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

To give students practical experience in the technical, organisational and legal issues involved in creating a software solution to a practical problem within E-Commerce, E-Health or E-Science. To give students experience of team projects.

Structure

Assessment

Continuous assessment (95%) and oral presentation (5%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Data trend and pattern detectors, abstraction formation, data integration, and qualitative modelling and reasoning. Data visualisation, natural language generation, user variability and preferences, and interface design.

Structure

Assessment

1 two and a half hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course covers the range of available Grid-based technologies to support e-Science and the requirements for those technologies. It provides practical experience in the use of these technologies, and an understanding of the areas in which current technology is lacking.

Structure

Assessment

1 two and a half hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Kathleen Christie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Unknown

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Kathleen Christie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Unknown

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr B. Scharlau

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

a) programming using a scripting language, including objects, methods, control structures, data types and collections;
b) programming for the internet, including forms, applications logic, database programming, and interaction with other applications using Web 2.0 tecnology suhc as Google Maps/

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 two-hour practical.

Assessment

1 two hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr B. Scharlau

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

a) principles of business computing including customer relationship management, supply chain management, data warehousing and online analytical processing, enterprise resource planning and business information systems
b)security issues in computing including authentication, cryptography, secure signatures and threat analysis.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 two-hour practical per week.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Frank Guerin

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The role, function and interaction of the major organs and body systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, nervous, muscular-skeletal, reproductive);· Physiological regulatory processes;· An overview of the diagnosis and treatment of common disease processes; · Clinical terminology.

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Ritichie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course introduces students to the art of writing computer programs to solve problems and carry out tasks, using a modern practical language. It will prepare students for further study in computer science.

Structure

Assessment

One two hour written examination paper (50%) and continuous assessment (50%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Coghill

Pre-requisites

x

Co-requisites

x

Notes

Overview

x

Structure

x

Assessment

x

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Sally Middleton

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

(a) Programming using a scripting language, including objects, methods, control structures, data types and collections.
(b) Programming for the internet, including forms, application logic, database programming, and interaction with other applications using Web 2.0 technology such as Google Maps.

Structure

This course will be delivered independently through webCT, but students will be given the option of attending 2 one-hour lectures (to be arranged) and 1 two-hour practical (to be arranged) per week on-campus.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Sally Middleton

Pre-requisites

An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

Notes

Overview

(a) Principles of business computing including customer relationship management, supply chain management, data warehousing and online analytical processing, enterprise resource planning and business information systems.
(b) Security issues in computing including authentication, cryptography, secure signatures and threat analysis.

Structure

This course will be delivered independently through webCT, but students will be given the option of attending the 2 one-hour lectures (to be arranged) and 1 two-hour practical (to be arranged) per week on-campus.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%); continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor C Mellish

Pre-requisites

Admitted to the MSc after satisfactory performance on the first 120 credits of the programme.

Notes

Overview

The student will undertake a software engineering project to develop a complex web site, as part of a team under the guidance of teaching staff in the department. The project will require creative, analytical and practical skills. A major component of the project is its presentation, both written and oral (with a report size around 40 pages).

Structure

1 one-hour tutorial per week with a project guide.

Assessment

95% Project (submission of report and code), 5% presentation.

Credit Points

25

Course Coordinator

Dr George Coghill

Pre-requisites

CS5302 Enterprise Programming

Overview

- The topic for research may be self proposed by the student, or the student may take a topic suggested by an academic member of staff.
- Topics will be related to the area of the MSc dissertation and gaps in the students' knowledge. (some sample topics: Argumentation theory, Personalization, Machine Learning, Logic, Game Theory, Generating referring expressions.)
- Hoe to analyse and specify gaps in knowledge.
- Independent study skills (how to use textbooks, internet, papers, colleagues; what level of detail to study at; time management)
- Reviewing materials, including scientific papers, technical documentation, and marketing materials about related products and services.
- Communicating knowledge to a general computer science audience.

Structure

One one-hour lecture. Two one hour meetings with academic supervisor at the start of the course to draw up a plan for independent study. One hour meeting with academic supervisor per week, in which students discuss their progress and problems. Students will spend about 30 hours a week on independent study.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%). Students will produce a dissertation about the topics they studied in the course, and the systems studied and critically analysed. Marking will be done by an expert in the area of their dissertation, moderated by the course organiser.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr GM Coghill

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

Overview

A selection of topics spanning a range of BioComputing topics under the following headings:
Bioinformatics (e.g. sequence alignment, protein folding)
Model-based Technology (e.g. Qualitative reasoning applied to Systems Biology)
Nature Inspired Computing (e.g. Artificial Immune Systems)

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 two-hour practical per week.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The course examines the technological issues in managing business relationships within an ecommerce context, including managing both the business-customer and business-supplier relationships.

Structure

Assessment

1 2.5 hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

25

Course Coordinator

Dr F Guerin

Pre-requisites

Only available for students on a Specialist MSc or PgDip in the Computing Science discipline.

Overview

The topic studied may be self-proposed by the student, or the student may take a topic suggested by an academic member of staff.
Topics will be related to the area of the MSc Project and gaps in the students' knowledge. (Some sample topics: Argumentation theory, Persuasive Technology, Personalization, Machine Learning, Logic, Game Theory, Generating referring expressions).
How to analyse and specify gaps in knowledge.
Independent study skills (how to use textbooks, internet, papers, colleagues; what level of detail to study at; time management).
Reviewing materials, including scientific papers, technical documentation, and marketing materials about related products and services.
Communicating knowledge to a general computer science audience.

Structure

One one-hour lecture. Two one-hour meetings with academic supervisor at the start of the course to draw up a plan for independent study. One hour meeting with academic supervisor per week, in which students discuss their progress and problems. Students will spend about 30 hours a week on independent study.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%). Students will produce a dissertation about the topics they studied in the course, and the systems studied and critically analysed. Marking will be done by an expert in the area studied, moderated by the course organiser.

Credit Points

40

Course Coordinator

Prof. C. Mellish

Pre-requisites

Admitted to the MSc after satisfactory performance in the first 80 credits of the programme.

Overview

Students will undertake a software engineering project to develop a complex web site, as part of a team under the guidance of teaching staff in the department. The project will require creative, analytical and practical skills. A major component of the project is its presentation, both written and oral (with a report size around 50 pages).

Structure

1 one-hour tutorial per week with a project guide.

Assessment

95% project (submission of report aand code), 5% presentation.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Kathleen Christie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Unknown

Structure

Assessment

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Unknown

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

To develop the students' creative, analytical, practical and presentational skills. To allow the students to consolidate material learnt earlier in the programme, to extend their skills, and to research new areas.

Structure

Assessment

95% Project, 5% presentation.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr B Scharlau

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

At the end of the course, students should be able to analyse the requirements of a software system, design a system structure using leading edge design techniques, and devise strategies for testing and evaluating a software system. They should have developed a good knowledge of software engineering techniques and be ready to employ these techniques in later parts of the degree programme.

Structure

Assessment

1 two hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%).

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Dr B Scharlau

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

To develop the students' creative, analytical, practical and presentational skills. To allow the students to consolidate material learnt earlier in the programme, to extend their skills, and to research new areas.

Structure

Assessment

Continuous assessment (95%) and oral presentation (5%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Kathleen Christie

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Unknown

Structure

Assessment