Advanced Diploma in Information and Communications Technology

Purpose

This qualification is designed to prepare learners for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry or alternatively for Postgraduate study through the deepening of their knowledge and understanding of theories, methodologies and practices within the field of Computer and Information Science. A further purpose is the development of their ability to formulate, undertake and resolve more complex theoretical and practice related problems and tasks through the selection and use of appropriate methods and techniques.

Rationale

The Advanced Diploma in Information and Communications Technology is closely aligned with strategic direction of the institution to provide relevant career focused education. The curriculum derives from the Association for Computing Machinery and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computing Curriculum: Information Technology Volume (ACM/IEEE CC).

With this in mind, the Advanced Diploma offers learners articulation into the Honours ICT offering them and opportunity to continue with research at the Masters and Doctorate levels.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution's RPL policy will be applied.

The institution will consider formal academic qualifications, work experience, appropriate professional certification, and membership of professional bodies.

RPL applications will be considered for the following

• Admission to a qualification based on the Recognition of Prior Learning.
• The awarding of credit exemption for a specific discrete module within the qualification.

Entry Requirements

• Diploma in Information and Communications Technology, Level 6.

This qualification comprises compulsory and elective modules at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 7 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 88 Credits

• Data Structures, 16 Credits.
• Software Development and Management, 16 Credits.
• Applied Mathematics for Computing A (Probability and Statistics), 12 Credits.
• Research Skills, 12 Credits.
• Applied Mathematics for Computing B (Discrete Structures and Linear Algebra), 16 Credits.
• Platform Based Development, 16 Credits.

Elective Modules, 32 Credits (Choose 2)

• Strategy Acquisition and Management 3, 16 Credits.
• Machine Intelligence 3, 16 Credits.
• Business Intelligence 3, 16 Credits.
• Graphics 3, 16 Credits.
• Parallel and Distributed Computing 3, 16 Credits.
• Human Computer Interaction, 16 Credits.

1. Apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline.
2. Analyse a problem; identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution.
3. Utilise and apply current technical concepts and practices in the core information technologies.
4. Apply research skills with the purpose of evaluating current technologies and techniques and to further engage in lifelong learning and professional development.
5. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences as well as an ability to function effectively within a team to accomplish a common goal.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Apply the tools of probability to solve real world problems.
• Calculate the mean and the variance for given distributions involving continuous random variables.
• Compute fault coverage and reliability in simple hardware and software applications.
• Apply the concepts and tools of stochastic processes to analyse the performance of simple hardware and software systems.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate sampling methods in a range of situations.
• Given a distribution, apply basic principles to derive estimators that exhibit desirable properties.
• Given a sample situation, formulate a hypothesis and carry out appropriate tests to check its acceptability.
• Given a suitable circumstance, apply correlation and regression techniques with a view to establishing relationships between variables.
• Relate practical examples to the appropriate set, function, or relation model, and interpret the associated operations and terminology in context.
• Apply formal logic proofs and/or informal, but rigorous, logical reasoning to real problems, such as predicting the behaviour of software or solving problems such as puzzles.
• Determine which type of proof is best for a given problem.
• Map real-world applications to appropriate counting formalisms, such as determining the number of ways to arrange people around a table, subject to constraints on the seating arrangement, or the number of ways to determine certain hands in cards (e.g., a full house).
• Use standard methods of solving differential equations.
• Exhibit the necessary skills to deal with engineering and science models that involve differential calculus of one variable.
• Gain a familiarity with elementary special functions such as exponential, log, and trigonometric functions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Define the objectives of different software engineering phases.
• Manage the software development process.
• Analyse and model software requirements.
• Evaluate technologies that support software development.
• Assess the quality of software systems.
• Apply appropriate data structures and abstract data types (ADT) such as bags, lists, stacks, queues, trees, tables, and graphs in problem solving.
• Apply object-oriented principles of polymorphism, inheritance, and generic programming when implementing ADTs for data structures.
• Create alternative representations of ADTs either from implementation or the standard libraries.
• Apply recursion as a problem solving technique.
• Determine appropriate ADTs and data structures for various sorting and searching algorithms.
• Determine time and space requirements of common sorting and searching algorithms.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate algorithms, to select from a range of possible options, to provide justification for that selection, and to implement the algorithm in a particular context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Demonstrate an understanding of platforms and associated languages.
• Compare industrial platforms and architecture.
• Develop a simple web application.
• Develop a simple mobile application for a given mobile platform.
• Develop a simple application on a game platform Identify the characteristics and components of academic research.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Analyse research problems in various Information Technology (IT) fields.
• Evaluate research activities with respect to ethical/unethical conduct.
• Identify different sources of information.
• Evaluate the quality/reliability of different sources.
• Apply referencing styles in the acknowledgement of sources.
• Use different research strategies.
• Evaluate different sampling methods for specific research scenarios.
• Utilise different data collection methods for specific research scenarios.
• Evaluate different data analysis methods for specific research scenarios.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Apply problem solving strategies to solve Information and Communications Technology (ICT) issues.
• Provide presentations as well as written reports. throughout the modules both core and elective.
• Interact with peers both in tutorials, class discussions and within group work will be encouraged and in some cases evaluated.

Integrated Assessment

This qualification serves to deepen learner' knowledge of the field. There is therefore no capstone project, but smaller projects will be given in modules that draw knowledge from supporting subject areas. Both formative and summative assessment methods will be used in the programme using a variety of assessment methods and approaches.

Integrated Assessment will be within the context of Research Skills where knowledge gained from modules within the compulsory and elective modules will be used in combination in proposing research questions.

On average there will be a minimum of three assessment marks. The three assessment marks could include the following (other possible assessment methods may be added). According to the lecturers' discretion, each assessment may be group work or individual work.

• Written tests (individual).
• Research based assignments.
• Practical assignments where an artefact is created.
• Presentations of research completed or practical artefacts developed or created.
• Tutorial work.

Participation in class discussions and/or mini presentations.