Master of Strategic Information and Communication Technology Management

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Master of Strategic Information and Communication Technology Management is to advance and deepen learners' specialist knowledge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with a strong focus on strategic management. Learners will be able to develop ICT strategies that are responsive to a broad range of organisational contexts in today's highly fluid, dynamic, and increasingly global environment. They will apply strategic management and leadership skills to manage the implementation of ICT strategies, initiate and lead effective processes, and leverage new technologies and complex data sets to support the competitive advantage of organisations.

Learners will demonstrate advanced competencies and skills to design and manage competitive ICT solutions and strategies within organisations. Learners will be able to conduct a contextual analysis of strategy and manage the responsive development of secure ICT strategies, processes, and projects to enable the achievement of strategic imperatives; improve and embed ICT competence to use and deploy data and knowledge; design and drive governance and security frameworks; strategically manage and develop appropriate human capital to deliver on the ICT strategic imperatives.

The qualification consists of coursework that functions as a competency-based, exit-level qualification or a pathway to further higher education studies. As guided by the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework Policy (CHE, 2013), the qualification consists of both the coursework and mini-dissertation and requires a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence on the part of learners. The qualification caters to learners wishing to pursue academic or corporate research beyond this qualification, by providing a supervised but independent opportunity to pursue a research project resulting in a mini dissertation on a topic of their choice within the area of ICT strategy and management.

Learners will be required to undertake projects which will demonstrate their ability to contextualise ICT strategy and management issues in specific organisational settings. Learners will apply their professional context and practice within the provided coursework modules. In addition to the projects undertaken in the individual coursework modules, learners will complete a mini dissertation related to solving an ICT strategy or management problem.

Rationale

South Africa's National List of Occupations in High Demand (Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), 2020) has identified mid-level to senior managers who can manage and have strategic oversight over ICT projects as one of South Africa's most in-demand skills in the ICT sector (Gartner, 2020). The lack of general ICT managers can further be seen by the amount of open ICT management positions available on South Africa's career-seeking platforms such as PNet, LinkedIn, and Career Junction (Writer, 2020; Gartner, 2022).

The qualification seeks to address the existing skills gap in the ICT sector and aid in extending learners' discipline depth (DHET, 2020). The DHET Scarce Skills List (DHET,2020) confirms that the existing skills gap includes roles such as Chief Information Officers (CIO), Chief Technology Officers (CTO), ICT service Managers, and ICT Project Managers.

The institution currently offers various Information Technology qualifications which will enable direct articulation into this Master's in Strategic ICT Management. Learners who have completed these or other relevant NQF Level 8 qualifications already have a good understanding of ICT operations and IT processes. However, they require the necessary management and strategic skills to advance to middle and senior-level ICT management.

The coursework modules with their embedded projects will allow learners to increase the depth of their disciplinary knowledge and problem-solving skills in areas related to operations, security, software development processes, systems and process implementation, acquisition and renewal of ICT solutions, and big data and data-driven decision-making. This, in turn, will benefit the industry as graduates will be able to leverage ICT services to support the strategic imperatives of their organisations. Learners will be required to undertake projects that will demonstrate their ability to contextualise ICT strategy and management issues in specific organisational settings.

The career opportunities for graduates of this qualification are, among others

• Mid to senior-level ICT manager.
• Information systems manager.
• Management consultant.
• Business analyst.
• Chief Information Officer.
• Chief Technical Officer.
• ICT Project Manager.

The qualification will provide an articulation pathway for learners to access the Doctoral degree. Through the development of higher-level cognitive skills and the completion of various projects, including a mini dissertation, learners will also be prepared to further their studies in ICT and advanced research at NQF level 10.

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology Honours, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences Honours, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Science Honours in Computer Science, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Post-Graduate Diploma in Data Analytics, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Information Systems in Information Technology, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Information Systems, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering Level 8, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Engineering Technology Honours in Computer Engineering, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Computer Information Systems Honours, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Science Honours in Computer Science and Information Technology, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Science Honours in Computer Science and Information Systems, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 180 Credits

• Strategic ICT Management, 25 Credits.
• ICT Security and Governance, 25 Credits.
• Managing Emerging Technologies, 25 Credits.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making, 25 Credits
• Mini- Dissertation, 80 Credits.

1. Demonstrate the ability to critically examine ICT opportunities and technologies to advance the strategic imperatives of organisations.
2. Demonstrate the ability to critically assess ICT governance frameworks in alignment with organisational strategic imperatives.
3. Demonstrate the ability to design ICT strategies and solutions that enhance the effectiveness and competitiveness of local and global organizations.
4. Complete a supervised mini-dissertation that contributes to the advancement of knowledge related to ICT-enabled business success.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Scrutinise and assess Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategies to provide the business with a competitive advantage.
• Critically respond to the challenges of businesses operating in a fluid environment and define investment priorities to turn technology into businesses' competitive advantage.
• Accurately identify new technology changes and possible impact on the company.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Analyse an organisation's current ICT governance, security, and management frameworks and successfully recommend improvements and a sustainability plan.
• Appropriately apply governance frameworks to ensure good resource and security management, competencies, and governance practices.
• Effectively undertake a contextual analysis of current trends and best practices in local and global ICT landscapes for relevance and suitability to an organisation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Effectively design ICT solutions suitable to a given organisation's business context and successfully enable the achievement of competitive advantages.
• Design and develop an appropriate management and security framework for a given organisational context.
• Critically assess current organisational technologies to recommend and implement strategic improvements to the organisation's technology blend.
• Competently review an existing ICT strategy.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Apply scholarly research skills and theory to support a mini dissertation.
• Develop appropriate research designs; collect, analyse, interpret data, and report the findings with relevant recommendations.
• Competently produce and defend a mini dissertation that showcases the investigation into solving an ICT strategy or management problem that is supportive of advancing new knowledge within the discipline of ICT.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

The assessment strategy for the coursework modules consists of two formative assessments with a total weighting of 50% and one summative project with a weighting of 50% per module. The mini dissertation module does not have any formative assessments, with the summative mini-dissertation accounting for 100% of the mark.

The purpose of an assessment needs to be reflected in the instruments and processes used to assess learner work. Some assessments are formative in that their purpose is to enable learners to use feedback to improve their performance in that module. Others are summative and their purpose is only to evaluate the attainment of the outcomes.

Formative Assessment

Research proposal defence feedback from the Research Committee and other feedback from the promoter (supervisor) form part of the Formative Assessment.

As competence develops over time and is improved with feedback, formative assessment should take place throughout the learning process and must result in feedback that enables learners to improve their performance and prepare for summative assessments.

Feedback to learners may include a model answer, or rubric, depending on the nature of the discipline. However, these are not sufficient as they do not provide an individual learner with feedback on the relationship between the learners' response and the desired response in such a way that the learner knows what action is needed to improve their performance, particularly in preparation for the summative assessment.

Graded formative and summative assessments are designed centrally in a standard manner and format for all learners in a module against the module outcomes.

Graded Formative Assessment

Graded formative assessment results are included in the Cumulative Assessment (CASS) Mark. The feedback from graded formative assessments should be used by learners to improve performance in their summative assessments but this feedback is generally subject to a time delay.

Summative Assessment

Summative Assessment, learners present a dissertation in the form of integrated research findings, interpreted, and linked to the existing literature but with a level of novelty, across the entire area of investigation. The purpose of summative assessments is to evaluate learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the end of a defined instructional period. Unlike formative assessments, which summarise learner development at a point in a module and are intended to improve the learners' learning capacity or skill, summative assessments focus on analysing learner achievements after the completion of the learning process.

Learners must submit a single advanced research project, culminating in the production and acceptance of a dissertation or other forms of research. "Dissertation" is a written piece compiled for examination purposes, including one published research article or a couple of published research articles or unpublished manuscript(s) in an article or chapter format following the requirements for documentation, argumentation, and language and style in which a learner must provide proof that he/she is confident with the research methodology presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the prescribed outcomes for a master's qualification at the institution.

Learners are only given a grade for summative assessments and not detailed feedback.

Summative assessments are typically the work of individual learners, rather than a group of learners. External moderation is conducted as per the institution's Assessment Strategy and Policy on all summative assessments at the exit level.