1. Commonality with a Difference
Jim O’Dwyer
Head of Department of Computing

2. Background
• Computing is a rapidly evolving discipline
• Explosive growth in application areas
• Corresponding growth in course diversity &
course titles;
• Software Development
• Web Development
• IT management
• Computing Forensics
• Cloud Computing

3. Confusion
• Students may be confused by choice
• Parents find it hard to assist in making a choice
• Add a lack of practitioners known to students
• Students can make a poorly informed choice
• Retention can suffer as a consequence

4. Decision Deferral
 Delayfinal course choice and hopefully
improve the the quality of the decision.
 Two distinct approaches:
 Common entry (undenominated)
 Denominated entry to a common start

5. The Two Approaches
 Undenominated entry:
 A separate intake from the denominated courses and students join the desired
course at a later stage;
 Student may have to do some “catch up” depending on path choosen
 Denominated entry to common:
 All courses share the same modules in stage 1
 Transfer is easy and no “catch up” is required

6. Computing Stage 1
Programming/Web Hadware/Systems/Networks Maths Misc
Probl.
Solving & Web Dev Computer Network
Prog 1 Fund. Hardware Fund. I Ess. Maths CIT
Probl. Statistics
Solving & Computer Network &
Prog 2 Web Pub. Architecture Fund. II probability HCI

7. Transfers
 A level 8 entrant has free choice of courses.
 A level 7 entrant has some restrictions:
 Can change to another level 7
 If s/he has the entry requirements may move to a level 8
 The first intake to the new arrangement was September
2012
 Course Boards will review its operation annually

8. Thank You