Module: CPU4001-20 The Computer Industry

Level: 4

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: John Curry

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.curry@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

The computer industry comprises a wide range of professional activities that include (but are not limited to) system and application development, problem solving using technology, and related support services. Employers range greatly in scale and breadth, cutting across financial, retail, entertainment, telecommunications and public sectors, to name just a few. The computer industry grows and evolves at a rapid pace, which poses a number of significant local and national challenges for business leaders and policy makers. Such challenges range from addressing the perceived ‘skills gap’ - both within companies and at large - to responding to wider shifts in politics and the economy or to emerging data protection and security concerns.

This module acts as a forum for discussion and evaluation on the state of play of the IT industry (roles, goals and challenges), therefore providing valuable insight for individuals looking to enter the computer sector. The UK industry is outward looking and international, therefore it is also important to investigate the rapidly expanding overseas marketplaces such as those in China, India, South Korea, the US and Japan. Local context is also reviewed, leading to a scoping of the variety and focus of IT businesses within the South West. The objective of this aspect is to help you develop an understanding of potential routes to employment regionally, while identifying the skills and qualities that you need to succeed in the computer sector

2.Outline syllabus

• The scale and scope of the computer industry

• Job roles and responsibilities

• Historical ‘game changers’

• Current commercial trends

• Emerging challenges, concerns and threats (UK)

• An overview of the international IT marketplace

• External influences and their consequences

• Unpacking the computer industry of the South West

• Sustainable computing

3.Teaching and learning activities

Class Hours:

Seminar sessions are discursive, with a strong emphasis on individual and group research. You are asked to evaluate aspects of the computer industry regularly, and to present your findings in a number of forms (formal presentation, roundtables and debates).

Independent Learning:

You are expected to conduct data gathering exercises outside of class hours, as well as engage the reading materials set by tutors.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: CW

• Description: Visualisation of the South West computer industry (with presentation).

• % Weighting: 40%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: CW

• Description: Strategy statement (2,400 words).

• % Weighting: 60%