Diploma in Information Technology Queenstown, Central

Course details

Programme Aims & Objectives

• This programme will equip students with fundamental knowledge and professional skills in information technology to prepare them for work and further studies in several areas of interest related to IT. 
• Students will learn about software programming, computing and information systems, database structures and technologies for web and computer networks. 

Methods of Assessment 

• Each module will be assessed through a combination of class presentations, discussions, assignments, project work and/or written examinations.

Award 

• Candidates who successfully complete all course work and pass the examinations will be awarded with the Diploma in Information Technology from MDIS.

Infocomm Technology (ICT)

• The Infocomm Technology (ICT) industry is reshaping the economy, empowering every sector and contributing to Singapore’s economic and social growth.
• ICT has also greatly enhanced Singapore’s competitiveness by raising productivity and transforming business processes in the education, healthcare, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality and finance sectors.
• Singapore is poised to be an information and technology hub which continues to attract multinational infocomm giants like Microsoft, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, in addition to international start-ups and exciting user organisations.

Growing Demand For Infocomm Professionals

• Total demand of infocomm manpower increased by 4,200 or 2.7% to reach 161,200 in 2013.
• The number of employed infocomm manpower grew by 1.7% to reach 146,700 in 2013. They were employed in various infocomm and end-users organisations.
• Vacancies also increased, growing by about 14,500, which was 14.2% higher than the previous year.
• Technical specialist job roles such as IT Development, Network & Systems, IT Security, Data Analytics and Infocomm R&D accounted for 6 in 10 jobs demanded.
• IT Development roles accounted for 42.5% (68,500) of the total demand (161,200) for infocomm professionals with software development job roles most demanded.
• The next most demanded group of professionals were those working in Network & Systems related job roles. They accounted for 16.6% (26,700) of the total demand (161,200) for infocomm professionals.
• Other tech specialists such as IT Security Specialists, Data Scientists and Infocomm R&D accounted for 3.8% (6,200) for infocomm professionals.
• In total, technical specialist job roles such as IT Development, Network & Systems, IT Security, Data Analytics and Infocomm R&D accounted for more than 60% od the jobs demanded.

Career Opportunities

Singapore has been consistently ranked among the top in the world to harness infocomm technologies to add value to the economy and society. Career opportunities in other countries are equally strong as Infocomm Technology is necessary to help drive the business and economy.

There will be job opportunities in a wide range of IT jobs such as

• Systems Administrator
• Database Administrator
• Software Support Officer
• IT Project Coordinator
• Network & Hardware Technician
• Web Application Developer

Computing Systems

Objectives

This module provides the students with the necessary software and hardware skills that are required for them to flourish in their working environment. Students participate in many lab activities where they are exposed to interactive application software. Thus, they are able to achieve the adequate amount of soft skills.

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to provide the students with the knowledge of computer hardware and software. It also gives hands-on laboratory experience to help the students explore the hardware components and some useful application software.  

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

• diagnose and explore how exactly a computer works
• identify the types and uses of application software
• manage files and know the importance of backing up files
• identify the functions of a processor, parts of a system unit and motherboard
• explain the purpose of an operating system and other system software
• understand how multimedia tools work
• browse through the various features of Internet
• recognise cybercrime and learn how to secure a computer

Data Communications and Networks

Objectives

The students should be able to:

• understand different network technologies
• explain the concepts of data and signals
• understand the most current trends in data communications and networks such as wireless technologies, industry convergence, compression techniques
• be familiar with the different network models include Local Area Networks (LANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs)
• be familiar with various hardware and software that can help protect the network security such as using the network simulation tool

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to

• provide an in-depth understanding of the often complex topic of data communications and computer networks
• concepts of balancing the more technical aspects and the everyday practical aspects of data communications and networks
• provide a good understanding of the most current trends in data communications and networks such as wireless technologies, industry convergence, compression techniques
• provide knowledge in network security, LAN, MAN and WAN technologies

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• understand the concepts used in the subject area
• acquire skills required to plan and design the data communications and networks for any organisation
• apply the knowledge learnt and familiar with various hardware and software that can help protect the network security

Database and Information Management

Objectives

The students should be able to:

• understand overview of data and information processing and management
• know the theoretical and practical programming underpinnings of the manipulation of information and the analysis of data
• understand the concepts involved in creating and maintaining a database and be able to use Microsoft Access in the work environment

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to develop an understanding of database design and implementation. Students will learn the basic database concepts and the relational database design process. Students will also learn to translate their design into a working model or prototype using MS Access.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• understand overview of data and information processing and management
• know the theoretical and practical programming underpinnings of the manipulation of information and the analysis of data
• understand the concepts involved in creating and maintaining a database and be able to use Microsoft Access in the work environment

Ethical Studies in ICT

Objectives

The student will be able to:

• explain the benefits and risks of digital collaborations and their rights and responsibilities, as well as critique on the ethical implications of their actions
• operate in groups for in-class presentations to practice strategies for collaborative work

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to cover a range of topics in digital citizenship and professional ethics to help students learn how to participate in the digital marketplace as a smart and effective digital media practitioner. That means helping them understand their rights and responsibilities to recognize the benefits and risks, and realize the personal and ethical implications of their actions.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• acquire communication skills for digital collaborations
• show appreciation for what constitutes digital citizenship, smart and effective participation in the digital world
• understand digital safety and security, protect your digital reputation and make smart choices in digital transaction
• understand their rights as content creators and how to respect the work of others
• critically evaluate online media and their consumption habits

Human Computer Interaction

Objectives

Students should be able to:

• Identify the fundamental aspects of interaction and common interaction styles. A variety of analysis and design methods are introduced (e.g. GOMS. heuristic evaluation, user-centered and contextual design techniques)
• Acquire practical skills to design a user-centered interface. The development of rapid and low-fidelity prototyping will make up a key aspect of this module

Academic Content Aims

• This module aims to provide an introduction to human computer interaction. Students will analyze how the application of human-computer interaction principles improves the effectiveness of computing applications.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• use HCI methods and techniques to identify issues of communication between computers and people
• apply appropriate HCI theories and practices to the design, implementation, and evaluation of interfaces
• identify and analyze interaction strengths and weaknesses
• design (or re-design), test and evaluate an interface

Maths for Computing

Objectives

This module provides the students with the basic knowledge of mathematical concepts involved in computing and technology. Students will be able to develop problem solving capabilities in the areas of logic, sets, functions, relations, matrices, sequences, induction, and graphs. The Boolean Algebra topic equips them with the ability to design circuits and minimize them to reduce the number of logical gates.

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to present and demonstrate the students with the concepts and techniques of discrete mathematics. Also it gives the students an understanding of mathematical concepts together with a sense of why these concepts are important for applications.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

• identify the computer representation of numbers and computer arithmetic
• identify the rules of logic, prepositional equivalence, and logical equivalence
• identify the proving of mathematical arguments using mathematical induction
• describe the basis of counting and advanced counting techniques
• identify the logic gates and their corresponding Boolean functions
• simplify Boolean functions using Karnaugh maps and laws of identities
• count or enumerate objects using the basic techniques on counting
• work with discrete structures like sets, relations, and graphs

Programming Principles and Development

Objectives

The students should be able to:

• analyze problems by developing algorithms and implementing them in an object oriented programming language 
• equip with the skills to implement syntactic structure and semantics of C++ constructs through hands-on lab exercises
• The students will be introduced the techniques useful in resolving typical software development problems with the help of standard C++ language libraries.

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to cover both the theoretical and practical aspects of conducting problem analysis and software design using object-orientation. Students will learn the benefits and techniques of object-oriented programming using C++.  Software development robustness and correctness, and good programming practices will be emphasised.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• outline the key steps in analyzing a problem
• explain the basic logic structure in designing a solution
• list and apply the various types of diagrams used in program logic and algorithms
• develop the system flowchart correctly
• apply the various types of logic structures to solve programming problems
• explain the programming development approaches and techniques in program design and program solving
• describe the algorithm and steps involved in structured programming
• explain the fundamental concepts in C++ programming
• develop a software package using C ++

Web Development Technology

Objectives

The students should be able to understand the concepts and implementation of dynamic web-based applications, they will learn Internet scripting language and rich media technologies for the creation of interactive web applications. They will be exposed to web development tools, techniques and analysis.

Academic Content Aims

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to develop Web applications. Students will acquire the technical skills of client and server side programming to create appealing visual Web-based contents and data access elements.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• building better web pages
• adding lines and background colours 
• placing hyperlinks inside your document 
• creating hypertext links to the web
• insert media contents in web pages
• create table and modify properties
• inserting form and controls
• controlling presentation using cascading style sheet
• code JavaScript for various purposes
• use VB.Net to display data contents