Information Technology Department

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1 Information Technology Department Information Technology Department About Us The Information Technology Department is one of the largest departments at Ahlia University, offering thirty five undergraduate and graduate courses. Our faculty members are highly motivated and committed to excellence in teaching and providing students with professional guidance and advice. With the state-of-the-art computing facilities and faculty expertise in various IT areas, we emphasize quality in education which includes solid theoretical foundations and recent technological developments. The IT Department offers the following degrees: B.S. in Information Technology (BSIT), Master in Information Technology and Computer Science (MITCS). A significant feature of our undergraduate program is that it incorporates the Oracle 10g Database Administrator Professional Certificate in the structure of its curriculum. The Professional Certificate is launched into this programme with an aim to create Data Base Administrators in Oracle 10g version. Oracle Database Administrators manage the industry s most advanced information systems. This certification advances the success as an oracle professional in the area of database administration. The certificate track is divided into four inter-dependent courses, the first course is a compulsory course inserted within the third year of the programme; and the remaining three courses are listed as optional electives for students to choose (two programme electives + two free electives). Upon completion of these courses, the student will be an Oracle certified professional in the area of database administration. More details on our programs can be found below. Information Technology Information technology (IT) is a label that has two meanings. In the broadest sense, the term information technology is often used to refer to all of computing. In academia, it refers to degree programs that prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations. Information Systems (IS) focuses on the information aspects of information technology. Information Technology, however, is the complement of that perspective: its emphasis is on the technology itself more than on the information it conveys. IT is a new and rapidly growing field that started as a grassroots response to the practical, everyday needs of business and other organizations. Today, organizations of every kind are dependent on information technology. They need to have appropriate systems in place. These systems must work properly, be secure, and be upgraded, maintained, and replaced as appropriate. Employees throughout an organization require support from IT staff who understand computer systems and their software and are committed to solving whatever computer-related problems they might have. Graduates of Information Technology programs address these needs. Information Technology, as an academic discipline, is concerned with issues related to advocating for users and meeting their needs within an organizational and societal context 1

2 through the selection, creation, application, integration and administration of computing technologies. IT programs aim to provide IT graduates with the skills and knowledge to take on appropriate professional positions in Information Technology upon graduation and grow into leadership positions or pursue research or graduate studies in the field. However, the landscape of Information Technology is undeniably rabidly changing as the computing field continues to evolve at astonishing pace and new technologies are continually introduced. Thus, the IT department is committed to keep its programs up-to-date by developing revised and enhanced versions that address the current developments in computing technologies and will sustain through the next decade. The programs offered by IT Department are described below showing the IT curriculum structure and the main areas of knowledge. Careers of IT Graduates IT programs exist to produce graduates who possess the right combination of knowledge and practical, hands-on expertise to take care of both an organization s information technology infrastructure and the people who use it. IT specialists assume responsibility for selecting hardware and software products appropriate for an organization, integrating those products with organizational needs and infrastructure, and installing, customizing, and maintaining those applications for the organization s computer users. Examples of these responsibilities include the installation of networks; network administration and security; the design of web pages; the development of multimedia resources; the installation of communication components; the oversight of systems; and the planning and management of the technology lifecycle by which an organization s technology is maintained, upgraded, and replaced. Bachelor Degree in Information Technology (BSIT) Today, networking and the Web have become the underpinnings for much of world economy. There is unprecedented innovation in technologies for communication, computation, interactivity, and delivery of information. Over the last decade, the world has changed dramatically both in how people work and live. The technology of telephony and computing has created an increasingly mobile environment where communications and connectivity are expected anytime and anyplace. Over one billion people have access to the Internet today by wired and wireless access and it is predicted that over two billion people will have wireless access to the Internet by As Web sites became more active and interactive, the demand for application developers and especially database developers expanded as well. In short, it is the advances in computing communication technology, particularly the Internet and the World-Wide Web, which have given rise to the academic field of Information Technology. These have become critical foundations of Information Technology, and hence, our undergraduate program devotes significantly more time to these topics. The Five Pillars of IT In order to make things work for people in today s (and tomorrow s) sophisticated computing environments, IT Professionals need core competencies in five essential areas: 1. Programming and application development 2. Web and multimedia content development, or interactive media 3. Database management systems and enterprise application development 4. Networking and system administration 2

3 5. User-centered design and deployment, including needs assessment, human-computer interaction, technology transfer, and ongoing support. The fifth pillar focuses on the human element. This is the defining competency of the IT Professional, what distinguishes us from, for example, a Computer Scientist. To be successful users advocates, we must see the world through their eyes. We must be one with our users, and learn about the tasks they perform and the skills they possess. From this, we can then select, integrate and deploy technology that enhances their lives. This requires skills in information gathering, user-centered design, and deployment. It also attracts the student who cares more about how people use computers than about how computers work under the hood. Creativity, technology, and communication skills these are the core competencies of IT. Many students in our BSIT program focus on one or two technical aspects to prepare for careers in a variety of market niches like enterprise application development, interactive media or Webdatabase integration, to name a very few of the many possibilities. Other students choose a broader path to prepare for general practitioner jobs, which are prevalent in virtually every enterprise and organization in society. Body of Knowledge in the BSIT Technical advances over the past decade have increased the importance of many curricular topics. Our BSIT program is designed to cover the following: The World Wide Web and its applications Networking technologies, particularly those based on TCP/IP Systems administration and maintenance Graphics and multimedia Web systems and technologies Service-oriented architecture E-commerce technologies Relational databases Client-server technologies Interoperability Technology integration and deployment Object-oriented event-driven programming Sophisticated application programmer interfaces (APIs) Human-computer interaction Security Application domains 3

4 Program Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of BSIT A. Knowledge and Understanding A1 A2 A3 Concepts and Theories: essential concepts, facts, principles, and required theories of mathematics, science, computing, and information technology. Contemporary Trends, Problems and Research: modern and up-to-date trends, problems, and research issues and methods in information technology. Professional Responsibility: professional, legal, and ethical issues and practices involved in the use and development of information technology. B. Subject-Specific Skills B1 B2 B3 Problem Solving: the ability to identify, formulate, and analyze specific problems, and plan, design, and implement strategies for their solution. Modeling and Design: the ability to model and design a system, component, or computational process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints. Application of Methods and Tools: the ability to employ appropriate methods, techniques, and tools used in modern computing practices. C. Thinking Skills Analytic: the ability to separate an intellectual or a material whole into its constituent C1 elements to determine either their nature (qualitative analysis) or their proportions (quantitative analysis). C2 Synthetic: the ability to combine the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity. C3 Creative: the ability to create new ideas or concepts. D. General and Transferable Skills (Other Skills Relevant to Employability and Personal Development) Communication: the ability to express and communicate ideas effectively, in written D1 and oral form. D2 D3 D4 Teamwork and Leadership: the ability to function and work effectively as member/leader of a team. Organizational and Developmental Skills: the ability to engage in life-long learning, self-development and organization. Ethical and Social Responsibility: the ability to recognize, accept, and follow ethics and social responsibility. 4

5 Graphical Representation of the Curriculum Structure for the B.Sc. Program in IT In addition to the above courses, the bachelor program of IT includes: Five more courses (15 credits) from the university requirements (ARAB 101, HIST 121, ENGL 101, ENGL 102, and STAT 101) Two courses (6 credits) chosen from Humanities and Social Sciences Courses. Two free elective courses that could be any courses offered by the university that do not overlap with other courses successfully taken by the student. Four courses (12 credits) from the College of IT requirements (ENGL 201, ENGL 202, PHYS 101, and PHYS 121) Two Program Elective Courses chosen from: ECTE 410 ITCS 334 ITCS 433 ITCS 434 ITCS 325 ITMS 405 ECTE 302 ITCS 333 ITCS 334 ITCS 433 ITMS 205 ITMS 325 5

6 Main Areas of Knowledge in the Bachelor Program of IT 6