4th Year IT

Rollo Tamasi

i've just finished 3rd yr multimedia and am studying for my repeat exams for august at the moment. Yes thats right, might as well start now cuz we are all doomed!! anyway, the only proper add on for our course is to transfer to the 4th year of IT. Just wonderin what its like, the subjects, the lecturers and the assingments you need to do? would you recommend it?

angry_fox

Why dont you go to another college. WIT has nothing to offer Multimedia students but poor working conditions.

Rollo Tamasi

thought about that for a good long while

Cork seem to have a good Multimedia Course but if i was to transfer to that course i would have to transfer into their 3rd year because they cover different subjects to our 3rd year in waterford. They introduce a programming language and 3D stuff in 3rd Year. I'm nearly 23 and not prepared to do two more years to get a degree, the only option we have at the moment is 4th year IT in WIT or else go and get a job! Are SuperMac's hiring?

angry_fox

Must have a look at that. Third year was pretty crap any way. The only real multimedia subjects were advanced graphic design (two classes a week) and The Project. Third year is soul destroying stuff. Not a lot of creativity involved.

Rollo Tamasi

tottaly agree with you angry_fox

Two subjects a week is all we had. Its hard as a result to remain motivated about the other subjects:

Databases -- Should have been tought that in 1st year or 2nd year, its a fairly important subject in relation to creating dynamic webpages when you combine it with a server language (ASP/PHP/ColdFusion).

Networks -- WTF is that about, what relevance does networks have with multimedia, in all fairness. We learnt about token rings and all that jazz in first year IT. I learnt very little of releance in that subject this year. A lot of us will probably faill it this summer also because few people attended class.

Software Engineering -- We were tought this in second year, don't see the point of been tought it again.

Enterprise Studies -- its just like a new and improved version of Communications from the days of first year multimedia. Boring!

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i know i went on a bit of a rant there, sorry! I just wanted to get all that of my chest and into a thread, i'm not a cranky f**ker but i do get pissed off when a potenitally great course is not tought properly.

i would have loved to have been thought a Server Language this year, instead they they expect you to learn a language on your own and to then put it into you Audio Visual Project!

A 3D subject would have been the business also and maybe a tech subject like IT.

The Advanced Graphic Design subject is good, a lot of course work is put into the one subject thou, there was a lot of pressure on us to get the practicals done in time.

TommyV

4th Year IT, you want to know, well, here goes:

6 Subjects, these are:

Converged Networks

Information Technology Security

Database and Knowledge Management

Strategic Information Management

Electronic Business Management

Project

As you can see a nice selection of subjects, ranging from a few business-oriented subjects to more pure technology subjects. I'll go through each subject and give you a brief rundown.

Converged Networks

What can I say? Get ready to be inundated with information. This is by far the biggest subject, material wise. Depending on which lecturer you get (this year it was David Power and Richard Frisby) you will get a huge amount of notes. Print them off everytime new ones come along otherwise you will be printing off 300 odd pages at the end which is going to cost an ink cartridge or two. Topic areas covered in this subject range from basic communication protocols such as HTTP to more in depth SOAP, WSDL and XML.
You will most likely be given a research essay and a Web Services assignment to complete.
CA is 40% and Final Exam 60%.
Most people had trouble with this subject this year, purely because of the amount of material.

Information Technology Security

You should be taught my Jimmy Mcgibney, at least he taught both classes this year. He is the most organised person in the world and it is a pleasure to have someone as dedicated as him teach you. The subject is not difficult. Notes are printed out and given by Jimmy before every class which he goes through. Topics range from simple security stuff such as Viruses and Trojans to the harder Triple DES encryption method.
You should find this subject ok as long as you do a bit now and again.
Assignments? You should get a research essay and a security website which has to be developed. This is just where you post all practical work and a weekely diary of security events. BE SURE to go to all his practicals and you should get good marks.
CA is 40% and Final Exam 60%.

Database and Knowledge Management

You will either have Clodagh Power (pregnant now so maybe not?) or TJ Mcdonald (course leader). Both just do there job and get out really. Nothing more to be said. Not a hard subject, a bit in it alright though. You will have to buy a book for this one so its basically just reading it in class then picking out bits.
Two main assignments, both relating to developing an Oracle databse. First the write up with your ER diagram etc then the actual implementation using Oracle and JSP (or servlets) to connect and perform a few queries.
CA is 40% and Final Exam 60%. Although this might be 50-50? I'll check it out.

Strategic Information Management

This is split into two subjects. Don't you hate that? However this is the subject you will make up marks in. They want to give them to you. Mary Barry teaches the "e-learning" side of it. Very easy. Just follow what she says and wants exactly and she will love you. One assignment, - developing an e-learning lesson. Make it in Macromedia Captivate or something and you will get 100%, no joke. Her part is worth 50%.
Next is the more business subject, Strategic Information Management proper. This was taught by Mary Clarke Flemming. Very easy again. Assignments are 2 pages long, you actually get marks for having the font in a certain way such as double lined. Its crazy, but don't complain, follow her instructions to a tee and you will get close to 50% in CA.
This subject overall is 50-50 for CA and Final exam.

Electronic Business Management

A more business subject, saying that it's kind of good because there is a lot about online shopping so it's not fully Johnny Business. This subject you have to do well in the CA. its 50-50 between CA and final exam. However you only have 2 chances to get the 50 for CA. There is a xmas exam worth 25% and an academic essay worth 25%. Do bad in one and your up fcuk creek. The academic essay is tough. You have to make it fully academic, in other words it has to be exactly like the ones you find on that stupid ProQuest database you can find on the library website. Reference everything. If you copy one thing out you will fail. Simple as that. Taught this year by Brendand Lyng and hmm, another lecturer also, forget his name. I'll check it out!
Also you will have to buy a book for this subject, another €60, ouch!

Project

And so we come to the year long project. Develop some sort of e-commerce website or if your feeling adventerous, an offline application. I would stick with the online environment unless you are good at JAVA or Ruby (Check out Ruby, it's gonna be class).
You will be assigned a project first reader and a second reader. Get on their side cause it's only them who issue your marks. A few documents you will hand up during the year, mostly relating to the 3 iterations.

If you want good marks do bad idea good rather than a good idea bad.

Don't come up with aa new search engine but you can't even get some sort of event notification working.
Instead do a nice e-commerce website, with PHP, JSP connecting to MySql or Oracle.

Well that's 4th year IT in a nutshell. First year this course is in so it was a complete disaster this year. Making things up as they went. Hopefully they go easy on us because of it! You should have it easier as it will be more organised. Overall i'd recommend it. It's not the hardest course and you will have a Honours Degree after it so why not?

Any more questions ask! :cool:

Rollo Tamasi

TommyV wrote:

This is by far the biggest subject, material wise. Depending on which lecturer you get (this year it was David Power and Richard Frisby)

Thats a brilliant response, thanks TommyV. It puts my post to shame!

I think david power is one of the best lectures in computing, i had him last year for software engineering, a very honest guy. He is one of those who can easily teach any subject. I've seen him teach VB to the first years in MM, i wish i had him for programming.

Overall the course looks very good, a lot of essay's thou, but they all seem to be relevant to the course subjects. In your opinion would you need a good understanding of a programming language before you enter the course. We where tought Java in 1st/2nd year but it was complete rubbish to tell you the truth!

What did you do for your project? Any chance you could provide us with a link?

One final question....any good looking women in your class?

TommyV

Happy to help mate.

He is a good lecturer yea, sadly I had Richard who is pretty intense with the topics. I think he knows too much for his own good.

You actually don't need programming at all. We did Java 1st, 2nd and 3rd year and then that was it. I haven't used that once really in 4th year. All you need programming wise is PHP or JSP for your main project, but you can learn as you go along!

I did a web hosting company for my project. Link is at www.localhosting.ie.

Sadly the girl front is pretty bad. I reckon it is the worse class in WIT. As long as some of your Multimedia girls pass you should be ok though!

Rollo Tamasi

TommyV wrote:

Sadly the girl front is pretty bad. I reckon it is the worse class in WIT. As long as some of your Multimedia girls pass you should be ok though!

erh, i think i'm doomed to become a priest

TommyV

There is always hope of a transfer student!

Rollo Tamasi

foreign exchange students? don't they come from abroad?

Rollo Tamasi

i like your site tommy, its good!
a lot better than the legend_killers anyhow!!
only messing
but i'm not really!!

AC Slater

Said it all Tommy

Yea girl front isn't the best to be honest, but if ya have a girlfriend your sorted

Its mainly just networks thats a bit harsh cos jonny know it all ... basically knows too much and wants to teach you a bible in a year, which is a little impossible, just hope good old cramming again will do the job this year again

Legend_Killer

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

i like your site tommy, its good!
a lot better than the legend_killers anyhow!!
only messing
but i'm not really!!

Says a lot for the state of multimedia doesnt it rollo?

Rollo Tamasi

so true legend, we are meant to be designers and the hosting site has more flash on it than most of our years sites. maybe its down to the setup of IT too though, only one or two of our lectures had any interest in our A-V-P classes. Some of our lecturers seem very complacent about education!

Legend_Killer

i thought only one had an interest in the projects myself.... one doesnt really know our names and another, who i think knows her stuff doesnt seem to have much of an input.... shes very good looking though!

Rollo Tamasi

ohh yeah!

Welcome to the boards.ie lads!


i forgot to welcome the newbies!
Check out the other threads and forums, you'd be surprised at what you can find, the computer forum could do with a bit of a boost thou IMO,

Rollo Tamasi

carefull about naming names legend_killer, even GOD himself visits the forums from time to time!!!

Legend_Killer

i said nothing but positive things about those names mentioned!

AC Slater

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

carefull about naming names legend_killer, even GOD himself visits the forums from time to time!!!

would that be a good or bad thing :cool:

Rollo Tamasi

AC Slater wrote:

if ya have a girlfriend your sorted

or a boyfriend :cool:

AC Slater

Yea true ... or depends on what your in to

Rollo Tamasi

lol, yip, i think there is a forum in here for that kind of shananigans! could be dangerous thou!!

try not to mention peoples names slater, it could get nasty otherwise, the boards have a lot of members, a lot of students and some from w'ford

AC Slater

yea true, just aswell I know common sense prevails after 4 years in college, theres just the one possible good lookin lecturer in 4th year, has a resemblance of a girl I've seen before

LanceStorm

Well im in the third year of IT, so chances are i'll be in your class!!
Bit dissapointed by the whole course overall, not exactly what I had hoped...
and Tommy's description of next yr dosent sound inspiring...!!

Hmmm... ive seen one or two deadly young ones in 4th yr IT, cant be that bad!!

angry_fox

Yeah but they wont be there next year? Will they?? Couple of good lookin women in Multimedia...... including Rollo Tamasi.

Rollo Tamasi

oh behave!!! i'm scarlet ;-)

Legend_Killer

LanceStorm = best screen name ever!

I hope to be doing IT as long as they let me back.... hence the reason im gonna go study for god forsaken software engineering now!

angry_fox

Z specification, has to be the biggest load of sh*te ive ever seen.

MrShadow

whos lecturing Z these days?

Legend_Killer

Anne Vereker..... I'm definately leaving Z off the paper.... guaranteed question though so could be a mistake......