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For my sins, I’ve found myself on four module teams; two in production (TM113, TM253) and two in presentation (TM354, and TM470). The two production modules are a part of an important new qualification the university is producing.

What follows is a set of notes I’ve made that relates to this new qualification. For the official word about the R88, my recommendation is to have a look at the R88 qualification webpage. 

Firstly, a bit of context: a full time degree is made up of 360 academic credits. The equivalent of one year of study at a brick university is 120 credits. The OU also reflects this, and has three levels of study. Degree classification scores are calculated from results from levels 2 and 3. Level 1 is about skills and knowledge development, but level 1 modules do need to be passed. All modules on this qualification are 30 credits. 

Here is a quick summary of what I know.

Level 1

TM110 Computing fundamentals 1: concepts and Python programming

This is the first module to study. It is likely to include some maths just to prepare everyone for the first maths module that follows. Unlike TM111, it makes use of a textual programming language from the outset. Different themes are interleaved with each other. There are two TMAs and an end of module TMA. 

TM113 Computing fundamentals 2: programming, databases, software engineering

The first presentation of this module is planned for October 2026. This obviously has three related components, and like TM110, the topics are interleaved with each other. This uses the same programming language as before, but uses a different programming environment: Visual Studio Code.  Like all these modules, there is a focus on skills development and employability.

TM129 Technologies in practice

This module has three ten point sections: a bit about robotics and AI, a section about virtual machines and the Linux operating system, and a bit about networking. In AI machines will, invariably need to talk with each other. Knowing something about networking is important.

MST124 Essential mathematics 1

This module is produced by the School of Maths and Stats. It builds on ideas that were introduced in TM110.

Level 2

TM253 Programming and software engineering

This new module is planned for October 2027. This picks up where TM113 left off. It is likely to introduce students to a programming language that is different from Java, and is likely to help students do understand more about software design and architecture. There is also likely to be a significant emphasis on object-oriented software (but other programming paradigms might also get mentioned).

TM258 Introduction to machine learning and artificial intelligence

This is a new module which introduces a range of different AI techniques. I know nothing more than this at the moment, but I’ll hazard a guess to say that ‘search’ is likely to be covered.

M269 Algorithms, data structures and computability

It could be argued that M269 is the most computer science of all these computer science modules. It covers the fundamentals, which means searching and sorting.

M249 Practical modern statistics

Stats is important within machine learning (as well as computer science). The module description says that it covers “time series, multivariate analysis, and Bayesian statistics”. 

Level 3

TM342 Investigating intelligence and ethics

As a postgrad student, I studied a module that had the title ‘natural and artificial intelligence’ that was led by the school of psychology. It was a subject that I really enjoyed. I’m looking forward to learning more about what is going to be covered in this module.

TM343 Artificial intelligence in practice

I don’t know anything about this module, other than I know it is going to be hands on, and may well cover the subject of natural language processing (in some way or another).

TM358 Machine learning and artificial intelligence

This is an existing module which is a part of the BSc (Honours) Data Science qualification. The module description says: “you’ll learn about various machine learning techniques but concentrate on deep neural learning”. In other words, neural networks.

TM470 The computing and IT project

This is what is called a capstone module. Students who take this programme are required to complete a project that is likely to have an AI flavour to it. This is also one of the modules that I tutor. I’ve written quite a few articles about TM470 in this blog.

Other qualifications

There are a number of other related qualifications which are worth knowing about:

• Q62 BSc (Honours) Computing & IT
• Q67 BSc (Honours) Computing & IT and a second subject
• R60 BSc (Honours) Cyber Security
• R38 BSc (Honours) Data Science

Reflections

It’s really exciting to be working on the software engineering bit of two new modules. 

In some ways, this takes me back to my undergraduate days where I studied computer science. On the programme, there was a single AI module (which was a third year module) which I quite enjoyed. Things have, of course, moved on a huge amount; there are new techniques and new technologies. I was only taught about symbolic AI, and nothing about statistical approaches. I only came across neural networks as a postgraduate student in the mid-1990s.

It is interesting to see how mathematics is introduced in this programme. It begins slowly with material in TM110. This reflects my own experience as an undergrad. I never studied maths at A or AS level, so I went to a ‘gentle start’ class. This led onto a 'discrete mathematics' class, which could be termed ‘bits of maths that could be useful for those studying computer science’. I didn’t like it much. To this day I remember proofs, matrices (which is useful for computer graphics), and a lot of probability (lots of questions about playing cards). The equivalent of my discrete maths class is, of course, MST124. Given the importance of statistics in machine learning, there is then M249. 

It’s also important to reflect that software engineering has changed since I studied it. Computing is now everywhere, and that is a characteristic that makes it such an interesting subject. It is in your devices, in your appliances, and in the cloud. A personal objective is to work with others to create materials that not only give the materials industrial relevance, but also to share with students what it means to study software engineering as an academic subject.

Looking back to my time as an undergraduate, one of the modules that I recognise most clearly in M269, the data structures and algorithms module. Some fundamentals never change. What does change is how they are used, and how they are realised. I remember reciting Dijkstra’s algorithm in an exam, just as if it were an ode. I also remember getting a bit baffled by the big O notation, which features in M269.

One of the areas that I know I’m weak on is statistics. When I’m through studying my current module, I may well find my way back to maths.

Disclaimers

This qualification (along with all the others) is subject to change and development.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements are due to the School of Computing and Communications directors of teaching who have played an important role is establishing this new qualification.