NUS's IS5008, IS5111 and IS5128 Reviews - Master of Computing (Information Systems) Modules

Having just completed my first year of Master of Computing, specialising in Information Systems, I feel like I badly need this upcoming summer break to 'recuperate' before embarking on my next year of study. It hasn't been completely easy to jump into computing from having hardly any background at all (taking the IS specialisation does make it easier though). 

Anyway I am halfway into the journey and damn glad for it! For those who are making the jump like me, have faith that you can make it. And maybe I will see you some time in some module..

Before I immerse completely in my break though, I thought I should do a review of all the three modules that I took within this semester. They have all been IS modules but I do hope I will at least find the courage to do a CS module within the next year. **Fingers Crossed**  UPDATE: I did end up doing one CS module - CS5228 so you could also check out that review, link in next paragraph.

In this post, I will cover my Year 1, Semester 2 modules - IS5008, IS5111 and IS5128 whereas my Year 1, Semester 1 modules - IS5005 and IS5009 , Year 2, Semester 1 modules - CS5228, IS5116 and IS5151 and Year 2, Semester 2 modules - IS5002 and IS5004 will be covered in other posts. So do look out for those. You could also read tips to do well in your part-time Masters programme!

IS5008 - Technology Risk & Cyber Resilience (under Prof Vincent LOY JITCHEN)

Workload  

2 Hours of Lecture a Week 

Lectures are recorded and is available for students' viewing so it is not really necessary to attend lectures live. The Prof does engage with students during lecture so if you like that kind of engagement might be a good idea to attend them. 

The lectures do end within the two hours and most days even earlier. Some lectures are replaced with self-study so that's good time for you to review lecture contents and readings or to do assignments.

A relatively light module.

Assessment

All the assignments and projects are to be done and submitted as PowerPoint slides.

Individual Assignment 1: 25%

This assignment was one of the earliest that was released out of all the modules this semester, think it was in Week 2. About a week and a half was given for this assignment. 

Initially this was to be 30% of the total grades but I believe there were some complaints about instructions not being clear (or something to that effect) so Prof Vincent changed the grade component for the two individual assignments to be 25% each. Not sure what the percentages will be for subsequent semesters.

I didn't have complaints about the instructions though. It was pretty clear to me. I do have to say though that Prof Vincent seems like a strict grader.

There was a free lecture slot in Week 3 which we could use to do the assignment.

Individual Assignment 2: 25%

This assignment was released in Week 7 and we had about two weeks to complete it. 

Like with assignment 1, there was a free lecture slot and I used that time to do part of the assignment..

Group Final Project - 50%

In teams of 5 that we had to form ourselves, we were supposed to do and submit a 1 hour presentation slides. Sort of a 'presentation report'. 

It was very fortunate for us that the presentation was canceled because of Covid-19 so we just had to submit the slides but bearing in mind that it was meant to be in a presentation form.

One issue that I did have with the Final Project was how rushed the whole project felt mainly because it was only released in Week 10 (which is generally considered the 'start' of the stressful period of the semester) and there was only three weeks to complete it. Wish the project was released earlier like the other two modules (later discussed) but maybe that is part of the assessment - to see what we can come up with within that short time frame.  

Grades

Grades of the assignments and even final project are released within the Gradebook in Luminus. But Prof Vincent doesn't release the result statistics so it is rather hard to ascertain where you stand among the rest of the students. He did provide comments from Assignment 2 onwards due to students' requests as well as released a couple of good sample work of students who did the assignment well.

Thoughts about Module

This is a relatively light module with little content and just three overall assignments to do. Lecture slots are sometimes freed up so that we could focus on our assignments and project which is really helpful to sync up with project mates and to complete the project.

While the module itself is light, it might not be so easy to score. I noticed this right after the first assignment's grade was released. Prof Vincent didn't really give an objective set of criteria with which we could follow so we are left a little hanging as to how exactly we should do the assignments or projects. That is not to say it's a bad thing. Some students don't need these to do well anyway.

Opinion of Prof Vincent

Prof Vincent is quick to reply emails and questions. I felt he became a little reticent partially into the semester due to some complains from students about grading which is quite a waste. Would have loved to have consulted with him for the project but he wanted to be 'fair' to everyone and not have consultations in private. I have my 'I-don't-agree-with-it' opinion on that but that is my personal view. Others might find this approach fair. It just doesn't facilitate good learning overall.

Would I Recommend this Module?

To be honest, there is not much content covered for people who already know stuff about risk assessments and technology/cyber threats and how to resolve them. I don't even think I learnt all that much about the various threats or how to resolve them by the end of the module.

A lot of time you have to self-research to learn and of course do the same to tackle the assignments and project. So it is really learning on your own most of the time. If you have good project mates from whom you can learn (like I did), that's a great way to accelerate your learning.

IS5111 - IT Strategy and Governance (under Prof Alex SIOW Yuen Khong)

Prof Siow has mentioned that this is probably the last semester that this module will be offered. Nonetheless I will still write on my experience with the module.

Workload  

2 Hours of Lecture a Week 

To be honest, it is not necessary to attend lectures especially since they are recorded and offered for students to watch. There was a final exam though so might have to review the lectures.

Relatively light module to take.

Assessment

Individual Mid Terms - 20%

The mid terms was released in Week 6. We were given about 2 weeks to complete it and it overlapped with reading week. A 1000 word report which wasn't too bad in my opinion. Prof Siow is quite kind in the grading especially if he sees effort. 

Group Final Project - 40% (35% for report and 5% for presentation)

In groups of 6 or 7 people to write a report of minimum 5000 words. To be honest, I really had loads of fun researching for my topic. The topic is to be chosen within the first two weeks of the semester. My group chose a topic we were fond of - F&B :)

Grades for the project and midterms were released within Gradebook. Again result statistics not shown to us but Prof Siow is generally generous for these two components.

Final Exam - 40%

Four questions, each 10 marks based on topics covered in lectures. It was actually rather challenging in my opinion. So even though I did good for the other 60%, I was quite worried about this 40%.

Prof Siow did mention this 40% is where he will be 'bell-curving' us from. Not sure why there should be a need to bell-curve graduate students especially since most lecturers have been telling us that grades don't matter in a Masters programme. I wonder why they take the trouble to bell-curve us then *shrugs*.

Thoughts about Module

I felt like I learnt a lot from Prof Siow especially with respect to the role of a CIO and leadership in IT.

Opinion of Prof Siow

Prof Siow is in fact the first CIO of Singapore and it was interesting to hear him recounting some of his experiences on the job. He even published his own book on that titled "Leading with IT" if anyone is interested to find out more...

Would I Recommend this Module?

Yes, if it is still going to be offered. 

The final exam was harder than previous semesters this time round. But I still feel this is a lighter module that could balance out one of the other heavier modules.

IS5128 - Digital Innovation (under Prof OH Lih Bin)

Workload  

2 Hours of Lecture a Week  

Good to attend lecture because there is a GRADED class participation portion. Otherwise for classes missed, lecture sessions are recorded for viewing or review.

As you can see in the next section (Assessment), there is really quite a bit to do for this module. It is definitely one of the heavier modules compared with the other two that I did this semester.

Assessment

Individual Class Participation - 10%

Prof Oh expects students to contribute where possible. He does ask a lot of questions so there are lots of opportunity to contribute. Especially during the weeks the Case Studies (see below) are covered, go all in with your contribution! 

Individual (Secret but Fun! Component) - 10%

Prof Oh has requested his current batch to not divulge too much information about this segment so I will adhere to his request. But honestly, nothing much to worry about here. Was really quite an interesting segment. I didn't even study for it.

This happens towards the end of the semester, around Week 12.

Individual Learning Journal - 20%

This is really the last thing you submit and is a culmination of all your learning points throughout the semester. I honestly rushed mine out in the last week, all 4000+ words of it. But for a less-headache-more-smooth ride, maybe tackle this in small bits on a weekly basis.

Group Final Project - 40% (30% for report and 10% presentation)

Within the first lecture itself, Prof Oh tries to group students into groups of 5 so if you already have a team in mind that is great. Otherwise, he does help to group students up at the end of lecture session. By the first lecture, you should more or less know if you wish to do this module as the project topic is already released then. 

You practically have the whole semester to work on the project! Presentation and submission happens in the last week (Week 13).

Group Paper Presentation - 5%

Every group is given a different paper to present on. The presentation week is assigned based on the paper you present and begins from Week 6 all the way to Week 11.

Group Case Studies - 15% (5% each for 3 Case Studies)

Three case studies were given for reading and then each group had to submit the answers to the questions. Submissions happen within Weeks 8 to 10, one case study a week. 

Questions are released by Week 6 or 7 so there should be sufficient time to do them. 

Grades

Grades for the Individual Learning Journal and Secret Component as well as Group Project and Case Studies are released at the end of the semester. The result statistics are also released so you can see how you did relative to the rest of the class..

Thoughts about Module

Like I mentioned already, this is really quite a heavy module to do especially if you are doing three modules in a semester and working full time. But I don't regret doing the module at all because I feel like I learnt a lot especially from reading the case studies and papers. 

A lot of the concepts were new to me and I feel like they are very relatable and could be carried out and put into practice at the workplace. For people who are looking to improve business processes or service systems, this module is definitely recommended.

Opinion of Prof Oh

Prof Oh is actually a really sweet lecturer. He has obviously put a lot of thought into designing this module - it is quite a well-designed module. Prof Oh brings in various resources to facilitate students' learning as well.

He reserves time at the end of lectures for students to consult with him about the project or lecture content. He also replies email queries very quickly. Overall I feel he really tries his best to make this a good and smooth-sailing experience for students.

Would I Recommend this Module?

Yup. If nothing else, you should learn an interesting thing or two. 

But if you are looking for a light IS module, I don't think this is the one for you. Pair this with something lighter.

*So there you have it, the three Semester 2 IS modules I took for my first year as a Master of Computing student. To anyone who needs to ask more questions, please feel free to comment or contact me. I will do my best to answer whatever queries I can. And of course, wishing you all the very best for your own Master's journey!