University of Colombo

Sri Lanka

BACHELOR OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY (BIT)
External Degree

Student Handbook
Academic Year - 2020

Conducted by

University of Colombo School of Computing

 Disclaimer

This handbook is compiled with information received up to December

2019, and is applicable to the students of all Levels of Academic Year
2020

It is hereby informed that this handbook is only for general information

and is not for official purposes.

Any information contained herein should be confirmed by reference to

the relevant authority.

For the latest version of the handbook please visit our website

http://bit.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk
http://www.bit.lk

ii | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 VISION &
MISSION
OF THE UCSC

Vision
Be a global leader in
computing education,
advancing the frontiers of knowledge
through teaching, learning and research.

Mission
To advance and enhance
computing studies,
fostering global strategic alliances,
promoting interdisciplinary research,
producing socially responsible professionals
with entrepreneurial skills,
leadership qualities and integrity
contributing to position the country as a
knowledge hub in the region.
MESSAGE FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR

I extend to each and every one of you my sincere

congratulations on being admitted as an external student
for the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) degree
programme conducted by the University of Colombo
School of Computing (UCSC). The University of Colombo
has a history dating back to 150 years and is the most
prestigious university to read a degree programme
in Sri Lanka. Although many students want to register
as an internal student, it is not possible to provide such
opportunities due to the limitation of resources and other
regulatory issues. In such circumstances, the external
degree programmes in the University of Colombo provide
open distance learning opportunities for registered students
to obtain their graduate or diploma level qualifications.
The UCSC which is a proud feature of the University of
Colombo, and is given the responsibility of managing the
BIT degree programme since 2000. It is noteworthy that
the commencement of this specific programme was by the
Institute of Computer Technology (ICT), the predecessor of
the UCSC. The ICT took the initiative to launch the external
degree in Information Technology (BIT) with the anticipation
of developing the human capital in information and
communication technologies to meet the national demand
of professionals in the country. The BIT provides a well-
defined syllabus that is well aligned with international standards. Its syllabus
is reviewed and updated regularly to meet the changing requirements of the
industry. You will be happy to note that this degree programme enables you to
secure a wide range of job opportunities and has been redesigned according
to the policy on Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF) introduced by
University Grants Commission (UGC). In 2002, the UCSC was established
by merging the Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) and the Department
of Computer Science (DCS) of the Faculty of Science in order to expand
the capacity of University of Colombo to contribute to the development of
computing education and research. After 18 years, the UCSC has become
the strongest learning facility for computing education with more than 35
academic staff who hold postgraduate qualifications. All staff of UCSC are
actively engaged in and contribute to the development of the BIT programme
which has become the most popular local external degree programme in
Information Technology. Hence, it is a great opportunity in your career to
become a student of this external degree programme. The student handbook
is a useful document for you both regarding the degree programme and
the operational mechanisms of the academic and administrative spheres.
Nevertheless, it is important for you to self-explore and expand your awareness
about the degree programme as well as the University of Colombo. Hence,
I invite you to browse the University of Colombo website (www.cmb.ac.lk) to
know about interesting activities that are happening in real-time. As students
of the University of Colombo, I hope that you will derive the maximum benefits
from the treasure trove of opportunities that will be bestowed upon you and
work with commitment to become the responsible citizens whom Sri Lanka
needs now and in the future. I wish you every success and a bright future in
all your endeavors.

Senior Professor Chandrika N Wijeyaratne

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | v

 MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

I am honored to welcome all the new students of BIT

degree programme of the University of Colombo on behalf
of the management of the UCSC. Simultaneously I would
like to congratulate all of them for being fortunate to
get the admissions for the best higher education institute
in computing in Sri Lanka. Since the beginning in 2002,
UCSC has undertaken the responsibility of managing the
BIT degree as one of its primary responsibilities. You have
started a new era of higher education and it will be different
from your school education. In university education, the
role of the institute has been just to facilitate your learning.
Thus UCSC is dedicated to a student centered education
that encourages academic excellence through the well-
defined and gradually updated syllabus. Moreover, we
have a qualified academic staff to support all of you, by
any means necessary to ensure that the students reach
their fullest academic potentials. In that manner, since the
beginning, UCSC has been gradually moving towards
success by following the vision of the UCSC. Another
significant fact that you have to keep in your mind is the
importance of English for the successful completion of the
degree. Since all the courses are conducted in English,
certain challenges can be occurred when you are following
the BIT programme. Therefore, it is essential to work hard
to overcome these barriers. The beginning of anything is hard. You might
face problems trying to adjust to the study programme. But try to be strong
and go towards your targets. Finally, I would like to remind all of you that it
is your responsibility to maintain the dedication in your education and skill
development since the future and the development of our country depends
on you. Providing the curriculum path and learning resources cannot make
you an outstanding graduate unless you become active learners and follow
your studies properly and independently. Thus, I hope that all of the new BIT
undergraduates will do their best and grow into locally and internationally
renowned personalities with innovative and expert minds. Once again, I wish
you all the best for the new journey that you are going to commence.

Professor K P Hewagamage
Director of the University of Colombo School of Computing

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | vii

 ACRONYMS

ADMTC : Advanced Digital Media Technology Centre

A/L : Advanced Level
BIT : Bachelor of Information Technology
CSC : Computing Services Centre
DIT : Diploma in Information Technology
EDC : External Degrees Centre
eLC : e-Learning Centre
FIT : Foundation in Information Technology
G.C.E. : General Certificate in Education
GPA : Grade Point Average
GPV : Grade Point Value
HDIT : Higher Diploma in Information Technology
ICT : Information and Communication Technologies
IT : Information Technology
LMS : Learning Management System
MPhil : Master of Philosophy
MSc : Master of Science
O/L : Ordinary Level
PDC : Professional Development Centre
PhD : Doctor of Philosophy
R&D : Research and Development
UCSC : University of Colombo School of Computing
UGC : University Grants Commission
VLE : Virtual Learning Environment

viii | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vision & Mission ............................................................................. iii
Message from the Vice Chancellor ................................................... iv
Message from the Director .............................................................. vi
Acronyms ....................................................................................... viii
1. Introduction ................................................................................ 1
1.1 The University of Colombo ................................................ 2
1.2 The University of Colombo School of Computing ................ 3
1.3 Goals of UCSC ................................................................. 4
1.4 Undergraduate Education in Computing at UCSC .............. 5
1.5 Postgraduate Education in Computing at UCSC .................. 5
1.5.1 Master of Computer Science ................................... 6
1.5.2 Master of Science in Computer Science ................... 6
1.5.3 Master of Information Technology .......................... 6
1.5.4 Master of Information Security ................................ 6
1.5.5 Master of Business Analytics ................................... 6
1.5.6 Master of Cybersecurity .......................................... 7
1.5.7 Master of Science in Bioinformatics ......................... 7
1.6 Research Degrees at UCSC ............................................... 8
1.6.1 Master of Computing by Research .......................... 8
1.6.2 Master of Philosophy in Computing ....................... 8
1.6.3 Doctor of Philosophy in Computing ......................... 8
1.7 Structure of the UCSC ....................................................... 9
1.7.1 Organizational Structure ....................................... 9
1.7.2 Advance Digital Media Technology Centre ............ 11
1.7.3 Centre for Digital Forensics ................................... 11
1.7.4 Computing Services Centre ................................... 11
1.7.5 External Degrees Centre ........................................ 12
1.7.6 eLearning Centre.................................................. 12
1.7.7 Professional Development Centre ........................... 12
2. BIT Degree Programme .............................................................. 13
2.1 Overview .......................................................................... 14
2.2 International Recognition ................................................... 17

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | ix

 2.3 Job Opportunities ............................................................ 18
3. Registration ................................................................................ 19
3.1 Admission Requirements .................................................... 20
3.2 Selection Procedure ........................................................... 21
3.3 Registration ....................................................................... 21
3.3.1 Documents Required for Provisional Registration ....... 23
3.3.2 Registration Number ............................................... 23
3.3.3 BIT Identity Card ..................................................... 24
3.3.4 Cancellation of Registration ..................................... 24
3.3.5 Renewal of Registration ........................................... 24
3.4 Virtual Learning Environment for BIT .................................. 25
3.5 BIT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ................................ 26
3.6 BIT Website (www.bit.lk) ..................................................... 26
4. Course Structure ......................................................................... 27
4.1 Overview ........................................................................... 28
4.2 Levels ................................................................................ 28
4.2.1 Level I ..................................................................... 28
4.2.2 Level II .................................................................... 29
4.2.3 Level III ................................................................... 31
5. Examinations .............................................................................. 33
5.1 Medium ............................................................................ 34
5.2 Examination Dates ............................................................. 34
5.3 Applications to Sit the Examinations .................................... 34
5.4 Examination Criteria ......................................................... 35
5.4.1 Online Assignment and Assessment Criteria ............. 35
5.4.2 Level I Examination ................................................. 37
5.4.3 Level II Examination ................................................ 37
5.4.4 Level III Examination ............................................... 37
5.4.5 Level III Project Evaluation ........................................ 37
5.5 Grading System and Grade Point Average ........................... 38
5.6 Examination Admission Card .............................................. 39
5.7 Other Requirements ........................................................... 39

x | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 5.8 Examination Procedure ...................................................... 40
5.9 Examination Offences and Punishments .............................. 43
5.10 Re-Scrutinization .............................................................. 44
6. Diploma, Higher Diploma and Degree Awarding Criteria ............. 45
6.1 Criteria for a Pass .............................................................. 46
6.2 Awards of Classes .............................................................. 47
6.2.1 First Class ............................................................... 47
6.2.2 Second Class(Upper Division) .................................. 47
6.2.3 Second Class(Lower Division) ................................... 47
7. Medals and Awards .................................................................... 49
7.1 Overview ........................................................................... 50
7.2 Transcripts ......................................................................... 50
7.3 Degree .............................................................................. 50
7.4 Diploma and Higher Diplomas ........................................... 50
7.5 Medals and Awards ........................................................... 51
7.5.1 Medals ................................................................... 51
7.5.2 Awards ................................................................... 52
8. Fees and Payments ...................................................................... 55
8.1 Programme Fees ................................................................ 56
8.2 Miscellaneous Fees ............................................................ 57
8.3 Fees & Payment for Foreign Nationals ................................. 58
9. Training Institutes ........................................................................ 59
9.1 Introduction ....................................................................... 60
9.2 Training Institutes ............................................................... 62
10. Contact .................................................................................... 65
10.1 External Degrees Centre ................................................... 66
10.2 Staff ............................................................................... 67
10.3 Instructions for Requesting BIT Degree Related Information 69
10.4 Other Personnel .............................................................. 70
Appendix A: Appreciation of Prof. V. K. Samaranayake ...................... 71
Appendix B: Milestones ................................................................... 74

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | xi

 SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 1

 1.1 THE UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO

The history of higher education in Sri Lanka is closely linked to that of the
University of Colombo established in the year 1870, as the Ceylon Medical
College by the Government of that day under the leadership of Governor,
Sir Hercules Robinson. The University of Colombo could claim to have been
associated with higher education for over 100 years. This is an important
legacy that all undergraduates who join the University of Colombo must be
aware of and be proud of.

The vision of the University of Colombo, is to become a centre of excellence of

international repute that contributes significantly to the national development
and human resource development, particularly in the South Asian region.
Conscious of its long traditions as a leading tertiary education institution in
the Island, it promotes scholarship and research. It seeks to create and sustain
a culture of learning and critical inquiry that respects viewpoint differences,
inculcating a sense of social responsibility and service and commitment to
democratic values in a plural society.

The University of Colombo is a metropolitan university and the students are

at a distinct advantage of being at the hub of cultural, economic and political
activities in the country. Since its establishment as a distinct university, it has
expanded its departments and programmes, and acquired reputation within
the country as well as abroad for academic excellence.

The university has many faculties and institutes which are in great demand for
the programmes that they offer for undergraduate and postgraduate students,
and for a wider community (http://www.cmb.ac.lk). The services of its staff are
also increasingly used by the research community, international development
agencies and the governmental and non-governmental sectors. Students
should feel very privileged to belong to the University of Colombo with its
long tradition of excellence in teaching, learning, research and contribution to
the community. The University of Colombo started its computing activities in
1967 and today it is the most advanced higher educational institution, in the
forefront of human resource development in Information and Communication
Technologies in Sri Lanka.

You can find more details about the University of Colombo from its website at
http://www.cmb.ac.lk.

2 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 1.2 THE UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO
SCHOOL OF COMPUTING
In September 2002, University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC)
was established by merging The Institute of Computer Technology and the
Department of Computer Science both of the University of Colombo, as the
first centre of higher learning of computing in Sri Lanka. Its main objective
was to promote the computing studies at the University of Colombo, which
was commenced in 1967 under the guidance of Late Professor Vidya Jothi V.
K. Samaranayake who was the founding director of University of Colombo
School of Computing.

Currently, UCSC offers degree programmes, both at the undergraduate and

postgraduate levels in addition to specialized certificate courses. Carrying out
research and development work in the computing is also one of the main
key areas contributed by the UCSC. In addition, UCSC also contributes to
the national development by contributing Information Communication
Technology development in the country. All these activities are planned and
carried out considering the following 6 goals under the strategic plan of the
UCSC. More details about UCSC including its current activities are regularly
published at the http://www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 3

1.3 GOALS OF UCSC

GOAL 1

To be a centre of excellence in teaching and learning in

computing

GOAL 2

To promote research and development in computing while

emphasizing interdisciplinary research.

GOAL 3

To improve the qualities and responsibilities and

professionalism of the students/ staff.

GOAL 4

To enhance infrastructure facilities for higher productivity

through development of physical resources and human
capital.

GOAL 5

To enhance the institutional image through good governance.

GOAL 6

To contribute to the development of ICT in the society.

4 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 1.4 UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN
COMPUTING AT UCSC
The University Grant Commission has issued instructions to all public universities
in the circular 995 (Revised) (https://www.ugc.ac.lk/en/policy/ commission-
circulars/98-circulars-published-in-2012-973-997-/1090-commcircular-995-
certification-of-computing-degrees-to-align-with-international-standards.
html) to align computing education according to the international classification
of five disciplines. Hence, UCSC conducts 6 degree programmes according
to the curriculum guidelines of IEEE-ACM namely, B.Sc. in Computer Science,
B.Sc. (Honors) in Computer Science, B.Sc. (Honors) in Software Engineering,
B.Sc. in Information Systems, B.Sc. (Honors) in Information Systems Bachelor
of Information Technology (BIT). Except for BIT degree programmes, all other
degrees are internal programmes based on the UGC intake policy and details
of those programmes are available at https://ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/academic-
programmes/ug/. It is important to mention that UCSC has followed UGC
guidelines, including Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF) levels (http://
www.ugc.ac.lk/ en/all-notices/1156-sri-lanka-qualifications-framework.html)
and IEEEACM curriculum guidelines for computing degrees (https://www.
acm.org/ education/curricula-recommendations) when developing all these
internal and external degree programmes at the undergraduate levels. Hence,
all these degrees are acceptable both at national and international level.

1.5 POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION IN

COMPUTING AT UCSC
After completing your first degree, you can consider enrolling in a postgraduate
degree programme in order to continue your computing education. UCSC
offers masters level postgraduate programmes as well as research level
postgraduate programmes. Masters degree in Computer Science at the UCSC
was initiated in 1990 as a conversion degree programme, but it was later
updated as a second qualification for those who have a computing degree
as the first degree. Master of Information Technology degree is offered as a
conversion degree for those who do not have their first degree in Computing.
In addition to that, UCSC has started several specialized masters degree
programme in Information Security, Cybersecurity, Business and Data
Analytics. You can find further details on postgraduate degree programmes by
visiting the UCSC website at www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/pg and those programmes
are also listed below for your information.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 5

1.5.1 MASTER OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
(SLQF LEVEL 9)
The Master of Computer Science programme is designed for computing
professionals who already possess a degree in computing and who wish to
acquire a postgraduate qualification in Computer Science.

1.5.2 MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

(SLQF LEVEL 10)

Master of Science in Computer Science Programme is designed for those who

wish to acquire a Computer Science degree with a research focus.

1.5.3 MASTER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SLQF LEVEL 9)
The Master of Information Technology programme is targeted at graduates in
disciplines other than computing who wish to pursue a career in an Information
Technology related area. This is also suitable for those who wish to specialize
in a multi-disciplinary field.

1.5.4 MASTER OF INFORMATION SECURITY

(SLQF LEVEL 9)

The Master of Information Security programme is designed for graduates

who wish to acquire a postgraduate qualification in the area of information
security. This programme offers mid-career opportunities for those working in
the areas of information technology, information system audit and information
security.

1.5.5 MASTER OF BUSINESS ANALYTICS

(SLQF LEVEL 9)
The Master of Business Analytics Programme is designed for graduates who
wish to acquire a postgraduate qualification in data science with the focus on
business analytics.

6 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

1.5.6 MASTER OF CYBERSECURITY
(SLQF LEVEL 9)
Master of Cybersecurity Programme is designed considering the network
security and digital forensic. The first programme was offered in 2018 as a
distance master programme to a group of international candidates funded by
the Europian Union under the Asi@Connect project.

1.5.7 MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOINFORMATICS

(SLQF LEVEL 10)
UCSC together with the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology (IBMBB) offers a part time Master’s degree Programme in
Bioinformatics. This programme is administered by the IBMBB.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 7

 1.6 RESEARCH DEGREES AT UCSC

UCSC also offers research degrees to provide opportunities for candidates

who are willing to continue their postgraduate studies through research and
development activities. Graduates with first or second class level degrees or
masters degree with very good academic record could consider applying those
degrees. Current programmes are listed below and more details available in
the UCSC website at https://ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/academic-programmes/research-
degrees/

1.6.1 MASTER OF COMPUTING BY RESEARCH

(SLQF LEVEL 9)
It is a one year fulltime degree programme for graduates who have research
experience in their first degree with very good academic records.

1.6.2 MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (MPHIL) IN COMPUTING

(SLQF LEVEL 11)
Candidates who have research experience and good record of computing
discipline could register for the Master of Philosophy degree programme
fulltime (two years) or Part Time (three years). If they have a good performance
after one year of study, they can request to upgrade the degree to Doctor
of Philosophy (PhD) in Computing. Details at https://ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/mphil-
programme/

1.6.3 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHD) IN COMPUTING

(SLQF LEVEL 12)
Candidates who have research degree at the level of MPhil or equivalent could
register for PhD in computing for a period of 3 years fulltime. His academic
records and research experience will be evaluated to determine the suitability
of the candidate and there are scholarships for such candidates for these
degrees at the UCSC. Details at https://ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/phd-programme/

8 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 1.7 STRUCTURE OF THE UCSC

The primary activity of the University of Colombo School of Computing is

to deliver quality undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in
computing. The UCSC has three academic departments, six administration
divisions namely General Administration Division, Establishments Division,
Academic, Publications and Welfare Division, Postgraduate, Research and
Publications Division, Examination and Registration Division and Quality As-
surance Cell, one finance division and six centres. The academic staff is al-
located to the three academic departments based on their specialization and
teaching expertise. The main administration and operational units of UCSC
are shown in the Figure 1.

Following are the three academic departments based on the research interest.

• Department of Information Systems Engineering (ISE)

• Department of Computation and Intelligent Systems (CIS)
• Department of Communication and Media Technologies (CMT)

1.7.1 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Centres of the UCSC

Advanced Digital Media Technology Centre (ADMTC)
Centre for Digital Forensics (CDF)
Computing Services Centre (CSC)
Centres
External Degrees Centre (EDC)
e-Learning Centre (eLC)
Professional Development Centre (PDC)

Board of studies at the UCSC

BoS: Board of Internal Undergraduate Degrees (IUD)
Studies, which Research and Higher Degrees (RHD)
consists of IUD,
RHD and EEP External and Extension Programmes (EEP)

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 9

 University of
Colombo

Vice
Council/ UOC Senate
Chancellor

Director/
Board of Management/ UCSC
UCSC

Academic Service
Finance Academic Library NOC Engineering
Departments Centres

CIS ISE CMT ADMTC CSC CDF EDC eLC PDC

Figure 1: Main Administration and Operational Units of UCSC

1.7.2 ADVANCED DIGITAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY CENTRE
(ADMTC)
Advanced Digital Media Technology Centre (ADMTC) was established with
the support of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) in order to
implement the “Project for Human Resource Development in Information
Technology through capacity building of the UCSC”. The centre is equipped
with a state-of-the-art digital studio, a multimedia laboratory and an
auditorium. Centre also conducts several training programmes in Multimedia,
Web based Application development, and Digital Media Production. For more
details visit the website: http://www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/admtc

1.7.3 CENTRE FOR DIGITAL FORENSICS (CDF)

Centre for Digital Forensics (CDF) was established in 2011. The advisory panel
consists of UCSC and foreign academics. UCSC has played a key role in
assisting the Sri Lanka Police and the Criminal Investigation Department since
2003. The centre investigates evidence of digital crimes. For more details visit
the website: http://www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/dfc

1.7.4 COMPUTING SERVICES CENTRE (CSC)

Training courses ranging from awareness to specific skills such as Java

Application Developments using JavaSE, Dynamic Web Application
Development with PHP and MySQL, Fundamentals of IT for beginners are
conducted by the CSC during weekday evenings and weekends. Software
development unit of the CSC provide assists in automating various processors
of the BIT programme. For more details visit the website:
http://www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/csc

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 11

1.7.5 EXTERNAL DEGREES CENTRE (EDC)

The main purpose of establishing the External Degrees Centre (EDC) is to

facilitate managing the external degree programme, Bachelor of Information
Technology (BIT), which is to widen the higher educational opportunities for
the students who have been unsuccessful in meeting the competitive eligibility
criteria for admission to the state university system. Another reason has been
the massive demand from the ICT industry for high quality human resources
far exceeding the number provided by the state universities. The BIT degree
programme commenced in the year 2000 and has so far produced 2450
graduates and almost all graduates have been absorbed by the ICT industry.
Internal students of all state universities have the right to follow BIT degree
programme since it is a part time programme. For more details visit the
website: http://www.bit.lk

1.7.6 eLEARNING CENTRE (eLC)

The UCSC was identified by donor agencies such as Swedish International

Development Agency (SIDA) and European Union Asia Link Programme as
an ideal location for a centre of excellence in e-Learning. In 2003, e-Learning
Centre (eLC) has established an online learning environment at UCSC.
The centre provides necessary support in developing interactive e-Learning
content and training. The online virtual learning environment of the BIT degree
programme (http://vle.bit.lk) is managed by them. For more details visit the
eLC website: http://www.ucsc.cmb. ac.lk/elc

1.7.7 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (PDC)

The Professional Development Centre (PDC) was set up to keep a close liaison
with IT industry and to improve the academic programmes through industry
partnership. The PDC primarily concentrate on improving professional skills of
the staff and the internal students, industrial placements and visits for internal
undergraduates and promoting inter-cultural harmony. The mission of the
Professional Development Centre (PDC) of the UCSC is to produce Computing
graduates’ having extra-curricular skills such as professional skills, business
skills, communication skills, community service skills, innovative capacity and
entrepreneurship to pursue successful careers thereby contributing to the
socio-economic development of Sri Lanka. For more details visit the website:
http://www.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/pdc

12 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 SECTION 2

BIT DEGREE
PROGRAMME

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 13

 2.1 OVERVIEW

Taking into consideration the job opportunities that exist for ICT graduates
in Sri Lanka & overseas, the UCSC took the initiative to launch the three-
year External Degree programme leading towards the award of Degree of
Bachelor of Information Technology (External) in the year 2000. This degree
programme has been redesigned according to ACM guidelines and Policy
Framework for External and Extension programme introduced by the University
Grants Commission in the year 2010.

The UCSC has advanced training resources and experience in Sri Lanka in the
field of ICT education, and UCSC is the first to offer an External Degree in IT in
Sri Lanka. The BIT syllabi are reviewed and updated regularly by considering
the international standards such as ACM guidelines, and local and global
demand of the IT industry. The BIT degree is awarded by the University of
Colombo.

UCSC provides a well-defined detailed syllabus that would help to lay a solid
foundation on which, a student can build his career in IT. The syllabi will
be constantly updated to meet the industry requirements. Model and past
question papers, a list of recommended textbooks are made available to the
students. In the year 2003, e-learning was introduced to the BIT students
through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This was possible through
the assistance given by SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency).
VLE assists the students in learning through self-evaluating quizzes, learning
material and activities.

The expertise of more than 29 PhD, 05 MPhil, 05 MSc drawn from the University
of Colombo, other Sri Lankan and Foreign Universities, and the ICT industry
are associated with the programme, which makes the BIT a first in Sri Lanka to
benefit from such expertise. Currently, more than 50 training institutes spread
over the country offer training programmes for the BIT degree. Among them,
17 training institutes have registered with the UCSC in year 2020. The list of
the BIT registered teaching institutes are presented in the section 9 and also
published in the BIT website.
(http://bit.lk/index.php/learning/training-institutes/)

14 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

BIT Programme is designed to:
• produce qualified IT professionals through external mode in addition to
the traditional University output
• set professional standards and encourage students to obtain skills in
commercial IT applications and in the usage of necessary tools
• enable those who could not enter into a state university to read for a
degree in IT due to severe competition in obtaining such a degree from
a state university.
• provide an opportunity to those non-graduates already working in the IT
sector to obtain a formal qualification through self-study

The minimum duration of the BIT degree programme will be 3 academic

years.

• A Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) will be awarded to a

candidate who has obtained a “PASS” for all the Non-GPA courses, a
minimum of a “C” grade for each GPA course, and passed all online
assignments as specified in Section 4, in Level I.
• A Higher Diploma in Information Technology (HDIT) will be awarded
to a candidate who has obtained a “PASS” for all the Non-GPA courses,
a minimum of a “C” grade for each GPA course, passed all online
assignments as specified in Section 4 in the Level II, and has obtained
the Diploma in Information Technology (DIT)
• BIT Degree Certificate will be awarded on successful completion of Level
I, Level II and Level III examinations and fulfilment of other requirements
as specified in Section 4 and 6.

Over 40,000 candidates have enrolled for the BIT programme since its
inception in the year 2000 and the 20th consecutive Academic year is about
to commence. Statistics of Diploma/ Higher Diploma & BIT Degree Awardees
of the last 19 years are summarized in Table 2a.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 15

 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year
DIT HDIT BIT
2000/01 171
2001/02 299 70
2002/03 596 148 63
2003/04 572 353 113
2004/05 259 164 103
2005/06 346 154 115
2006/07 532 128 108
2007/08 613 386 138
2008/09 438 310 161
2009/10 366 199 140
2010/11 581 309 129
2011/12 659 262 172
2012/13 618 305 194
2013/14 523 339 225
2014/15 379 227 262
2016 403 151 217
2017 337 110 133
2018 436 120 177
Total 8128 3735 2450
Table 2a: Statistics of Awardees

16 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 2.2 INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

The e-BIT programme of the UCSC won a Certificate of Commendation

in the Education Planner and Administrator Category of the UNESCO ICT
in Education Innovation Awards 2007-2008 and awards at NBQSA and
e-Swabhimani.

The UCSC was chosen for this award owing to its innovative use of ICT to
scale the output of ICT Professionals much needed by the industry. The e-BIT
was designed to optimize the use of ICT for communication, registration,
delivery of the curricular content, and examination through its website and
associated Virtual Learning Environment. Today, it has become the student
portal through which one can learn online, seek assistance from facilitators,
and communicate with peers in addition to obtaining examination support
material and retrieving results. For this reason, the BIT programme has
become the premier ‘open’ and affordable IT degree programme in Sri Lanka.
The success of the e-BIT can be attributed to the efforts of the e-Learning
Centre of the UCSC through its Research and Development (R&D) activities.
The curriculum was completely revamped taking into account a new online
pedagogy based on a user-centric but collaborative learning model and
the constructive alignment paradigm of learning. R&D work in setting up
an appropriate Virtual Learning Environment resulted in the adoption and
adaptation of the open-source Moodle framework which was customized
and localized to form Vidupiyasa – UCSC’s “Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE) for BIT students”. SCORM compatible online learning lessons have been
developed based on the redesigned curriculum and made available through
the VLE. Additional information regarding the registrations and examinations
are made available through the BIT website. An e-assessment system for
formative as well as some summative testing has also been developed and
deployed.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 17

 2.3 JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The 21st Century would be dominated by ICT and there is a growing

need for IT professionals and they are sought-after more than ever
before, due to the fast-paced world of computer technology and the
increasing dominance of IT skills. This, together with the critical shortage
of IT professionals today, translates into opportunities for those who are
in IT as well as those who are interested in entering the field. Software
Development & ICT Services is one sector where Sri Lanka can do well and
have highly satisfactory economic returns, which in turn will benefit the
national economy. In this context, we need to heighten public awareness
on the potential of IT and increase educational opportunities in the sphere.

Considering the above, from the very beginning, the BIT degree programme
was designed and developed to cater to the rising demands of the IT
industry. Thus, the courses were developed considering the knowledge and
skills required to produce high quality IT professionals. As a result, during
the last 19 years, the BIT degree programme has been able to maintain
its employability rate which is around 90%. According to the latest statistics
obtained from the BIT graduates of the year 2019, the employability rate
is above 87%. Out of that, 71% are employed on a permanent basis. BIT
graduates get an opportunity to work in different sectors such as industry
and academia where 61% are employed in the private sector, and 15% are
employed in the public sector. Some graduates have even obtained foreign
employment opportunities. It shows that the BIT degree programme is
capable of catering to the demands of the industry as the majority of the BIT
graduates are employed as Software Engineers, QA/Test Developers, Front-
end Developers, Business Analyst, Network Administrators, Project Managers,
ICT/IT Lecturers, etc. which are among the most sought-out and high-
demand areas. Also, a significant number of graduates who have followed
the BIT degree programme was able to enter into postgraduate programmes
in local as well as foreign universities because of the strength of the
curriculum and some of them have even completed doctoral studies as well.
 SECTION 3

REGISTRATION

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 19

 3.1 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The following admission requirements will be effective for Academic Year 20

20.

No person may be registered as a candidate for the Examinations leading to

the Degree unless he/she satisfies (A) and (B) below:

(A) he/she

(i) has obtained three passes in the G.C.E. Advanced Level

Examination (New Syllabus) in one sitting;
OR
(ii) has obtained any other educational qualification deemed
equivalent to the qualification referred to in paragraphs (i)
above by the Senate on the recommendation of the Academic
Syndicate of the UCSC and has passed a Selection Test*
conducted by the UCSC;

OR

(iii) has passed all the theoretical components of the Foundation

in Information Technology (FIT) Programme conducted by the
UCSC;

AND

(B) he/she
(i) has obtained at least six passes in G.C.E. Ordinary Level with
three Credits including for Mathematics and English;
OR
(ii) has obtained any other educational qualification deemed
equivalent to the qualification referred to in paragraph (B)(i)
above by the Senate on the recommendation of the Academic
Syndicate of the UCSC.

Note:
* Selection Test = FIT

20 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 3.2 SELECTION PROCEDURE

Calling of applications for the Diploma in IT of the BIT degree programme

will be published in the press, social media and the BIT website annually.
In accordance with such notices, prescribed application forms should be
completed online, from the BIT website and forwarded to the External Degrees
Centre (EDC) of the UCSC with payment of appropriate fees and required
documents in Section 8.1 (see Table 8a). Degree path is shown in Figure 3a.

3.3 REGISTRATION

The selected students will be informed to register for the Level I of the BIT
degree programme. Initially students will be granted only a provisional
registration.

Proper Registration would be given only after the qualifications (e.g.

Advance Level, Ordinary Level and other) are verified by the EDC of UCSC.
Registration is valid for a period of one academic year. The students have to
pay the registration fee annually to keep their registration valid and sit for
examinations.

The registration of a student is cancelled, if he/she is not registered for 3

consecutive academic years. This rule will be effective irrespective of the
level of registration from 2018 onwards. The maximum period a student can
attempt an evaluation in each level of study (Level I, II or III) shall not exceed
three (3) consecutive years from the initial registration of a particular year of
study. If a student fails to do so, he/ she should be registered as a new student.

Registering for BIT@UCSC will not disqualify any student from registering for
any other internal or external degree offered in any other state university.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 21

 Degree
(BIT)

Progression
Condition 3

Level III (SEMESTER 5 & 6)

Examinations + Individual Project

Progression
Condition 2 Pass All
Courses
Level II (SEMESTER 3 & 4)
& All Online
Examinations and Online Assignments
Assignments + DIT

Progression
Condition 1
Pass All
Courses
Level I (SEMESTER 1 & 2)
Examinations and Online Assignments & All Online
Assignments

Progression Condition 3
Commence Studies
Cumulative GPA >= 2.0
A minimum of 90 GPA Credits with at least 30 GPA
credits from each Level

Registration A minimum of 20 Credits of "C" grade for GPA

courses AND "PASS" grade for all EN courses in
each Level
At least a "C" grade for individual project in Level III
A "PASS" grade for all EN courses in each Level
No grade below "D" grade for any course in each
PASS PASS
Level
GCE A/L
4 passes
(syllabus before 2000) FIT Progression Condition 2
or (All theoretical A minimum GPA of 1.5

3 passes Components) A minimum of 20 Credits of "C" grade for GPA

(syllabus of 2000 or after) courses of Level II

in one sitting A "PASS" grade for all EN courses of Level II

No grade below a "D" grade in any course of Level II

Progression Condition 1
A minimum GPA of 1.5

GCE O/L A minimum of 20 Credits of "C" grade for GPA

courses of Level I
(6 passes with 3 credits
A "PASS" grade for all EN courses of Level I
Including Mathematics & English)
No grade below a "D" grade in any course of Level I

Figure 3a: Degree Path

22 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

3.3.1 DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR PROVISIONAL
REGISTRATION
Originals & Photo copies of the following:

• National ID Card (for Sri Lankan citizens)/valid Passport (for foreign nationals)
• Birth Certificate
• Marriage Certificate (Where necessary)
• Educational certificates
(a) For Candidates who have obtained three passes in the GCE Advanced
Level examination in one sitting (New Syllabus) or four passes in the
GCE Advanced Level examination in one sitting (Old Syllabus)
(i) GCE O/L Certificate
(ii) GCE A/L Certificate
(b) FIT Letter issued by University of Colombo School of Computing (for
those who have not qualified through GCE A/L)
• Copies of colour photographs of passport size (on Red Background and
Candidate’s ears should be clearly visible in each and every photo )
• One attested photo (pasted on an A4 size paper and attested by an authorized
person*. The signature and the seal of the authorizing person should be
placed across the photograph as not to cover the face of the candidate.
• Self Addressed Envelope of size 9”X4” with Rs. 50/= stamp.
• Affidavits (If the name appears in other Educational Certificates is different
than that in the Birth Certificate)

*Head or Retired Head of a Government/Director Managed approved school,

Grama Niladhari of the Division, Justice of Peace, Commissioner of Oaths,
Attorney at Law, Notary Public, Commissioned Officer of the armed forces, Staff
Officer of Govt./ Corporation, the Chief Incumbent of a Buddhist Vihara, A
religious Dignitary of standing of any other religion

3.3.2 REGISTRATION NUMBER

The registration number will be given to the students at the registration and a BIT
Identity Card will also be issued. All inquiries regarding any matter pertaining to
the BIT degree programme must be accompanied by this registration number.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 23

3.3.3 BIT IDENTITY CARD

The BIT Identity Card remains as a property of the student until such time; the
student obtains the Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology. Thereafter,
the student should return it to the External Degrees Centre (EDC) of UCSC.
If the BIT Identity Card is lost, a duplicate will be issued on payment. For
payments refer Section 8. An affidavit should be produced to obtain the
duplicate. Student should be physically presented for the ID photo which is
taken by the UCSC on his/ her registration interview. Students will not be
allowed to sit for an examination without a valid BIT Identity Card.

3.3.4 CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION

Any student may obtain cancellation of his student registration subjected to

the approval of the Board of Study. In such an event the UCSC will retain
only 25% of the registration fee if a written request is made with 30 days
from the closing of registration. Otherwise no refund is made. No requests
for cancellation will be entertained from students awaiting the results of an
examination or pending disciplinary action in respect of any examination
malpractice. To cancel a registration, the BIT ID card should be handed over
to the EDC.

3.3.5 RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION

All students are required to renew their registration within a prescribed period
after the release of results of Level I, II and III examinations. Renewal process
is done online and the generated payment voucher should be used to make
the payment. No other mode of payment will be accepted. Already registered
students need to renew their registrations before the 31st of December,
unless their registration depends on the release of results. Students will be
informed whether they have to register/re- register for the next academic year
depending on their examination results. A student has no right to claim to sit
any examination after expiry of the period of registration. Hence, a student
whose registration has lapsed must request the EDC in writing in order to
renew the registration. To access online material and to take part in online
assignments and assessments, the renewal of registration must be done
before 31st December.

If a registered student would not continue his/her registration for any academic
year he/ she will have to renew student registration by paying a surcharge, up

24 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

to the current registration year.

The students should complete any academic year within three years. If a
student fails to do so, he/ she should be registered as a new student.

3.4 VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

(VLE) FOR BIT
Students will be given a login (a username and a password) to the VLE for BIT
at the registration, and this login account is renewed at the beginning of each
academic year of the BIT programme. http://vle.bit.lk is the Virtual Learning
Environment established for the BIT students. You are requested to refer/check
the VLE frequently for the programme and course level information.

Course materials, online assessments, online assignments, past papers,

course related notices, announcements, deadlines for various submissions,
extensions, exam timetables, notices about exam applications, admission
cards and many other useful information are available at the VLE.

When new students are registered, they will be given a Student Registration
Number which will be the username to access the VLE for BIT. You will be given
a password once the registration process completes successfully. You must
have an email address to access the services of VLE for BIT.

Each course in the BIT programme has two or more online assignments. In
order to obtain the Diploma/ Higher Diploma certificates, you should pass all
the assignments in the relevant level of the degree programme.

The students, who are registered for the Level III Software Development
Project, are given a separate login to the Project-VLE (http://vle.bit.lk/project)
for project related studies/submissions.
If there is any issue with accessing the VLE, the students should contact the VLE
Administrator through email (admin@vle.bit.lk), indicating his/ her registration
number, index number, and the NIC number.

During the office hours, students could contact EDC, UCSC, and eLC using
the email address and the contact numbers given in the Contact section.*

Note:
* For all email communications, a student should include his/ her registration
number, index number, NIC, full name as it appears in the BIT Student ID, and
a contact number on which the student can be reached.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 25

 3.5 BIT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(FAQ)
The BIT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) consist of common questions and
answers related to the BIT Degree Programme. The questions are categorized
into 13 areas of information covering all questions asked often by the
students about the BIT Programme: general information, entry qualifications,
BIT applications, BIT registrations, BIT Programme structure, VLE(LMS), BIT
re-registration, BIT Identity card, BIT exams, VLE online assignments and
assessments, courses, certificates/transcripts and other. It is available online
on the BIT website and on the BIT VLE. The students are encouraged to refer
to the BIT FAQ, prior to contact the staff directly via email, telephone or by
visiting UCSC, for any question related to the degree programme.

3.6 BIT WEBSITE (WWW.BIT.LK)

The official website for the BIT degree program is www.bit.lk. All the
information regarding your degree program can be found through the BIT
website. Information on the website is organized under a few categories to
maintain the simplicity of the site.

In the home page of the site, you can find the latest student handbook and
all kinds of application forms as well as the bank vouchers which to be used
in the registration process. Most importantly, all the general notices related
to the degree program are published in the BIT website home page. That
includes the BIT examination timetable, final year project schedule and any
alternations for already published schedules.

Information like the history about the BIT degree program, statistics,
employability and entry requirements for the program can be found under
the “About BIT” page of the site. Registration details, examination process
and the examination results are also accessible through the website. You are
strongly advised to refer the BIT website frequently throughout your degree
programme because the website will be the main communication channel
between you and the UCSC.

26 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 SECTION 4

COURSE STRUCTURE

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 27

 4.1 OVERVIEW
This programme consists of three levels: Level I, Level II and Level III with two
semesters in each level. All courses offered in the first two levels are compulsory
whereas, in level three, optional courses are offered in addition to the compulsory
courses. Some of the compulsory courses offered are Enhancement courses which
are designed to strengthen students’ communicational, and mathematical skills.
Enhancement courses are identified using EN as the first two letters of course
code. EN courses are non-GPA courses. Therefore, the credit value of an EN
course is not considered for GPA calculation.

Candidate must select a minimum of 30 GPA credits from each level including all
compulsory courses. All courses in Level I and Level II are compulsory and each of
them has online assignments. All Enhancement courses in Level I, II and III consist
of two compulsory components, and a candidate will need to pass both online
assessment AND the written examination paper at one sitting.

4.2 LEVELS

4.2.1 LEVEL I

All courses (Table 4a) are compulsory with online assignments

with effect from year 2020.
LEVEL I
(All courses are compulsory with online assignments)
GPA
Code Name Semester Credits
Credits
EN1106 Introductory Mathematics 1 2 -
IT1106 Information Systems 1 4 4
IT1206 Computer Systems 1 4 4
Free and Open Source Software for
IT1306 1 3 3
Personal Computing
IT1406 Introduction to Programming 1 4 4
EN2106 Communication Skills I 2 2 -
IT2106 Mathematics for Computing I 2 3 3
Fundamentals of Software
IT2206 2 4 4
Engineering
IT2306 Database Systems 2 4 4
IT2406 Web Application Development I 2 4 4
Total Number of Credits 34 30
Table 4a: Level I Courses

28 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 4.2.2 LEVEL II

Students registered in the academic years 2018 and 2019 should follow the
courses given in Table 4b.
LEVEL II
Courses for Students registered in the academic years 2018 and 2019
(All courses are compulsory with online assignments)
Code Name Semester Credits
IT3105 Object Oriented Analysis & Design 3 3
IT3205 Fundamentals of Software Engineering 3 3
IT3305 Mathematics for Computing II 3 3
IT3405 User Interface Design 3 3
IT3505 Web Application Development II 3 4
IT4105 Programming II 4 4
IT4205 Information Technology Project Management 4 3
IT4305 Rapid Software Development 4 4
IT4405 Computer Networks 4 3
Total Number of Credits 30
Table 4b: Level II courses for students registered in the
academic years 2018 and 2019

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 29

All courses (Table 4c) are compulsory with online assignments with effect from
year 2021.
(with effect from year 2021)
LEVEL II
Courses for students registered in the academic year 2020
(All courses are compulsory with online assignments)
GPA
Code Name Semester Credits
Credits
EN3106 Communication Skills II 3 2 -
Object Oriented Analysis &
IT3106 3 3 3
Design
IT3206 Data Structures and Algorithms 3 3 3
IT3306 Data Management Systems 3 3 3
IT3406 Web Application Development II 3 4 4
IT4106 User Experience Design 4 3 3
Enterprise Application
IT4206 4 4 4
Development
Information Technology Project
IT4306 4 3 3
Management
IT4406 Agile Software Development 4 4 4
IT4506 Computer Networks 4 3 3
Total Number of Credits 32 30
Table 4c: Level II courses for students registered in the academic year 2020

30 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 4.2.3 LEVEL III

Students registered in the academic years 2018 and 2019 should follow the
courses given in Table 4d.
LEVEL III
Courses for students registered in the academic year 2018 and 2019
(Select all Compulsory (C) and Optional (O) courses to complete 30
credits)
Course
Code Name Semester Credits
Type
IT5105 Professional Issues in IT 5 3 C
IT5205 Information Systems Security 5 3 C
IT5305 Computer Systems II 5 3 O
IT5405 Fundamentals of Multimedia 5 3 O
EN5101 Fundamentals of Management 5 2 C
IT6105 Software Development Project 5&6 8 C
Systems & Network
IT6205 6 3 C
Administration
IT6305 e-Business Application 6 3 O
IT6405 Database Systems II 6 3 C
IT6505 Middleware Architecture 6 3 O
EN6502 Introduction to Entrepreneurship 6 2 C
Total Number of Credits 36
Table 4d: Level III courses for students registered in the
academic years 2018 and 2019

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 31

Select all Compulsory (C) and Optional (O) courses to complete 30 GPA credits
with effect from 2022.
(with effect from 2022)
LEVEL III
Courses for students registered in the academic year 2020
(Select all Compulsory (C) and Optional (O) courses to complete 30
GPA credits)
GPA Course
Code Name Semester Credits
Credits Type
Fundamentals of
EN5106 Management & 5 2 - C
Entrepreneurship
Software Development
IT5106* 5&6 8 8 C
Project
IT5206 Professional Practice 5 3 3 C
Principles of Information
IT5306 5 3 3 C
Security
Systems & Network
IT5406 5 3 3 C
Administration
IT5506 e-Business Technologies 5 3 3 O
Advanced Concepts in
EN6106 6 2 - C
Information Technology
Software Quality
IT6206 6 3 3 C
Assurance
Application Development
IT6306 6 4 4 C
for Mobile Environments
Network Security and
IT6406 6 3 3 C
Audit
Mathematics for
IT6506 6 3 3 O
Computing II
Total Number of Credits 37 33
Table 4e: Level III courses for students registered in the academic year 2020

* Software Development Project is an 8 GPA Credit course and offered in both

Level III Semester 5 and 6 with 4 Credits for each semester.

EN courses are non-GPA. Therefore, the credit value of an EN course is not

considered for GPA calculation.

Detailed Syllabus for each of the above courses are available at the:
https://vle.bit.lk/

32 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 SECTION 5

EXAMINATIONS

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 33

 5.1 MEDIUM
Medium of Examinations is English. Any part of the answer script written in
any other language will not be marked.

5.2 EXAMINATION DATES

Examinations will be held on Semester basis, twice within an Academic Year,
starting during May/June and September/October respectively. The Level III
project evaluation will be held in November/December. The Examinations
shall be conducted in every academic year at the end of every Semester;
however the University reserves the right to conduct the Examinations at any
time during a year.

5.3 APPLICATIONS TO SIT THE

EXAMINATIONS
Applications for examinations will be entertained from prospective candidates
who possess all the requisite qualifications via the BIT website. Refer examination
criteria (see Section 5.4) for eligibility. Examination application forms should be
completed online and system generated application and the payment voucher
should be printed and submitted to the BIT office. Examination fee will be
non-refundable and non-transferrable. Applicants should download and print
their examination admission cards and bring them to the examination centre
with attestation. Students are requested to refer the BIT website regularly for
examination schedule updates and notices.

Important

Examination Application may be rejected on the following grounds:

(i) Not possessing all the requisite qualifications for the examination
concerned
(ii) Not applying on prescribed online forms
(iii) Not submitting the system generated application and payment
voucher on or before the closing date of applications
(iv) Invalid Registration
(v) Non-payment of Registration and Examination fees
(vi) Pending inquiries
(vii) Incomplete or inaccurate application form

34 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 5.4 EXAMINATION CRITERIA
The Board of Examiners may test any candidate by means of written/ electronic/
oral/ practical examination or any other form of evaluation.

Each course (as set out in section 4 above) examination leading to the award
of the Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology, carries a maximum
mark of 100.

A candidate shall not re-sit for a course examination, for which he/she
has already obtained a grade of “C” or above in a GPA course or a
“PASS” in Enhancement course.

5.4.1 ONLINE ASSIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

1. Online assignments of all Level I and Level II courses

(Semester 1, 2,3 and 4)

A candidate will have to obtain

• At least 40% from each assignment in a GPA course (i.e. assignment

1 AND assignment 2 of a particular GPA course) to successfully
PASS the online assignment component of that course.
• At least 50% from each assignment in a non-GPA course (i.e.
assignment 1 AND assignment 2 of the enhancement course) to
successfully PASS the online assignment component of that course.

Successful completion of this online assignment component of each course

(GPA or non-GPA) is a compulsory requirement to obtain the Diploma/
Higher Diploma at the end of the academic year.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 35

2. Online assessments of all enhancement courses
(Semester 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6)

A candidate will have to complete an “online assessment” (apart from the

online assignments already conducted in the Level I and Level II VLE courses)
for all the enhancement courses conducted in semester 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6.

A candidate will get 2 weeks and only 1 attempt to complete this online
assessment on or before the given deadline. Deadlines will be published as
“Announcements” in the BIT and VLE Websites.

Please note that in order to pass the enhancement courses (a compulsory

requirement to obtain the BIT degree), a candidate will need to pass this
online assessment AND the written examination paper at one sitting.
When a candidate apply and pay for the examinations of the enhancement
courses he/she will be eligible to take the online assessments. (No separate
payment is required for online assessment.) Please note that ONLY those
who apply and pay for the enhancement course exams are allowed to take
the online assessments soon after the exams.

If a candidate do not pass any one of the components (online assessment

OR the written exam paper) of the enhancement course examination, he/
she will receive a FAIL grade for that particular enhancement course and
he/she will have to apply and pay again for the online assessment AND the
written examination paper to pass the course successfully. Marks of any of
these components will not be released and will not be able to carry forward
for the next academic year.

Therefore, even if a candidate has passed the online assignments of an

enhancement course but failed the course in a previous attempt, he/she
will have to request for VLE access when registering for an academic year
to attempt the online assessments and to receive notices regarding these
online components.

36 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

5.4.2 LEVEL I EXAMINATION

Each candidate shall sit during his Level I study, number of courses (as specified
in section 4 above), relating to semester 1 and semester 2 and be subjected
to online assignments.

Any candidate who obtained a minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) of 1.5
and other requirements, at the Level I course examinations may proceed to
and register for the Level II.

Note that enhancement courses are Non-GPA.

5.4.3 LEVEL II EXAMINATION

Each candidate shall sit for number of courses (as specified in section 4
above), relating to semester 3 and semester 4 and be subjected to online
assignments during his/ her Level II study.

Any candidate who obtained a minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) of 1.5
and other requirements (if any), at the Level II course examinations may
proceed to and register for the Level III.

5.4.4 LEVEL III EXAMINATION

Each candidate shall sit for number of compulsory and optional courses (as
specified in section 4 above), relating to semester 5 and semester 6 during
his/ her Level III study.

5.4.5 LEVEL III PROJECT EVALUATION

A list of candidates who have submitted the Level III project dissertation on
or before the defined deadline and whose dissertation satisfied the minimum
requirements will be published as the eligible candidates at the end of
October. The project evaluation for the eligible candidates will be done in two
stages. In the first stage, the students should appear for the viva and code
evaluation and in the second stage students should appear for the dissertation
evaluation. Exact evaluation dates for each candidate will be published in the
BIT website and the project VLE before the examination dates.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 37

 5.5 GRADING SYSTEM AND GRADE POINT
AVERAGE
The Range of Marks and the corresponding Grades and Grade Point Values
(GPV) of the Academic Courses and the Project is given below.

Grade Point Values

Range of Marks Grade
(GPV)
85-100 A+ 4.00
70-84 A 4.00
65-69 A- 3.70
60-64 B+ 3.30
55-59 B 3.00
50-54 B- 2.70
45-49 C+ 2.30
40-44 C 2.00
35-39 C- 1.70
30-34 D+ 1.30
25-29 D 1.00
00-24 E 0.00

The Grade Point Average (GPA) of a candidate shall be calculated using the
following equation

∑ (GPV of CC*No. of credits of CC) + ∑ (GPV of OC*No. of credits of OC)

GPA =
Total number of Credits for the program

Where CC stands for Compulsory Course and OC stands for required

Optional Course. When calculating the GPA, additional optional courses
taken are disregarded. The GPA is rounded to the second decimal place.

38 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

A student shall be deemed to have ‘completed’ a course or a component of
a course if he/she has received a Grade in respect of the evaluation of the
course or such component. The Enhancement Courses shall be graded in
terms of the following scheme.

Grading Scheme for Enhancement Courses

Range of Marks Grade

50 - 100 PASS
00 - 49 FAIL

The Enhancement Courses shall not contribute to the calculation of GPA.

5.6 EXAMINATION ADMISSION CARDS

Before a minimum of one week prior to the commencement of the examination,

the admission cards for the examination will be issued for all the eligible
candidates through the BIT website. In the event of a candidate having any
issue related to the admission he should inform the EDC of UCSC immediately.
Failing that candidate will not be allowed to sit the examinations.

5.7 OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Those candidates who are referred or re-referred must of necessity obtain

a pass in the relevant of such course examination in accordance with
examination criteria. A candidate can appear for any course examination
until either he/she obtains a pass in the course or completes the degree
programme. However, a student shall not re-sit a course examination, for
which he/she has already obtained a grade of “C” or above.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 39

 5.8 EXAMINATION PROCEDURE

Rules to be followed in Examination

1. Students have to be present at the Examination Hall at least 30

minutes before starting the paper, but can’t enter the hall until
Supervisor gives permission.

2. Once admitted to the examination hall students are not allowed to

leave the examination hall till the examination is over.

3. After entering the hall, students should go to the seat assigned to

them and cannot change it without Supervisor permission.

4. Students must have their Student Identity Card and Admission Card
(SIdC) for each paper. If students fail to bring their SIdC, they have to
sign a declaration form provided by the invigilator. If a student loses
SIdC they can obtain a new SIdC from the External Degrees Centre
(EDC).

5. Admission Cards are signed in front of the Supervisor/Invigilator

when a student sits for a paper.

6. Students have to bring their own pens, ink or any other approved
equipment and stationery.

7. Examination stationary (i.e. Writing papers and MCQ answer

sheets) will be supplied and only these papers can be used at the
Examination. Answer books supplied to the students can not be torn
or damaged. Only one MCQ Answer Sheet will be provided. All
materials supplied, whether used or unused, have to be left behind
and cannot be removed from the examination halls.

40 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 8. Students are prohibited to have any notes, formulae or any other
unauthorized material with them during the examination. Books,
handbags, electronic and communication devices etc. which students
have brought with him/her should be kept at a place shown by the
Supervisor/Invigilator.

9. Every student has to enter their Index Number on the answer book
and on every extra sheet. A student who writes another students
index number on their answer sheet, can be considered as having
attempted to cheat. The Supervisor/Invigilator has the authority to
check the answer scripts of the student. An answer script that bears no
Index Number or an Index Number which cannot be identified, might
be rejected. Students can’t write their names on the answer book.

10. Students are under the authority of the Supervisor and have to carry
out their and invigilators instructions throughout the exam.

11. Absolute silence has to be maintained in the Examination hall and

around it. A student cannot talk or to have any dealings with anyone
other than the Supervisor/Invigilator. If a student needs to draw the
attention of Supervisor/Invigilator they can raise their hand. A student
can be excluded from the examination hall for causing disturbance.

12. After starting the exam, students cannot leave Examination hall even
temporarily. In case of an emergency, the Supervisor/ Invigilator will
grant them permission under constant surveillance.

13. Students have to stop writing immediately when Supervisor/Invigilator

orders. If this instruction is not followed the Supervisor/Invigilator has
the authority to make a statement on the answer book.

14. All calculations and rough work will be done only on given paper.
Such work should not be done on admission cards, timetables,
question papers or on any other paper. Any student who disregards
these instructions can be considered as having written notes with the
intention of copying.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 41

 15. Any answer or part of the answer which is not to be considered for the
purpose of assessment, will have to be neatly crossed out. If the same
question has been attempted in more than one place the answers
that are to be disregarded has to be neatly crossed out.

16. Every student has to hand over the answer scripts personally to
the Supervisor/Invigilator or remain in their seat until it is collected.
They cannot hand over their answer scripts to an attendant, a minor
employee or another student.
17. After handing over the paper, students cannot have it back.

18. Students cannot remove answer scripts from the Examination hall.

19. Students cannot copy from any material or from the answer scripts of
another student. Nor can they help another student or get help from
another student.

20. Impersonating students at the examination is not allowed.

21. The Supervisor/Invigilator can request a student to make a statement

in writing due to an incident during the examination, and such
statement will have to be signed by the student. Students cannot
refuse to make such a statement or to sign it.

22. Students can not sit examination, if they have exhausted the number
for that examination, unless they are granted special permission to
do so by the senate.

42 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 5.9 EXAMINATION OFFENCES AND
PUNISHMENTS
Students are strongly advised against committing plagiarism in the submission
of assignments, assessments and thesis reports. In the case of other written
examinations, the possession of unauthorized material is considered as an
offence punishable under the University of Colombo rules on conduct of
examinations.

1. Examination offences can be classified as follows:

(a) Possession of unauthorized documents or removal of
examination stationery.
(b) Disorderly conduct.
(c) Obtaining or attempting to obtain improper assistance or
cheating or attempting to cheat.
(d) Impersonation.
(e) Aiding and abetting the commission of any of these offences.
(f) Violation of any of the requirements or conditions stipulated
in Part I.

2. There shall be an Examination Disciplinary Committee to inquire

into and make recommendations (including punishments) regarding
examination offences.
3. In all cases of examination offences, the Supervisor will take action
and forward his/ her report to the Director/UCSC.

4. Having a prior knowledge of question paper is an examination

offence.

5. If students possess unauthorized material at an examination hall, it

will be presumed that they have used it until the contrary is proved
by them.

6. In cases of disorderly conduct the Supervisor will in the first instance

warn the student, and if the student persists in disorderly conduct,
the Supervisor may exclude the student from the examination hall
and issue him/her a letter cancelling their candidature from the
examination.
BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 43
 7. In all other cases of examination offences, the Supervisor will take
over the unauthorized documents and will obtain a statement from
the student and write his report on the matter.

8. A student who is guilty of an examination offence is liable to following

punishments.
(a) Removal of their name from the pass list.
(b) Cancellation of their candidature from whole or part of the
examination.
(c) Suspension from any University examination.
(d) Suspension from the University for a period.

9. Any student found helping to commit an examination offence will

receive the same punishment as the offender.

5.10 RE-SCRUTINIZATION

Provision is given for students to request for verification of their examination

marks and grades if they wish to do so. However, the verification process will
be limited only to check for accuracy of addition and computation and not for
re-marking of scripts.

Requesting re-scrutinization of marks and grades shall be limited only

during the first two weeks immediately following the release of result of an
examination. Such request shall only be submitted through the designated
form supplied by the EDC shall be given in the requested form. The cost of
re-scrutinization process must be borne by the student and hence a fee of
Rs.1000/= per examination paper has to be paid. If the marks and grades
are not changed, the candidate shall be notified by the Director through
Senior Assistant Registrar/ Examinations of the School. However, if the marks
and grades are changed, the outcome of the verification shall be notified to
the candidate(s) only after the ratification of results.

The results issued to the student(s) following the re-scrutiny of marks and
grades shall be the final and no more requests shall be entertained thereafter.

44 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 SECTION 6

DIPLOMA,
HIGHER DIPLOMA AND
DEGREE AWARDING
CRITERIA

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 45

 6.1 CRITERIA FOR A PASS

A candidate shall be deemed to have passed the Degree of Bachelor of

Information Technology Examinations if he/she has

(a) completed a minimum of 90 Credits with at least 30 Credits from

each of Level I, Level II and Level III;
(b) has obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average of not less than
2.00 in all Levels;
(c) has obtained a Grade Point of not less than 2.00 and/or a Pass
Grade for Courses aggregating to at least 20 Credits each in Level
I, Level II and Level III;
(d) has secured a Grade Point of not less than 2.00 for the Software
Development Project in Level III;
(e) has not obtained a Grade Point of less than 1.00 for any of the
Courses; and,
(f) has obtained a Pass Grade for each Enhancement Course identified
in the Regulations.

If a candidate, who fails to obtain a pass in the Degree of Bachelor of

Information Technology Examination as specified in section 6.1 above, may
be allowed to re-sit any course examination subject to conditions specified
elsewhere in By-Laws.

If the candidate does not pass at the Software Development Project, he/she
shall be required to repeat the project report and/or re-appear for the defense
as determined by the Board of Examiners of the UCSC.

A candidate who fails to satisfactorily complete any online assignment

component in respect of each level may be required to repeat such component.

A candidate may withdraw any course for which he/she obtained a grade
prior to C, before releasing his/her formal degree results by written request
to the Coordinator EDC. Such course would not appear in his/ her transcript.

Each course examination and the project shall be graded according to a

scheme and the details of that grading system will be available at the BIT
website.

46 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 6.2 AWARD OF CLASSES

In the case of a candidate who passes repeat subject of any course examination,
the percentage score to be taken into consideration in determining the award
of class shall be limited to a C grade for a course examination unless the
Senate decides otherwise.

6.2.1 FIRST CLASS

A candidate is eligible to be placed in the First Class if he/she has passed the
Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology as set out in Section 6.1 and
has:
(i) obtained a minimum overall Class GPA of 3.70; AND
(ii) a minimum of a “A” grade for the Software Development Project.

6.2.2 SECOND CLASS (UPPER DIVISION)

A candidate is eligible to be placed in the Second Class (Upper Division) if he/

she has passed the Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology as set out
in Section 6.1 and has:
(i) obtained a minimum overall Class GPA of 3.30; AND
(ii) a minimum of a “B” grade for the Software Development Project.

6.2.3 SECOND CLASS (LOWER DIVISION)

A candidate is eligible to be placed in the Second Class (Lower Division) if he/

she has passed the Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology as set out
in Section 6.1 and has:
(i) obtaining a minimum overall Class GPA of 3.00; AND
(ii) a minimum of a “B” grade for the Software Development Project.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 47

 SECTION 7

MEDALS AND
AWARDS

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 49

 7.1 OVERVIEW

The candidates have to apply to obtain examination transcripts and

certificates. All certificates are awarded once a year during the respective
awards ceremony. The candidates may apply for transcripts during anytime
of the year using the online form and apply through post by paying transcript
and postal fees.

7.2 TRANSCRIPTS

The University shall publish the names of candidates who are eligible to be
awarded the Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology. Each candidate,
whether he/she has passed or not, shall be provided with a transcript giving
details of the grades, GPV and GPA that he/she had obtained and the final
result including classes, if any, provided that, he/she makes an application for
a transcript. Applications must be made using the online system. The transcript
will be either posted or can be collected from the EDC. The transcript will be
issued within a period of one to two weeks.

7.3 DEGREE

Degree certificates will be issued to graduates after the approval of the Senate
of the University of Colombo, few months after the convocation ceremony.

7.4 DIPLOMAS AND HIGHER DIPLOMAS

A candidate who has obtained a PASS or a minimum C grade for each course
and passed all the online assignment as specified in section 4 in Level I shall
be awarded a Diploma in Information Technology.

A candidate who has obtained a PASS or a minimum C grade for each course
and passed all the online assignment as specified in section 4 in Level II
and has obtained the Diploma in Information Technology shall be awarded a
Higher Diploma in Information Technology.

50 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 7.5 MEDALS & AWARDS

7.5.1 MEDALS

Prof. V.K. Samaranayake Memorial Medal for the best performance

at the Bachelor of Information Technology (External) Degree
1. The selection would be made by the examinations board that
determines the award of the degree.
2. The award will be made to the student who is graduated at the first
attempt with the highest overall class GPA among those who obtain
a first or second class.
3. If there is no suitable candidate for the award, it will not be awarded
in the respective convocation.
4. The award will consist of a gold medal and cash prize
5. The award is named “Prof. V. K. Samaranayake Memorial Gold
Medal for the best performance at the BIT (External) degree”.

Prof. G. N. Wikramanayake Memorial Medal for the best performance

in Software Development Project
1. This will be awarded at the BIT convocation to the student who
graduated at the first attempt with the highest mark for the Software
Development Project among those who obtain a first or second
classes.
2. The selection would be made by the examinations board that
determines the award of the degree.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 51

Mr. M.J.P.U. Samanthilake Memorial Medal for the best e-Learner
The Mr. M.J.P.U. Samanthilake Memorial Medal will be awarded to the
candidate who,
1. obtains a First or Second Class
AND
2. who has obtained the Diploma and Higher Diploma at the first
attempt
AND
3. Who has obtained the highest aggregate marks for the Level III
online Courses

The selection would be made by the examinations board that determines the
award of the degree and it will be awarded at the BIT convocation.

7.5.2 AWARDS

Best e-Learner award for Semester 1

1. This award will be made to the candidate(s) who obtain the Diploma
at the first attempt and their performance at the VLE assignments
and the active participation in the VLE forum discussions in the first
semester.
2. The award will consist of a certificate and a cash prize.
3. The selection will be made by the examinations board that determines
the Diploma awardees.
4. This award will be presented at the Diploma Award Ceremony.

Best e-Learner award for Semester 2

1. This award will be made to the candidate(s) who obtain the Diploma
at the first attempt and their performance at the VLE assignments and
the active participation in the VLE forum discussions in the second
semester.
2. The award will consist of a certificate and a cash prize.
3. The selection will be made by the examinations board that determines
the Diploma awardees.
4. This award will be presented at the Diploma Award Ceremony.

52 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

Best e-Learner award for Semester 3
1. This award will be made to the candidate(s) who obtain the Higher
Diploma at the first attempt and their performance at the VLE
assignments and the active participation in the VLE forum discussions
in the third semester.
2. The award will consist of a certificate and a cash prize.
3. The selection will be made by the examinations board that determines
the Higher Diploma awardees.
4. This award will be presented at the Higher Diploma Award Ceremony.

Best e-Learner Award for Semester 4

1. This award will be made to the candidate(s) who obtain the Higher
Diploma at the first attempt and their performance at the VLE
assignments and the active participation in the VLE forum discussions
in the fourth semester.
2. The award will consist of a certificate and a cash prize.
3. The selection will be made by the examinations board that determines
the Higher Diploma awardees.
4. This award will be presented at the Higher Diploma Award Ceremony.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 53

 SECTION 8

FEES & PAYMENTS

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 55

 8.1 PROGRAMME FEES

Programme fees for Sri Lankan Citizens (in Sri Lankan Rs.) are given in Table
8a.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 TOTAL

Application Processing Fee

1,500 -- -- 1,500
(when applying)

Annual Registration/
3,500 4,200 4,800 12,500
Renewal Fee

Course examination Fee

1,500 1,900 2,400 --
(Each course)
Year Examinations
15,000 17,100 19,200 51,300
(minimum)
Project Examination Fee
(Proposal & Dissertation -- -- 10,000 10,000
submission)

TOTAL (minimum) 20,000 21,300 34,000 75,300

Table 8a: Programme Fees for Sri Lankan citizens

56 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 8.2 MISCELLANEOUS FEES

Miscellaneous fees for Sri Lankan Citizens (in Sri Lankan Rs.) are given in
Table 8b.

Fee for letter issuing to certify the current registration status 500
(per letter)
Fee to issue a duplicate BIT Identity Card 1,500
Fee for the Academic Transcript with Grades 1000
Fee for the Academic Transcript with Grades (Additional Copy) 500
Fee for the Academic Transcript with Grades & Marks (Sent 1500
only to Foreign Institutions named by the student)
Fee for the Academic Transcript with Grades & Marks 750
(Additional Copy)
Certificate fee for the Diploma in Information Technology 6,000
Certificate fee for the Higher Diploma in Information 7,500
Technology
Certificate fee for the Bachelor in Information Technology 9,000
Resubmission of Final Report (major corrections) 4,000
Re-Project Evaluation (Medicals for Viva) 7,500
Re-Project Evaluation (Medicals for Dissertation) 5,000
Double the
Surcharge Fee (late submissions/payments)
relevant fee
Table 8b: Miscellaneous fees for Sri Lankan Citizens

Fees and payments are subjected to revision each year when necessary by the
UCSC.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 57

 8.3 FEES & PAYMENT FOR FOREIGN
NATIONALS
Application Processing Fee for foreign nationals is Rs. 4,500/=.
Applications of the foreign students should be sent with the recommendation
of the relevant foreign missions in Sri Lanka. All foreign students’ applications
will be especially scrutinized.

The course fee for the foreign students from SAARC countries will be Sri Lankan
Rs. 75,000/= per academic year and for the students from other countries
will be Sri Lankan Rs. 150,000/= per academic year. The foreign students
who repeat the courses should pay the charges as follows.

For SAARC Countries:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Annual Registration/Renewal Fee 10,500 12,600 14,400
Course examination Fee (Each 4,500 5,700 7,200
course)
Project Examination Fee (Proposal & -- -- 30,000
Dissertation submission)

For Other Countries:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Annual Registration/Renewal Fee 21,000 25,200 28,800

Course examination Fee (Each 9,000 11,400 14,400

course)

Project Examination Fee (Proposal & -- -- 60,000

Dissertation submission)

Table 8c: Fees and payments for foreign nationals

Foreign applicant should contact the EDC staff for further information
regarding the payments prior to do any payment.

58 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 SECTION 9

TRAINING INSTITUTES

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 59

 9.1 INTRODUCTION

Since BIT is an external degree programme, UCSC does not undertake any
teaching. UCSC provides teaching and learning resources such as detailed
syllabi with a list of recommended textbooks for each course, model and
past question papers, interactive learning materials and self-evaluating
quizzes through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) [https://vle.bit.lk/]. All
registered students are given access to the VLE while promoting self-learning
according to the BIT curriculum. This online learning environment of BIT
might not be adequate for some students depending on their background
and experience. Hence, students could decide to follow face to face teaching
courses conducted by private teaching institutes according to their wish.

Private teaching institutes can also make use of the VLE resources to conduct
teaching for the BIT degree programme. Currently, there is no restriction for
any institute or individual to start BIT teaching institutes since UCSC does not
undertake any responsibility for their activities. However, depending on the
progression of a private institution, they can attain the status of a “Recognized
BIT Teaching Institute” and then, proceed to become an “Accredited Institute
of BIT Teaching”.

To become a “Recognized BIT Teaching Institute”, a teaching institute need to

go through three (3) stages.

When a teaching institute commences teaching BIT courses, they need to

register with the External Degrees Center (EDC) of the UCSC. At this stage,
they are considered as an “Applied Institute”.

When a teaching institute informs the UCSC that they conduct courses for the
BIT degree programme along with a list of their students who have registered
for the BIT degree, UCSC verifies the records and if acceptable, those teaching
institutes will be given the VLE access as readers (not as students or teachers) to
see the learning content including interactive learning activities. At this stage,
these teaching institutes are considered as an “Application Verified Institute”.

When BIT students apply for examinations, students are given an option to
disclose the teaching institutes which they have followed the courses. If students
of those teaching institutes, completed the BIT examinations successfully, then,
UCSC publishes those institutes statistics on the BIT website, with the consent
of the respective teaching institute. Only those teaching institutes that have
satisfactory progress are offered the status of “Recognized BIT Teaching

60 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

Institute” and their institute details are included in the BIT handbook. As a
Recognized BIT Teaching Institute, they are given access to the BIT VLE as
readers (not as students or teachers). They are also eligible to use the BIT logo
with the accompanying statement of “UCSC Recognized Teaching Institute” for
their promotional materials.

In addition to getting their statistics published on the BIT website and BIT
handbook, these institutes cannot claim themselves as accredited BIT teaching
institutes of the UCSC. However, having accreditation from the UCSC provides
added benefits to a teaching institute to attract students to follow the BIT
degree programme at their institute, and obtain a higher recognition which
will provide external benefits such as funds, loans, etc, which are beyond the
purview of the UCSC. Also, this provides ease of mind for students to follow
the courses at a UCSC recognized teaching institute.

The status of “Accredited Institute of BIT Teaching” is offered only to a limited

number of UCSC recognized teaching institutes after a rigorous evaluation
process conducted by the UCSC according to defined criteria. The teaching
institutes who are successful in the evaluation will be considered as an
accredited institute of BIT teaching for three (3) years. To maintain the highest
quality of standards, the teaching institute needs to apply for the renewal of
their status before the completion of three (3) year period. The names of the
accredited teaching institutes will be published in the BIT website and the BIT
VLE under the title of “Accredited Institute of BIT Teaching”. Only those teaching
institutes are eligible to use the BIT logo with the accompanying statement of
“UCSC Accredited Teaching Institute” for their promotional materials.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 61

 9.2 TRAINING INSTITUTES

Table 9a presents the recognized BIT teaching institutes for the year 2020.

DISTRICT INSTITUTE NAME AND ADDRESS CONTACT NO.

AAT BUSINESS SCHOOL,

0112559670
540, Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Nahimi 0768241162
Mawatha, Narahenpita, Colombo 05
AURORA COMPUTER STUDIES,
135, Summerset College, DFCC Building, 0115690290
High Level Road, Maharagama
CFPS BUSINESS SCHOOL (PVT) LTD,
No. 482/B, Suhada Mawatha, Millenium 0114325486
Drive, Off Chandrika Kumaratunga 0704506410
Mawatha, Malabe
ESOFT METRO CAMPUS,
0117555550
No. 235, Galle Road, Colombo 04
JMC JAYASEKERA MANAGEMENT CENTRE (PVT)
LTD, 0112430451
COLOMBO No. 65/2A, Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner 071119719
0714119719
Mw, Colombo 02
MATRIX INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY (PVT) LTD,
0112553331
No. 04, Bambalapitiya Drive, Galle Road,
Colombo 04
OPENARC SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & 0112825306
TECHNOLOGY, 0112825307
No. 87, Nawala road,Nugegoda 0704500777
QUOTRO (PVT) LTD,
0114333250
375, R A De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 03.
THE EARTH UNI COLLEGE (PVT) LTD,
0112684838
No. 912/A, Maradana Road, Colombo 08
WIDE AWAKE SOLUTIONS (PVT) LTD,
0112818027
No. 213, Colombo Road, Pepiliyana

62 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 ESOFT METRO CAMPUS,GAMPAHA, 0337388051
GAMPAHA No. 156/A/02, Colombo Road, Gampaha 0337388054
0773785301
THE EARTH UNI COLLEGE (PVT) LTD,
0334942626
No. 432, Colombo Road, Gampaha

ESOFT METRO CAMPUS, No.447, Peradeniya

KANDY 0817572572
Road, Kandy

ESOFT METRO CAMPUS, No.04, Station Road,

MATARA 0412233550
Matara

THE EARTH UNI COLLEGE (PVT) LTD,

GALLE 3rd Floor, Sanvick Plaza, Wakwalla Road, 0914944488
Galle

HALLAM CITY CAMPUS,

PUTTALAM 0322265744
No. 128, Mannar Road, Puttalam

MCS IT CAMPUS,
No. 34, Sir Pon Ramanathan Road, Near 0212226373
JAFFNA University of Jaffna, Jaffna
COLLEGE OF ICT,
0718618015
50/2, K.K.S. Road, Jaffna
Table 9a: Recognized BIT teaching institutes for the year 2020

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 63

64 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020
 SECTION 10

CONTACT

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 65

10.1 EXTERNAL DEGREES CENTRE

External Degrees Centre (EDC) is located at University of Colombo School of

Computing UCSC Building Complex, 35, Reid Avenue, Colombo 7
Refer Figure 10a for the location of the BIT office.

Figure 10a: External Degrees Centre (EDC) of the UCSC

POSTAL ADDRESS Assistant Registrar,

External Degrees Centre of UCSC,
University of Colombo School of Computing
UCSC Building Complex, 35, Reid Avenue,
Colombo 00700
TEL +94 -11- 4720511/12/13
+94 -11- 2581245/ 7
FAX +94 -11-2587239
BIT WEB SITE http://www.bit.cmb.ac.lk
http://www.bit.lk
UCSC WEB SITE https://ucsc.cmb.ac.lk
VLE WEB ADDRESS https://vle.bit.lk

66 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

10.2 STAFF

Following staff members are directly connected with the BIT programme.
However, you may directly communicate only with those listed with email and
it should be for appropriate purpose.

Director, University of Colombo School of Computing

Prof. K P Hewagamage
email : director@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

Head, External & Extension Pogrammes

Dr. D A S Atukorale
email : eep@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

Academic Coordinator of BIT

Dr. (Ms.) K H E L W Hettiarachchi

email:acc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

Coordinator, External Degrees Centre

Mr. W V Welgama
email : edc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 67

Project Coordinator of BIT

Dr. H K T C Halloluwa
email: bitpro@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

Coordinator, e-Learning Centre/ FIT

Dr. (Mrs) T A Weerasinghe

email : elc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

Assistant Registrar, External Degrees Centre

Ms. W M N K Weerasooriya
email : aredc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

68 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

10.3 INSTRUCTIONS FOR REQUESTING BIT
DEGREE RELATED INFORMATION
When requesting information regarding the DIT, HDIT and BIT degree
related matters, please make sure to adhere to the following guidelines.

• Each email should consist of the following information.

• Name of the Student
• Index No
• Registration No
• NIC No.
• Inquiry
• Student Mobile Number

• Contact only the relevant email address.

Email addresses that should be contacted with respect to relevant
matters are given below.
• All academic matters: acc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk
• BIT project matters: bitpro@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk
• VLE/LMS registration and assignment matters:
admin@vle.bit.lk
• Any other matters: aredc@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 69

10.4 OTHER PERSONNEL

Web Master for www.bit.lk web site

email : webmaster@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk

e-Testing Administrator (Online Examinations)

email : etest@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk
Tel : 011-2694391/ 011-2158949

VLE Administrator (Access to VLE)

email : admin@vle.bit.lk
Tel : (+94) 011-2591080

VLE Facilitator (VLE Content)

Web site : http://vle.bit.lk/
Tel : (+94) 011-2591080

Note: While all necessary information pertaining to students reading for

the BIT degree is included in this handbook, the UCSC of the University of
Colombo reserves the right to revise such information without prior notice.

70 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 APPENDIX A: APPRECIATION OF PROF. V. K.
SAMARANAYAKE
An appreciation of the founder Director of the UCSC
Vidya Jyothi Professor V. K. SAMARANAYAKE
(1939 – 2007)

Vanniarachchige Kithsiri Samaranayake was born on the 22nd of May 1939

and had his early education in Hewavitharana Vidyalaya, Rajagiriya where
his father was the principal and his mother was a teacher. He entered Ananda
College in 1948 and then Royal College through a competitive examination
in 1950.

Prof. V.K.Samaranayake entered the University of Ceylon to read for a degree

in Science in 1956 having completed his secondary education at Ananda and
Royal Colleges. He was selected to do a Special degree in Mathematics and
obtained a First Class Honours degree in 1961.

Prof. Samaranayake entered the Imperial College, London in 1963 on a state

scholarship for his postgraduate studies and then moved on to University
College, London to complete his PhD in record time before returning home
in 1966. At the age of just 35, in recognition of his great scholarship, the
University of Colombo appointed him to its highest Academic position of
Professor of Mathematics in 1974. He was subsequently appointed Senior
Professor of Mathematics in 1984, invited to be the first Senior Professor
of the newly created Chair in Computer Science in 1996 and appointed
Emeritus Professor of the University of Colombo after his retirement in 2004.
In recognition of which the University honoured him with the title Professor
Emeritus of Computer Science, and conferred on him the Degree of Doctor of
Science, Honoris Causa at its subsequent Convocation.

As it is not possible to confine the appreciation of his enormous service to the

nation and his illustrious career as an academic and an administrator to a few

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 71

pages, some of the significant milestones of his illustrious career are outlined
below.

• 1987- He was appointed as Chairman of the Computer and Information

Technology Council of Sri Lanka (CINTEC), which he served for 12 years.
During this period he was also tasked with chairing the Presidential Task
Force on Integrated R & D in Science & Technology 1997-2000 and the
National Y2K Task Force in Sri Lanka 1998-2000.

• 1992 - He initiated the participation of Sri Lankan school children in

Computer Programming by committing CINTEC funds for sending
teams of 4 to the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). Sri Lanka
has been able to secure 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 13 Bronze medals at
successive IOI’s with a record of never returning without a medal since
1994

• In 1995 he was instrumental in setting up intensive discussions with

Sri Lanka Telecom, to commence Internet services in Sri Lanka. These
discussions eventually brought LEARN and Internet connectivity to Sri
Lanka in 1996.

• He was instrumental in forming associations for Computer

TrainingOrganizations (ACTOS), for the Software Industry (SLASI),
and the Computer Vendors (SLCVA). He also created the umbrella
organization for these associations in the form of the Federation of IT
Industry Associations (FITIA) which recently hosted the largest ICT event
in Sri Lanka – the ASOCIO ICT Summit. He has also been involved
with the well known ICT Trade Exhibition organization, INFOTEL whose
Chairmanship he has held from 1997. INFOTEL has in turn been the
major funding organization for many industry and human resource
development efforts in the field of ICT.

• In 1984 he had his first major breakthrough with the full backing of the
then Chancellor, Dr. P. R. Anthonis and Vice Chancellor Prof. Stanley
Wijesundera in the form of a substantial JICA grant from the Government
of Japan. Almost simultaneously, the UNDP provided some much
needed research funding to build up Academic Faculty in Computer
Science at the University of Colombo. Starting with the Statistical Unit
and the Statistical Computing and Data Processing Centre within the
Mathematics Department, Prof. Samaranayake first convinced the
University to set up a Department of Statistics and Computer Science in
1985, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, and then went onto create the first

72 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 School in the university system in the form of the University of Colombo
School of Computing (UCSC) in 2002.

• Commencing in the year 2000, Prof. Samaranayake initiated another

major milestone in ICT HRD in Sri Lanka with the launch of the innovative
Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) External Degree programme
which provides an ultimately scalable mechanism for affordable ICT
education in a way that incorporates the private sector – a feat no other
degree programme has been designed to do.

• Prof. Samaranayake’s involvement in the scientific community has been

no less impressive with the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement
of Science (SLAAS) electing him to the office of General President in
1994 and the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka electing him
as a Fellow of the Academy, its Vice President and finally its President
for 1998-99.

• Commencing with the meagre funding resources extended by donors in

the 1970’s in an era when the developed countries themselves were just
getting into the area of serious ICT human resource development, Prof.
Samaranayake commenced his quest of directing all local and foreign
funding to develop ICT Human Resource development at the University
of Colombo.´´

• Prof. Samaranayak has been bestowed with several national awards

in the form of the Lions’ Club Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding
Citizen of Sri Lanka in 1986, the Vishva Prasadini Award in 1996 on
the occasion of the 80th birthday of the then Prime Minister Sirimavo
Bandaranaike and the VidyaJyothi Presidential Award in 1998.

• Prof. Samaranayake’s characteristic skill at excelling in multiple tasks

is also demonstrated by his continuing involvement in research, being
named a Fellow of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University, USA in 2001, Research Fellow at the National Centre
for Digital Government at Harvard University, USA in 2003 and
the impending appointment as Visiting Fellow in the Digital Vision
Programme at Stanford University, USA in 2005. A particularly high
point of this role was when he simultaneously chaired two International
Conferences while playing a key role in the whole of the Government
declared Information Technology Week in December 2004. He also
continued as Chairman of the International Information Technology
Conference till his untimely demise.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 73

 APPENDIX B: MILESTONES IN THE PIONEERING
EFFORTS IN COMPUTING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
COLOMBO
First course in computer Introduction of the first ever
1967 programming taught in a Sri 1986 Postgraduate Degree in
Lankan University Computing in Sri Lanka
Establishment of the Statistical Establishment of the Institute
1968
Unit 1987 of Computer Technology (ICT)
(Supported by JICA)
Establishment of the Statistical
1974 Consultancy and Data Processing NEC 430 mainframe donated
Service 1988 by Japan with 60 terminals for
interactive computing
Establishment of Computer
1980
Centre UNISYS minicomputer for student
programming in Fortran, Pascal
Procurement of the mini 1989
and Prolog installed through
computer Data General Eclipse
UNDP funds
1981 model S/140 with time sharing
OS and 16 terminals for Fortran Next generation PC Labs with
programming 80286/386 processors running
1989
Novell Netware 3.11/Widows
Processing and the release of the
3.1 OS
results to Sri Lanka Rupavahini
corporation of the 1982 The first Bachelors and Masters
presidential election in Sri Lanka degrees in Computer Science
1982 1990
with using the BBC computers, commenced by a Sri Lankan
considered the first ever university
computerization of a national
Installation of Sun Microsystems
event
Sun Workstation Lab with 10
Proliferation of BBC micro 1992 machines with SunOS 4.1.2 and
computers over Econet, the first 10Mbps Ethernet for scientific
1982 LAN for file sharing, printing computing
and Basic programming in a 30
Launch of the Third Country
machine PC lab
1992 training programme with JICA
Introduction of first generation collaboration
1982 personal computers – KayPro
UUCP dial up email service
running CP/M
1994 provided for University of
Tandy Radio Shack TRS model Colombo
1984 80 running XENIX for Unix and C
Internet access via Lanka
programming
Education and Academic
1997
Establishment of the Department Research Network via a 64kbps
1985 of Statistics and Computer leased line by Sri Lanka Telecom
Science (DSCS)
The British Computer Society
IBM PC/XT standard PC based 1997 accreditation was received for the
1985 on 8086/88 running MSDOS Computer Science degree
introduced for Labs

74 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020

 The research thematic Commencement of Advanced
International Information 2002 M.Sc. (Research based) and
Technology Conference was Master of Information Technology
organized by the UCSC and
Launch of the National e-learning
1988 is now succeeded by the 2002
centre project funded by SIDA
International Conference on
Advances in ICT for Emerging Implementation of Virtual
Regions is technically sponsored Learning Environment for BIT
2002
by IEEE (External Degree) using Software
System called The Education
Commencement of Graduate
1998 PAN Localisation research
Training Programme
project for local language
ICT Presented with JICA 2003
1999 computerization with grants form
President’s award
IDRC, Canada
Establishment of a Campus-
Introduction of the ICT degree
wide fibre optic network for UoC
2000 programme for students
through a Swedish Development 2004
following any of the streams at
Grant
GCE A/L
Specialised servers like IBM
Implementation of Virtual
RS/6000 (AIX OS) and Sun
2000 2004 Learning Environment for Internal
UltraSPARC (Solaris 7 OS) for
Undergraduates using Moodle
graduates provided
Implementation of Virtual
Introduction of the Bachelor of
2005 Learning Environment for all
2000 Information Technology (BIT)
UCSC Students
External Degree
Launch of the UCSC International
Joint PhD program in
2006 Journal on ICT for Emerging
computing for academics of
Regions
2000 Sri Lankan universities with
UCSC coordination at Swedish Commencement of Linneas-
Universities Palmer staff and student
2009
exchange program with Umeå
Sinhala and Tamil languages
2000 University, Sweden
Unicode specified
Establishment of the Center for
Commissioning of Campus Wide 2011
Digital Forensic
2001 Fiber Network (Supported by
Sida) Commencement of Masters in
2012
Bioinformatics jointly with IBMBB
Establishment of the Department
2001 of Computer Science (DCS) by Software Engineering
splitting DSCS Specialization was added to
2012
the Computer Science Degree
Establishment of the UCSC by
2002 Programme
merging the ICT & DCS
Changing the name of BICT
Establishment of the Advanced
Degree Programme in to
2002 Media Technology Centre 2012
Information System after the
(ADMTC) (Supported by JICA)
Curriculum Revision of BICT.

BIT Handbook 2020 University of Colombo School of Computing | 75

 Launch of the Master of
2012
Information Security degree
Started Student Exchange
2013 Programme with Umea
University, Sweden
Computerization of the Registrar
General’s department, Land
2013
Registry and Police Fingerprint
matching system
Commencement of construction
2014
of the new auditorium building
Commencement of BSc. (Hons)
2015 in Software Engineering Degree
Programme
Commencement of construction
of Canteen, Library, and
2016
Administration building of the
UCSC
Celebrating the Golden Jubilee
2017 of Computing at University of
Colombo
Opening of the Vidya Jyothi Prof.
2017
V K Samaranayake Auditorium
Restructuring of Master of
Information Technology, Master
of Computer Science, Master of
2017
Information Security (MIS) and
Introduction of Master of Science
in Computer Science (MSc. in CS)
Introduction of Master of
2018
Cybersecurity course
Opening of the Admin Block of
2018
the new building
Introduction of Master of Business
2019
Analytics course

76 | University of Colombo School of Computing BIT Handbook 2020