Introduction to Computing and Information Sciences

Catalog description

This course introduces and develops computing and information sciences concepts that include: emergent and contemporary computer technology and its nomenclature; information and data abstraction, representation, manipulation and storage; operating systems; networking and the internet; programming languages and formal mathematical logic; software engineering and information systems development; decision support systems; database systems management; computer graphics and multimedia; artificial intelligence; computer and network security; and the theory of computation. Integrated throughout the course is a focus on computer and information privacy, security and ethics and computing’s impact on society. Students will demonstrate comprehension of these concepts in assignments and exams. To provide students with a solid understanding of contemporary interconnected heterogeneous computer systems, every student will be led through the use of the Linux operating system (OS) command line interface (CLI) in a client-server environment. The Linux OS component is comprised of labs that include: file-management, process management, user management, networking and scripting; and will conclude with projects that include advanced scripting, virtualization, security and penetration testing with Kali Linux, implementation of a LAMP stack (Linux Apache, MySQL, PHP) to create a WordPress Web/Content Management System (CMS) instance, embedded computing with the Arduino or Raspberry Pi and emergent projects as they arise and evolve.