Networking And Operations: BS in Information Technology

Imagine life without cell phones, television, or the Internet. Recent technological developments have significantly altered all aspects of human life: at work; in play; and in personal, family, and social interactions. In this course, students examine the advantages, disadvantages, and controversies of living and learning in an ever-changing technological environment. By exploring multiple perspectives, students discover how technology is changing media, culture, business, health, human behavior, and overall access to information. In a dynamic, reflective, and engaging classroom environment, students use a variety of audio, visual, literary, and artistic resources, to engage in open dialogue. Students are also introduced to the tools essential to success at Walden. Students complete the course with a personalized success plan that provides a customized roadmap and tools that they can use immediately on their journey toward the completion of their bachelor's degree. *Note: virtual, cyber, digital, and asynchronous are used to describe online environments in this course.

Information technology (IT) is essential to the function and success of nearly all businesses. Businesses whose systems are lacking or experience failure are at risk of significant loss; therefore, there will always be a need for IT support and innovation. In this course, students are introduced to fundamental concepts of the IT infrastructure to prepare for a role in the field of IT. Students learn about the structure and purpose of hardware components (computers, networks, and interface devices) and software components (operating systems, middleware, applications, and system software). They examine key issues of capacity, performance, reliability, scale, and obsolescence through the evaluation of IT's role in supporting business and individuals. Students take a practical approach to understanding how IT infrastructure can relate to personal goals as they examine the various career options within the field.

More than ever, individuals and businesses rely on Web surfing for variety of functions, including buying products, searching for jobs, sharing data, and entertainment. However, there are many threats involved if a network is not secure, which is why we value network administrators. In this course, students have the opportunity to gain the insight and skill of a network administrator. They examine concepts, components, and design of information and communication infrastructures. Students learn about the design of the Internet protocol stack, the structure and function of important Internet services and applications, and Internet governance. They engage in hands-on lab exercises involving configuration of settings, management of local user accounts, and design of different types of networks. ITEC 1010.)

The cornerstone of modern software design is object-oriented programming (OOP), which is a methodology that uses objects to represent complex relationships and simplifies the development and management of information systems. In this course, students will learn current information on OOP and other prevailing techniques in programming. Students begin by studying foundational concepts and terminology of OOP. They examine programming paradigms, algorithmic thinking, and problem-solving techniques in Java. Students engage in coursework and share blogs on computer program design, constraints, variables, functions, procedures, logic and code control, error trapping, error handling, and interactive coding techniques. They gain hands-on, practical experience through lab work focusing on compiling and running applications, reading data interactively, and debugging.   ITEC 1010 and MATH 1040.)

A data structure is a specialized layout for organizing and storing data. An integral part of the information technology arena, programmers work with many different types of data structures. Using fundamental programming knowledge, such as object-oriented programming (OOP), students continue their practice with OOP and have the opportunity to gain integral knowledge of advanced data structures, including lists, stacks, queues, and the functions of each. They also learn how to choose data structures that are appropriate for various types of information. They engage in blogs and discussions to work through ideas and gain various perspectives on topical issues, such as arrays, data collections, and recursion. Students gain hands-on experience as they solve complex word problems by writing a program and using tools to create, compile, debug, and run interactive programs.   ITEC 1030.)

Did you ever wonder how many different valid passwords a computer system allows? Or perhaps you need to know how to encrypt a message so that only the intended recipient can decipher it. To answer such questions, programmers use discrete mathematics, which allows them to study sets and numbers, linear algebra, combinatorics, graphs, and probability. Students in this course are introduced to discrete mathematics concepts and techniques used in information technology (IT). Students examine each concept in action and geared toward a specific application in IT. They engage in various application assignments focusing on elements of graph theory, coding, and probability.   ITEC 1010 and MATH 1040.)

There are many important benefits from studying the different types of operating systems, such as administering computers efficiently and structuring code more effectively, which lend to best practices in writing code. In this course, students become familiar with the concepts of computer operating systems, including the main functions, similarities, and differences. They explore a variety of topics, including configuration, file systems, security, administration, interfacing, multitasking, and performance analysis. Students contextualize their learning experience through hands-on activities, such as performing basic administrative tasks on Windows and Linux servers, including configuring networking parameters, administering user accounts and groups, setting access and application permissions, and locating and analyzing log files.   ITEC 1010 or CMIS 1002.)

There are many roles involved in creating and managing an organization's information system, including the systems analyst. The analyst helps ensure that the software development process is successful by understanding its purpose, scope, and resource requirements. Students in this course face the prospect of understanding the field from the perspective of a systems analyst. Students focus on the definition and examination of system requirements, both functional and nonfunctional, for an information system (IS) project. Through the review of videos, case, studies, and supplemental websites, they learn about the identification of stakeholders and techniques for requirement elicitation, representation, and life cycles. Students sharpen their communication and practical skills through group projects during which they apply concepts learned in the course to an actual information system.   ITEC 1010 or CMIS 1002.)

This course is an introduction to the approaches used to specify details during the design phase of a systems development life cycle (SDLC). Students explore the discipline of reducing requirements to the structural and functional design of organizational information technology solutions. They examine conceptual modeling, design patterns, and application frameworks. Students learn the basics of modeling, design representations, and the use of design tools. Through discussion with their peers, students confer about and debate the different approaches to systems design, security aspects of interfaces, and documentation. Students work toward gaining collaborative and critical-thinking skills through group projects focusing on the specifics of system design, including planning and implementation.   ITEC 2040 or CMIS 3003.)

All types of businesses rely on systems to manage their data and to keep that data secure, accurate, and reliable. A database is a system designed to do just this as well as to simplify the processes of data entry, search, and retrieval. In this course, students learn about database management through the examination of the life cycle of a database. Students focus on the representation and manipulation of information in relational database management systems. They learn how to map real-world concepts onto relational representations and how to manipulate them through relational queries to implement data-intensive applications. They also discuss related issues, such as database storage, data validation, sorting, grouping, and nesting data. Students learn to use a core subset of the Structured Query Language (SQL) as well as the fundamentals of database administration.   ITEC 2050 or CMIS 3004.)

This course is an overview of human perception and cognitive performance, computer processes, and system design approaches for successful human-computer interaction. Topics include human factors, usability evaluation, and principles of interface design.   ITEC 2050 or CMIS 3004.)

Every day, we are learning to adapt to 21st-century technology. More importantly, we are beginning to rely on it for daily needs, such as obtaining the news, shopping, communicating, banking, and full-scale education. The need for developers of static and dynamic Web pages of all kinds is in demand. In this course, students consider the many factors of developing Web applications for a specific purpose or audience, such as optimization, accessibility, and appeal. They also examine the tools and techniques needed to develop and manage these applications. Through discussions and application assignments, students explore dynamic Web page implementations, elements of client-server and server-side processing, data validation, and concurrency issues.   ITEC 1030 or CMIS 1003 and ITEC 1010 or CMIS 1002.)

Mobile computing was developed in the early 1990s with the introduction of laptop computers. Since then, devices have become smaller, more intuitive, and more accessible, and they have worked their way into businesses, homes, hospitals, and children's backpacks. The basic principles of system design for such technologies are not entirely different from larger-scale development, but designers must make different considerations and use special techniques for mobile and pervasive technologies. In this course, students examine the technical, business, legal, and sociocultural benefits and challenges of mobile devices and wireless communication technologies. Through discussion and written assignments, students explore wireless protocols and business and consumer applications, such as portable computing, communication, and multimedia devices; telemetry and monitoring systems; and context-aware services.   ITEC 2080.)

Insecure security systems can cause major risks and vulnerabilities for companies. Breaches in personal employee information, financial information, or company secrets can elicit the downfall of an organization. In this course, students learn the importance of such concerns as well as key concepts of computer and information security, including technical, privacy, organizational, social, and policy issues. They examine fundamental notions of authentication, authorization, and encryption. Students learn about economic and human impact issues through the analysis of case studies of security and privacy breaches. Through discussions, applications, and group projects, students also examine risk management, informal system security methods, and corporate governance.   CMIS 1002 or ITEC 1010; ITEC 2030 is recommended as a prerequisite).

The process of creation, from conception through completion, is complicated and requires a diverse set of management skills. Students in this course are introduced to the knowledge, tools, and techniques needed to successfully manage information technology (IT) projects throughout a project life cycle. Students in this course focus on the IT project management process and development of the project team as key to the successful achievement of IT projects. Students analyze the role of the project manager as an integral administrator overseeing the execution, progress, and interaction of all parties involved. Students learn the intricacies of managing projects and programs that may span multiple organizations. They engage in coursework through which they examine the project management cycle, sourcing strategy, third-party provider selection, and management of third-party providers.   ITEC 2050 or CMIS 3004.)

In this course, students learn about the role of a network administrator, the many considerations of operating a modern system, and the tools and technologies that are available to meet the requirements and demands of an organization’s network. They explore the structure of the Internet and examine protocols, routers, and client/server architecture related to configuring network services. Students also learn about software platforms, control, shared resources, and security from a practical perspective. Through a series of virtual lab assignments, students practice administrative tasks using applications as network tools, routing, securing ports, configuring network address translations, and confirming reconfigurations.   ITEC 1020.)

Evaluation of software quality depends on statistics for many functions, such as assessing the number of bugs in different software routines and evaluating the efficiency of a program. Students in this course are introduced to statistics in assessing the quality of software. Students synthesize theory with practical applications to learn the fundamentals of statistical reasoning, use of numeric and graphical descriptive statistics, parameter estimation and inferential methods, research design, and linear regression. Students also have the opportunity to practice using a statistical software package to solve statistics problems. ITEC 2020.)

Students in this course examine the systems integration approaches used by today’s information technology organizations to learn what makes them more effective, efficient, and competitive. They explore the functions of enterprise application integration (EAI) practices, middleware models, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) integration challenges, service-oriented architecture (SOA), and integration using cloud computing. Through a hands-on approach, students learn to solve an integration problem by designing an appropriate architecture.   ITEC 2050 and ITEC 2080.)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the management of information technology (IT), including the relationships of parties involved, the tools for IT process improvement, and best practices involved in the field. Students focus on the relationship among an IT organization, business customers, and users. They explore the customer’s perspective of IT’s contribution to the organization and they learn ways to communicate effectively with stakeholders. Students use current articles and classic literature to examine a variety of topics, including operations architecture, IT governance, and relevant frameworks. Students also examine relationships of IT service management to process improvement movements, for example, Six Sigma improvement methodology, total quality management (TQM), business process management (BPM), and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) standards. Through group projects and peer evaluation, students learn to work efficiently in groups as they assess the design of a service management program and the role of ethics in service management.   ITEC 3030 and ITEC 3040.)

Technological innovation has led us to store all types of information on the Web, such as medical records, financial data, and personal communications. We rely on this information to be safe from external attacks. Preventing such threats is a vital role in the field of information technology. Students in this course have an overview of network security defense techniques and countermeasures. Students sharpen their communication and analytical skills through the discussion and debate of a variety of topics, such as cryptanalysis and attacks, safety of wireless connections, intrusion detection methods, and access control. They engage in assignments designed to provide them with practical applications of content, such as the design and configuration of firewalls, traffic analysis and filtering, intrusion detection, statistical anomaly detection, and wireless security. \n  STAT 3001 OR STAT 2001 OR STAT 3401 OR ITEC 3101 OR CMIS 4102.)

Before a business can establish a new network or service, they must ensure that the system or service meets their specific needs and requirements. Once a system is in place, they must continue to ensure that the network is optimized, connected appropriately, and free of critical threats, such as viruses and spyware. In this course, students learn about the specifics of planning, maintaining, and auditing data communications and networks in an organization. Students engage in assignments focusing on business planning, long- and short-term planning, operations, maintenance, and forecasting. They also explore topological design, network synthesis, and network realization.   ITEC 2020 and 4020.)

Businesses rely on stable, secure systems to run their organizational operations. If a system is disrupted or encounters problems, it may result in loss of money, time, or customer faith. Effective data center operation helps to provide assurance that the integrity and functionality of a system is at low risk of disruption or threat. Students in this course explore the study and application of the principles of fault-tolerant systems (failsafe) and networks, which are used to ensure systems continue to operate appropriately, even if one or more components fail. They learn about a variety of topics, including design; modeling; analysis; and integration of hardware, software, and redundancy techniques to achieve dependable systems. Students also examine performance and reliability evaluation techniques, system diagnosis, disaster recovery planning, backup strategies for data and hardware, virus monitoring, and associated security and administration issues.   ITEC 2020 and ITEC 4020.)

In this capstone course, students review the work they have collected in their portfoliosand reflect on their educational experience. They revisit the career priorities they expressed upon entry into the program and consider their professional goals in the context of their education. They also develop plans for continued learning and career development in the context of their personal objectives and priorities. All core courses.)

In this capstone project course, students complete an integrative IT project that combines multiple aspects of their information technology program. The project requires collaboration with a team of students to manage, analyze, design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based information system. The system development process is initiated with a case study included within the course structure. Students will develop a project charter that will guide them through the discovery of functional and nonfunctional requirements, the creation of a system design based on those requirements, and the development and testing of a functional computer application. Students will develop a management presentation to describe the project design and justify the continuation of the project. The implementation of the final project will require students to draw on their technical concentration-based knowledge of information security and assurance, networking, database design, interface design, and website design. All concentration courses and ITEC 4902.)