(First semester/3 credits)
This course presents an overview of the terms and concepts of computing hardware and
software systems that are fundamental to contemporary information technology. It introduces
computers, operating systems and networks, and how they handle information flow, processing
and storage in typical organizations. Topics include: 1) computer architecture, including
data representation, the CPU and memory, input/output, computer peripherals and physical
networks; 2) operating systems, including internal and external (user) perspectives, file
management; and 3) applications execution, including basic networking software. Students
apply the course topics to a series of small, hands-on computing related projects.