Computer Programming Certificate

This course emphasizes problem solving with programming using the Python programming language and problem solving with applications using Microsoft Excel.  In addition to problem solving skills the course presents current technologies and their impacts on society.  The course is designed for students who already possess familiarity with computer applications.  It is recommended for students planning to transfer to an upper division college that has a computer programming requirement in its computer literacy course.

This course will teach students the role of microcomputer operating systems and how the operating systems interact with the computer. The course covers the structure and function of hardware including input/output devices, memory, central processing unit, storage devices, communications devices and buses. The commonly used microcomputer operating systems Windows and DOS will be discussed and emphasized with hands-on exercises covering topics including: disk maintenance, directory and file management, batch files, interaction of graphical user interface and utilities. Configuration and optimization of standard hardware and system software will also be discussed. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be prepared to take the associated A+ test.

This course presents an introduction to programming and problem solving using an object-oriented programming language C++. Algorithm development and basic problem solving techniques are introduced. Fundamental topics of computer programming including sequence, selection, repetition, input/output, functions, parameter passing, scope, lifetime and arrays are discussed in detail. This is the first major course in Computer Science and is required of all students pursuing a degree in any of the three options offered by the department. The course is also recommended for students in other programs seeking a rigorous introduction to computer programming.

This course builds on the C++ foundation developed in CSC 133 and is the second core course required for students in the Computer Information Systems General Option program. It discusses the software engineering principles of encapsulation and reuse, and how they lead to abstract data types. The object oriented programming features of classes, inheritance, polymorphism and composition are covered, along with the C++ features of constructors and operator overloading. Students implement programs using these features in the C++ programming language.

This course teaches different techniques of storing, accessing and processing data as utilized in the development of programs and algorithms. Topics include linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, recursion and graphs. Algorithms for applications such as sorting, searching and merging will be analyzed and implemented. Solutions are designed using object-oriented techniques and implemented in the C++ programming language. This course is the third course in the C++ programming sequence and is a required course for students in the Computer Information Systems General Option.

Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing documented essays. Extensive reading materials serve as structural models and as the bases for discussion and for the writing of essays involving response, analysis, and synthesis.

Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing argument synthesis essays. Students engage in formal written argumentation based on extensive reading and analysis of complex texts. Through the research process, students will locate, analyze, and synthesize scholarly sources to advance their own informed positions on relevant issues in the composition of a formal research paper.