Information Systems

This course provides a managerial understanding of hardware, software, networking, and database technologies to form a foundation for formulating the value proposition delivered by timely and accurate information. Automation, transaction processing, management information, decision support, business intelligence, and enterprise resource planning systems will all be addressed. In short, students will examine how information systems can be utilized in the management of business knowledge and processes, as well as the potential to contribute to competitive advantage.

Emphasizes the recursive writing process through appropriate determination of subject, audience, purpose, and style, with correct usage of grammar, punctuation, and logical organization. Students will use appropriate technologies for writing and learning.

Emphasizes intellectual and analytical reasoning through reading and writing assignments. Includes instruction in library and research technologies and the writing of a research project.

A study of the principles and practices of effective human communication, with emphasis placed on public speaking. The course emphasizes the critical thinking and skill development necessary for effective speech. Listening skills are included in the study.

Provides the student with a basic understanding of his or her economic environment and the basic principles and tools of personal financial management. Emphasis will be placed on personal financial planning, including budgeting, managing personal debt, insurance, taxes, investments, and real estate. When possible, topics will be analyzed and discussed from a Christian perspective.

Designed to assist the student in their understanding and development of a healthy lifestyle. Emphasis is placed on the components and behaviors that promote lifelong, positive outcomes in the five dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual. Includes a fitness laboratory component. Fee charged.

This course is designed to promote students' understanding and appreciation of mathematics and to develop quantitative and problem solving skills. The course will further introduce students to a wide range of applications of mathematics to modern life. Topics will be selected from linear and non-linear models, logic, sets, probability, counting techniques, statistics, matrices, and game theory.

An introduction to themes in the natural sciences that have significantly impacted our world. Among the themes discussed are relativity, modern cosmology, evolutionary thought, biotechnology, advances in modern medicine, biodiversity, and the use of natural resources. Scientific discoveries will be approached with both a historical perspective and a consideration of current and future applications. Interactions of scientific thought and the Christian worldview are considered. Lecture.

A study of biological concepts including the chemistry of life, principles of inheritance, evolutionary theories, biological organization of various organisms, and relationships between organisms and their environment. Issues related to current advances in biotechnology and medicine are also considered. The process of scientific inquiry is emphasized and practiced in both the lecture and laboratory. Fee charged.

Designed to engage students in dialogue with a variety of Western and Non-Western world literature, past and present. ENG 2000 is a recommended prerequisite for all upper-level literature courses.

An introduction to Biblical faith and literature designed to help the student acquire a knowledge of the basic content of Scripture as well as be able to employ basic Bible study skills.

An introduction to theology as it has developed in the history of the church with a view to understanding the relation between faith and life. Special attention is given to understanding the doctrine of holiness.

An integration of Christian spirituality, life, and ministry. Through a wide variety of readings and experiences, care is given to evaluate the spiritual structure of the student and to understand spiritual gifts, disciplines, and what it means for each individual to be a constructive influence in the Church and society.

Designed to give students a historical perspective of music, art, sculpture, and architecture from ancient times to modern times.

Designed to teach the student concepts and skills needed to succeed in an entrepreneurial venture. It will include understanding unique characteristics an entrepreneur should possess, and it will view marketing, economics, finance, accounting, management, communication and legal issues from a small business perspective.

The symbiotic relationship between the computing disciplines and mathematics has a long history. The foundations of hardware, software, networks, security, and digital multimedia rooted in theoretical and applied mathematics. This course will explore the mathematics of basic algorithm analysis, data structures, Boolean logic, sets, relations, functions, countability, computability, and complexity as applied to the computing domains. Special emphasis will be given to the practical applications of the binary and hexadecimal number system across the computing disciplines and the development of the theoretical finite state automation.

Enterprises today gather massive amounts of data that are archived using a variety of storage systems and technologies. Organizations now realize the value of accessing, synthesizing, and analyzing that vast data store to create business value. The ability to transform this data into business information that will enable managers and executives to make informed strategic business decisions has now become essential to business competitiveness. Using a variety of innovative analytical tools, the student will learn to harness the power of data to solve business problems as well as suggest new directions to create value for business.

Technology is all around us. It is deeply embedded and integrated into our daily lives. More than ever technology and design is the fabric of our culture, society, and core for modern business. Not only is technology the key enabler for strategic growth in today's digital economy but it is also a foundational pillar of communication around the world. From social media to online commerce, programming is the core foundational tool that organizations use to run their businesses. More than ever businesses need creative problem solvers to help expand their reach through technology enablement. You will begin your journey here in this course to empower modern businesses to succeed in our digital economy. You will begin to learn the fundamental principles that are the underlying framework for technology. That is to say that programming is the key element that drives the capabilities of simple to advanced systems. In this course, you will be learning a creative approach to problem-solving with code that is both scalable and timeless.

The ubiquitous aspects of the web are at all intersections of modern life. Instead of having social and business communications and applications walled off and only accessible as desktop applications, the Internet provides a development environment and ecosystem to facilitate serious and powerful computing, accessible to people around the globe. In this course students will learn the core fundamental principles and tenets of web technologies and development methodologies. This course is designed to provide in-depth, hands-on instruction in designing and scripting web sites. Major web scripting languages are covered in detail. Students will also learn how to implement visual design principles and digital design software. Through a project-based approach, students will develop the skills needed to develop web sites in a business environment.

Computers in all visible and hidden forms, from embedded chips to supercomputers, must input, output, store, and process data. Foundationally critical is the understanding that the digital world is binary data in all forms, including computer instructions we call software. The characteristics, structure, and meaning of this data must be understood by the computing professional to adequately protect and transform it into meaningful information and appropriate uses. Digital representations of our world requires professionals to accurately and efficiently store, search, retrieve, classify, analyze, and report this information. In this course the student will lay a foundation of understanding to accurately interpret what "digital" means and how binary data is stored, retrieved, and moved in software applications, operating system file subsystems, communications networks, and more complex relational and non-relational databases. Through problem sets and hands-on exercises, students will apply concepts to practice. There is no area of study in computing technology that is not touched by the storage, retrieval, and manipulation of binary data.

Because of increased cyber threats on financial, health, and other information, securing what is important to us has become a priority to companies and individuals. This course is designed to provide an in-depth introduction to wide range of cybersecurity issues confronting organizations today and the methods by which practitioners can secure a business environment. Since significant investments are being made in the security of networks and the IT infrastructure today, specific emphasis is placed on global network based threats and vulnerabilities. Other topics include physical security, access control, authentication, authorization, data security and integrity, encryption, recovery, computer forensics, penetration testing and business continuance. Students will learn about and work with firewalls, network security, application security, email security, and tools for securing, monitoring, and auditing the IT environment.

As an exponential number of devices are added to the global network, including cameras, thermostats, and security systems, the ability to understand how the Internet of Things (IOT) works has become paramount to both the individual and to the corporate environment. This course is designed to introduce the student to a wide range of network architectures, infrastructure, and configuration options. Throughout the course the student will explore the concepts of physical and virtual environments and network designs as well as the knowledge required to manage these complex environments. The course will cover the topics of wired and wireless networking including system virtualization, virtual local area networks, and network hardware and software.

The world is composed of objects of various kinds that interact with one another. Gaining an understanding of how to program using the perspective of objects will help the student to develop software that will be understandable and reusable. Students will explore features of object-based design and development using Java including UML, encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance. Java has gained a significant foothold in nearly every facet of technology in society and learning to program with it will provide a solid foundation for those wishing to pursue a knowledge of other object-based languages. An introduction to writing event-driven graphical interfaces will provide students a solid foundation for creating interactive software.

The Portfolio I course is designed to prepare students to create a digital online presence in order to competitively position themselves in the marketplace. Students are prepared to develop a communication and presentation strategy that best suits their career goals.

The IT internship offers deep learning and mentoring in an IT-related applied setting for which students receive academic credit under the guidance of the University "Learning Contract". The applied experience is onsite at an outside employer. The internship requires the onsite supervisor to establish written expectations for a project-based experience, meets regularly with the student, and provides a written evaluation using a format provided by the university. At 55 hours per credit hour a 3 credit hour work experience will result in 15 hours per week per semester (165 hours total), or 4 weeks of full time.

This senior presentation course is the culmination of your studies, meant to help you demonstrate talent, skills and presentation, and communication abilities. This experience will not only provide you the opportunity to begin honing your skills in presenting your work to be used for expanding your career, but it will allow you to receive feedback from experienced designers and developers from the industry on ways you can improve your portfolio as you begin your job hunt. While it is critical to show finished work which reflects strong concepts, design and technical abilities, it is also important to be able to demonstrate the process used to create the work along with the reasoning which led its final form. Each senior is allowed to present 4- 5 projects. These projects can have multiple components but, in total, can't exceed a total of 10. Presentations are to be, at least, 10 minutes and no longer than 15 and are to be made digitally online or with a projector. The presentation should cover your creative process from beginning to end.

The senior seminar is a learning space where students actively evaluate and critique the questions, controversies, and complexities of the information technology, information systems, computer science, and graphic design disciplines. While developing disciplinary and research skills, students lead discussions that explore current topics and challenges of intellectual importance. The seminar is facilitated by the faculty member with the goal of preparing students for academic research and professional success.

Deeply rooted in the success of digital experiences is a key intersection between psychology and sociology. User Experience design (or UX Design) is the study and practice of the psychological and design principles of how users interact with interactive systems. This course is a formal study of human computer interaction, information architecture, and usability design. Students will learn analysis and design techniques that will help them to evaluate users, styles, tasks and other factors of the human-computer interface. The course provides a foundation for students to be able to build effective computer interfaces that support human needs and improved productivity. Students are also introduced to UX History and current research. The total spectrum of human-computer interaction is contained within the field of User Experience design. This course focuses on the interactive design process in order to generate rapid prototypes that are used to steer business and product design decisions. This course will teach students how to take a concept from prototype to digital product. Students will learn how to transform ideas into tangible reality. Students will learn how to develop user stories and user tasks that will be utilized for the shaping of the product definition and functionality, while at the same time learning how to build a design and a development road map.

Virtualization of computing hardware, networks, and software has revolutionized the way that IT professionals architect and implement systems. Grounded in distributed systems and scalable software systems principles, virtualization reached critical mass in recent decades and provided a foundational component and catalyst for the globalization of the Internet and cloud computing. Virtualization has provided the technical means to support the exponential growth and business rationale for large data repositories, while cloud computing has been the result of its application in creating new business models. Infrastructure as a service, platforms as a service, and software as a service continue to provide foundational cloud-based computing resources for the 21st century global business. This course will introduce the student to the theoretical foundations of parallel and distributed systems that are applied in the technology of virtualization. These system architectures exist in the cloud as infrastructure, platform, and software services. The student will gain hands-on experience observing and implementing cloud-based services and evaluate their advantages, disadvantages, and common uses.

Organizations now recognize the extreme importance in managing large technology projects in order to meet strategic objectives and provide a competitive advantage. Knowledge of project management techniques has now become essential to career growth. This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of project management with an emphasis on managing the unique challenges of information technology (IT) projects. Students will be introduced to the IT project management process using industry accepted methodologies including the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Agile, and Six Sigma. Extensive case related work will be used to help students understand the important aspects of time, performance, and cost estimation in relation to the unique conditions often present in information technology projects. Each of the critical phases of the IT project management process will be reviewed in detail using practical examples from the IT industry. Students are also introduced to computer-based project management software.