Computer Science Education Concentration

Students will gain a foundational understanding of the software, hardware, and systems of mobile computing. A survey of current mobile platforms and an introduction to mobile Web programming provides strong insight into the challenges and opportunities for mobile application developers. Case studies of how mobile computing has invigorated social networks, re-written business models, and connected people across the globe are addressed in this course.

Students will learn the history and basics of computing as well as the fundamentals of Python programming. General topics include: the history of computing, number systems, Boolean logic, algorithm design and implementation, and modern computer organization. Programming topics include: memory and variables, data types, mathematical operations, basic file I/O, decision-making, repetitions, functions, and list basics.

This course continues the material from Python Programming beginning with lists and basic structures. Then, the focus moves toward Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) that includes topics such as objects, classes, encapsulation, abstraction modularity, memory management, inheritance, and polymorphism. Advanced Python language features like iterators, generators, lambdas, and comprehensions are also covered.

Students compare and contrast a variety of data structures with Python. Students compare algorithms for tasks such as searching and sorting, while articulating efficiency in terms of time complexity. Students implement data structures and algorithms to support solution designs.

This course will introduce students to database design, Structured Query Language (SQL), normalization, and relational database theory. Traditional relational databases will be contrasted with NoSQL paradigm databases including document-oriented, key-value store, and graph. Students will gain hands-on experience writing database applications.

Students will analyze data using Python programming language to obtain insights from real-world data sets. Students will access data files containing both numerical and categorical data, which they will prepare for analysis by data preprocessing, data wrangling, and data aggregation. Students will conduct statistical analysis, text analysis, and date/time series analysis, summarize their findings in a meaningful manner, and use visualization to illustrate patterns and trends in the data.

Students look at the positive and negative effects of changes and advancements in technology, with particular attention given to the relationships between technology, ethics, culture, and humanity. Through readings, discussions, debates, presentations and other learning methods, students will explore the evolution of technology and ethics. Students will investigate the ways technology is used and how information affects, and is affected by, society and the global community.

This course teaches the common application of calculus theories. You will investigate basic topics of differential and integral calculus with a specific emphasis on applications. You will perform differentiation and integration of algebraic and transcendental functions, apply optimization techniques, and learn to formulate and solve differential equations.

Students will learn the concepts, techniques, and structures of discrete mathematics necessary for the software engineer, including logic, sets, functions, relations, Boolean algebra, and combinatorics. The course also introduces the concept of mathematical proof.