This course focuses on essential oral and written communication skills for college and career success. Students will be able to practice and apply the principles of effective communication by writing business correspondence using a variety of formats. Effective oral presentation techniques will be examined and applied.

This course will introduce the students to relational databases to automate data management. The students will be taught: database design emphasizing table relationships; introduction to normalization; building tables with different data types; form design for data collection; creating queries and reports; and automating tasks with switchboards and macros using MS-Access databases. The course will also introduce Structured Query Language (SQL). The laboratory assignments and final project will provide the student with the knowledge needed to design and implement a database in any type of application development. 

Current market analysis indicates networking and more specifically internetworking is in very large demand. From corporations to small office sites and even into “smart” homes there is a growing need to interconnect computerized equipment. Durham College’s Cisco Networking Academy curriculum will prepare our students to meet this challenge.  DCOM 1100 is the first of four courses that lead the student towards the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) accreditation.  This course provides the student with an in-depth knowledge of the principles and topologies in data communications today.

This course introduces students to businesses as “Open Systems” with Inputs, Processes and Outputs. Key to this concept is the knowledge of all stakeholders inside and outside of the organizational boundary of the business and their roles as well as the critical importance of knowledge management within the organization as a tool for effective management decision making. This course also covers a look at career paths and trends in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field.

This course introduces the students to the sound mathematical and logical skills required for both technical and programming courses.  Topics covered in this course vary from Arithmetic, Algebra, Signals both Analog and Digital, Number systems, Logic gates, Program Design and Statistics emphasizing problems in Business, Digital and Information Technology. The students are taught to solve the mathematical problems with the use of Electronic Calculator and Electronic Spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) in place of a manual calculator; and also on-line practice and assessment tool (MathXL) from the publisher.  

This is an introduction to the general principles of computer programming.  Topics will include the selection of basic data types, basic I/O, operators, repetition, flow control, decisions, arrays and the use of simple user-defined methods and user-defined classes.  This course teaches the student how to write computer programs, using a high level language, to solve typical business problems.  A structured programming approach is taken for the majority of the course with an introduction to OOP principles and program design also included.  The C# programming language has been selected as the language vehicle for the course.

This course focuses on the concepts, architecture, and administration of computer operating systems namely DOS, Windows and Linux/Unix using both command line and GUI environment. Students will learn DOS and Linux/Unix commands and build batch files (scripts) to automate simple tasks. The course also covers desktop customization, software installation, task management, system performance and security. Many professional careers depend on the student’s ability to prove his or her expertise through industry certifications.  This course contains materials that map to the objectives cited in the requirements for the Microsoft 70-210 and 70-270 exams and Linux+.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to structured programming principles to students studying in the information technology field. The programming language selected is ANSI (Standard) C++. This course teaches how to write computer programs in a structured, procedural approach, using a high level language, to solve typical problems.  

This course prepares students for careers in the computer support service field. Emphasis is on IBM and IBM-type personal computers (PCs). Students gain a greater understanding of typical PC components and their relationship to the computer's operating system and peripherals. Students will gain hands-on experience in diagnosis and troubleshooting, which helps prepare them to service PCs and related equipment. This course will assist students in preparing for the A+ Essentials certification exam (220-701).

The goal of this course is to provide the skills needed to install, configure, manage and troubleshoot the Apple OS X operating system. In particular, topics covered include configuration, supporting and troubleshooting a OS X infrastructure.
Hands-on projects in each chapter are an essential activity for students. Case studies give a more conceptual feel to the chapter material and are varied in their scope and content. The CSYS 3122 course content contains material that maps to some of the objectives cited in the requirements for the Apple OS X Support Essentials 10.7 Exam (9L0-410).

DCOM 2100 is the second of four courses designed to introduce new content and extend previously learned networking skills. These skills will empower the student to enter the workforce and/or further their education and training in the computer networking field. A task analysis of current industry standards and occupational analysis was used in the development of content standards. Instruction extends the student’s knowledge and practical experience of the TCP/IP networking model introducing routers. Communication links and packet filtering concepts include routing protocols, subnet addressing and the examination and implementation of CIDR. Course content includes routing theory and router hands-on lab configuration. The student will learn to correctly identify and explain the major components of the Cisco router successfully manage Cisco IOS, configure IP addresses using appropriate sub-netting, and perform basic router setup and configuration and master people skills by working in engineering teams.

This course introduces the student to the Internet infrastructure, concentrating on the World Wide Web and Web application servers, and provides a brief overview of emerging Internet technologies. The lectures introduce the student to essential Web techniques and features. The labs focus on producing working web pages published on the Internet, and simple interactive Web applications, with validated code for multi-browser compatibility. The server environment is the Apache server on the UNIX-like OpenBSD OS, with MS Windows browsers and editors on the client side. Server-side Web applications will be done in the PHP scripting language and SQL queries will be done with the PostgreSQL RDBMS running on the server.
Information security topics will be addressed throughout the course.

This course includes report writing and job-search communications. The appropriate documentation and research required to execute an effective information technology job search strategy will be created in this course. Report writing skills, involving detailed research and problem solving of current information technology issues and solutions, will be applied. This course will allow the student to further develop effective oral presentation skills which will be invaluable in career development.

This course focuses on hardware and software techniques for managing computer systems in a small network such as an office. Students will work on techniques for system deployment, network based storage devices and printing as well as system management tools. This course will also introduce advanced technologies for device and peripheral interconnection.

LAN Switching and Wireless is the third course designed to introduce new content and extend previously learned networking skills. These skills will empower the student to enter the workforce and/or further their education and training in the computer networking field. A task analysis of current industry standards and occupational analysis was used in the development of content standards. This course introduces and extends the student’s knowledge and practical experience with switches, Local Area Networks (LANs) and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) design, configuration and maintenance. The course explains how to configure a switch for basic functionality and how to implement Virtual LANs, Virtual Trunking Protocols, and Inter-VLAN routing on a converged network. Different implementations of Spanning Tree Protocol in a converged network are presented, and students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement a WLAN in a small- to medium-sized network.

Using Windows 2008 Server operating system software, this course focuses on the concepts, architecture and administration of a modern business server operating system. At the end of the course, students will be able to install and configure Windows 2008 Server on a personal computer. Skills learned include: installing Windows 2008 Server, installing, configuring and troubleshooting access to resources, configuring shares, printing, device drivers, file systems,  managing, monitoring and optimizing system performance, reliability and availability, managing, configuring and troubleshooting storage use, and configuring and troubleshooting user accounts, groups and shares. The NETW 4102 course contains material that maps to some of the objectives cited in the requirements for the Microsoft 70-646 exam require.

This is the first course on scripting and automation covering DOS and Linux/Unix. System and network administrators are often required to automate routine tasks with short programs called scripts. This course introduces the students to scripting under Windows (batch files at windows command line, DOS) and Linux/Unix (shell scripts) for system administration and automation. Some of the topics covered under windows are Task scheduling, Windows Systems Administration, User management and Windows Networking. This course will also introduces the students to Unix/Linux File Management, Utilities and also how to write, debug, run, and modify shell scripts for system administration and log file processing. Students will create scripts both on the real machine and also virtual machine by installing and configuring different windows and Linux operating systems using virtualization software.

This course is currently under development.

This is the fourth and final CCNA course designed to introduce new content and extend previously learned networking skills empowering the student to enter the workforce and/or further their education and training in the computer networking field. A task analysis of current industry standards and occupational analysis were used in the development of content standards. Instruction introduces and extends the student’s knowledge and practical experience with Wide Area Networks (WANs), Point-to-Point Protocols (PPP) and Frame Relay design, configuration and maintenance. Students develop practical skill experience related to configuring WAN’s, PPP, Frame Relay protocols, and network troubleshooting.

Elective general education courses appear in your program of study as GNED 0000. This is called a “placeholder.” This placeholder is replaced by an actual course that you will select from a list of available "elective" general education courses when you register in the relevant semester.

Please note that the type and number of elective courses available will vary from semester to semester and from year to year.

Please visit the General Education website for more information.

This course fosters critical thinking skills and the logical analysis of workplace decisions. Using historic case studies and current events, a working knowledge of moral principles, ethics, social issues, and the law as they apply to forensics and modern technology will be developed. Learners will explore the responsibilities of an expert witness within the areas of technology, accounting or law enforcement through the use of projects, activities, and discussions that are designed to explore ethical situations and examine the outcomes of decisions. 

Using Windows 2008 Server operating system software, this course focuses on the concepts, architecture, and administration of a modern business server operating system. At the end of the course, students will be able to install and configure Windows 2008 Server on a personal computer. Skills learned include: installing Windows 2008 Server, DNS, DHCP, RRAS, IPSEC, DFS, WSUS, NETWORK HEALTH, monitoring, optimizing system performance, reliability and troubleshooting . The NETW 5100 course contains material that maps to some of the objectives cited in the requirements for the Microsoft 70-642 exam requirements.