adawson@coquitlamcollege.com
anne.dawson@gmail.com
Which computer course should you
take?
This document is :
http://www.annedawson.net/WhichCourse.htm
and is current at: Saturday 15th
November 2008, 11:58 PT, AHD
Spring
2009 course offerings are here:
http://www.annedawson.net/courses.html
Course
Outlines are here:
http://www.annedawson.net/available_courses.html
For SFU/UBC
transfer agreements, see below.
For all
other institutions, see here.
Introduction to Computers
for Arts and Business Students
and
Computer Programming
for Science and Computer Science
Students
Please read ...
As you're no doubt
aware, computer technology changes rapidly.
The need for people
who are able to understand and
keep up with these
changes is increasing.
Universities offer a
selection of degrees
covering a variety
of computer technology content.
Course content can
vary widely beween universities,
and new courses are
offered every year...
So which course
should you take at Coquitlam College?
Consider your
ultimate goal.
Do you want to be a
website designer?
Do you want to run your
own online business?
Do you want to be a
video games programmer?
Do you want to sell
flowers on the road side?
Whichever path you
choose to take
will involve
computer technology in some way.
Before you select a
computer science course,
please take the
following six steps:
1. Select
your chosen university.
2. Select
your degree subject
3. Talk
to the university admission's advisor
4.
Consult this website: BC Transfer
Guide for details of course transfer agreements
5. Talk
to a Coquitlam College counsellor
6.
Register for the course...
Students with no previous exposure to
computers may consider a general introduction to computers and computer science
provided by CSCI100,
CSCI110,
CSCI165 or CSCI120, and for business students - courses BUSI237, CSCI110
and CSCI165.
These courses are described below:
Computing Courses for Business and
Arts Students
For a good general introduction to
computers and their applications, students should consider the CSCI100
course. The course provides an overview of the fundamentals of hardware and
software. There are hands-on tutorials on the use of software packages for word
processing, spreadsheet applications, databases and presentations. Students are
introduced to website design using online tutorials on HTML. There is also a
gentle introduction to computer programming. This course is suitable for
students interested in continuing their studies in business and arts subjects.
As an alternative to CSCI100,
business students should also consider course CSCI165. This course is an elementary introduction
to the Internet and multimedia used by the Internet. Students will study the
fundamental concepts and terminology of the Internet and acquire elementary
programming skills to generate well-designed web pages. There are no
prerequisites for this course; no prior computing science background is
required and all course materials are supplied
online.
If you're considering further
studies in business, then BUSI237 (Introduction
to Computers and Information Systems in Business) is the
course for you. BUSI237 will introduce you to computers and to
business information systems, emphasizing spreadsheets, databases and website
design. The course includes group discussions on
the issues involved in the use of information systems and the Internet in
business and society. Guest speakers
from the local business community talk to students about their own experiences
with information technology. This course is a hands-on tutorial and team
project based course, supplemented by guided reading and online videos. This is
a popular course and space is limited, so sign up early!
For a gentle introduction to
computer programming, you should consider taking CSCI110
(Event-driven programming in Visual Basic). Visual Basic is often used for commercial and business
applications because the language was designed to facilitate rapid development
of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) - in other words, windows programming. To achieve the same results with other
programming languages would require considerably more effort.
Computing Courses for
Computer Science, Math, Science and
Engineering Students
For those of you considering further
studies in computer science, math, engineering or science, you should consider
the CSCI120 course. This course is an elementary
introduction to computers, computer science and computer programming. Students
will study the history of computers and computing. They will be exposed to a
range of user applications and programming languages. The current and future
impact of computers on society will be discussed. Students will learn the
fundamental concepts and terminology of computer science, and acquire
elementary programming skills in the Python programming language. Treatment is
informal and no prior computing background is
required. Students who have already obtained
credit for CSCI100
may be able to take CSCI120 for further credit at some
institutions.
For those of you wishing to take a degree in computer
science, you may select either CSCI101
or CSCI102 as your first computer science course. The two courses
cover similar material, but CSCI101
uses the programming language C++, and CSCI102 uses Java.
Most computer science departments are currently using
either C++ or Java as the programming language for a first level programming
course. If you take CSCI101,
you will still be able to do further studies using Java. The two languages have much in common,
particularly at an introductory level. Many universities and colleges are using
Java as the language of choice for students programming for the first
time. In many respects Java is a
simpler language. However, most computer science degrees include a C++ (and
usually a C) component.
Most people find the switch from C++ to Java
straightforward, but the reverse is a bit more difficult. The switch from the C
language (CSCI103)
to C++ is also straightforward because the C language is a subset of C++. You
should talk to the advisor at your chosen transfer university before deciding
on which courses to take.
Computing Courses for Math, Science and Engineering
Students
For those interested in following a career in math,
science or engineering, CSCI103
(Introduction to Scientific Programming) would be the best choice. This is a
3-credit course with Math102 as co-requisite (see details below). If you've
already taken CSCI101 or CSCI102, you cannot take CSCI103
for more credit at SFU or UBC, although you may get further credit at other
institutions.
Students transferring to Computer Science at UBC
UBC normally limits the number of credits students can
earn for 100 level computer science courses. Their own students can take a
maximum of three 100 level CPSC courses - CPSC100, 111 and 121 (total 12
credits), and a maximum of three 200 level CPSC courses - CPSC211, 221 and 232
(total 12 credits). Normally UBC
allow transfer students to take courses equivalent to these plus one additional
100 level course. They allow the
additional course because of differences in structure between the UBC computer
science curriculum and that of other institutions.
Transfer agreements with UBC change every year. You
should check with the admissions advisor at UBC before deciding on which
courses to take at Coquitlam College.
At 15 November 2007, the following agreements
were true:
Always check the BC Transfer
Guide for the latest transfer agreements.
Students transferring to Computer Science at SFU
Information for students applying for transfer to SFU
SFU currently runs a number of first and second level
3 credit computer science courses including:
CMPT100: Software Packages and Programming (equivalent
to CSCI100)
CMPT102: Introduction
to Scientific Programming (equivalent to CSCI103)
CMPT110: Event-driven programming in Visual Basic
(equivalent to CSCI110)
CMPT120: Introduction to Computing Science and
Programming I (CSCI120)
CMPT150: Introduction to Computer Design (equivalent
to CSCI150)
CMPT165: Introduction to Multimedia and the Internet
(equivalent to CSCI165)
CMPT125: Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II (see below)
CMPT225: Data Structures and Programming (see below)
CMPT120 is equivalent to CSCI120, the material of CMPT120 and
CMPT125 is covered in CSCI101
(or CSCI102), and the material of CMPT225 is covered in CSCI201. Note that CSCI101, CSCI102 and CSCI201
are 4 credit courses. Students who have obtained credit for CSCI100 may not
take CSCI120 for further credit at SFU.
Transfer agreements with SFU change
every year. You should check with the admissions advisor at SFU before deciding
on which courses to take at Coquitlam College
At 15 November 2007, the following
agreements were true:
Always check the BC Transfer
Guide for the latest transfer agreements.
Students considering a transfer to
Computing Science at SFU should consult the Virtual
Advisor.
And read the current notes for
students here:
http://www.bctransferguide.ca/notes/sfu0506.cfm
from which the following text is
taken: