Courses - Internet Systems Specialist Diploma

During this course, students will learn the basics of Web Project Management by reading a client RFP, responding to it, and planning all the work involved to bring a Website to completion. This is not a traditional Project Management course. Instead, this is a practical, hands-on guide to kicking a Web project into gear, moving it forward, and getting it finished. The course is designed specifically to prepare you for the projects you will face during the ISSD program (at least five major projects), but the principles you learn here have real-world applications.

This course does not teach you how to design, how to code, how to program, or any of the many other technical details involved in publishing a Website. Those skills will be learned over the next year. Instead, this course aims to give you to the tools you need to plan the work you’re going to face. We don’t assume you know anything about Web design, coding, programming, or anything else at this point.

The Photoshop course is covered in 30 hours of class time with many hours of bonus material that can be covered at home. It will provide students with a solid foundation in the basics of the Adobe Photoshop application, one of the most popular software applications for working with digital graphics. Students will discuss digital graphics in general, learn to navigate the program interface, use the numerous tools, and save files for display on the Web.

This course will teach basic principles of design, usability and accessibility as it relates to your web pages. It will cover topics such as colour theory, alignment, visual appeal and layout techniques for creating sites with not only intelligent structure, but good visual impact.

The Introduction to Unix course is 30 hours of hands-on Unix with some theory. The student will be given accounts on one or more university Unix servers to use for the year. Several of the courses will require students to create, upload, and edit files on these servers over SSH or other remote connection. This course will introduce the student to the basics required to perform these tasks. The entire course will be done at the command line interface. A graphical user interface will not be used. Installation, configuration, and administration of Unix/Linux is beyond the scope of this introductory course. Near the end of the year, students will be taking more advanced Unix courses, including the installation and securing of Linux servers. The basic tasks taught during these early classes will be required again and again throughout the year.

This block of the ISSD program introduces the students to the basics of creating web pages. This course is actually three courses in one. It starts with basic XHTML, then goes on to CSS, giving students the tools needed to create a final project by hand. The course ends with a couple of days of Dreamweaver, showing the students how to increase their productivity with this application. The students will also be introduced to upcoming technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3.

This course introduces students to the basic principles and tools of programming and software development. Students will learn how to solve the problems they might encounter in creating a program by using tools like pseudocode and flowcharting. Through the use of variables, loops, and conditions, students will learn how to make a program do what they need it to do. Hands-on class work and assignments allow students to put their knowledge to practical use.

DHTML is not an actual type of HTML but is rather a marketing term used to describe advanced markup languages such as JavaScript and CSS with (X)HTML. DHTML stands for Dynamic HTML and is what makes a web page go from being static and boring to visually exciting. This course starts with a complete tutorial on JavaScript from the ground up, then goes on to CSS and then shows how to put JavaScript and CSS together to create some truly stunning effects.

The Flash course will provide students with a solid foundation in the basics of the Flash application. Students will learn how to navigate the program interface, use the drawing and text tools, create animations, import sounds and graphics, optimize Flash movies, and publish the necessary files for display on the World Wide Web. The course includes information for both Windows and Macintosh users.

This course introduces the student to XML and its related technologies, such as XML DTDs, namespaces, schemas, and XSLT. XML is a very popular and extremely versatile markup language, used in everything from web services to describing content for a database. XML is going to gain popularity in the near future, so a thorough understanding of it can only be an asset to any web developer.

Databases are now the most common place to store organizational information and the internet is fast becoming the most popular way to access information. The combination of the two, with appropriate security, gives staff, management and clients instant access to the information they need no matter where they are in the world. This course covers all the steps required to communicate with a database via a web browser, including the fundamental principles of good database design, practical hands-on database development, the widely popular MySQL language that most databases use, and an introduction to the programming commands that are needed to communicate with databases from a web browser. Before taking this course, the student is expected to understand the basic operation of a computer and the internet, client-server concepts, basic UNIX commands and have the ability to create simple XHTML pages and forms. No previous database or programming experience is required. An internet web server will be provided. The following software will be used: Microsoft Access, MySQL, PHP, various HTML editors, UNIX and an Apache web server.

This is a practical, hands-on project in which the student creates a complete online database solution to a practical problem of their choosing. The objective is to develop an awareness of the issues involved in creating an online database and some possible solutions. As well the project provides a portfolio item that the student can show to prospective employers to demonstrate their ability. Key elements of this project are developed during the Online Database course. An additional week is provided for the student to complete the project.

During this course the student will develop their skills in basic programming while learning the fundamentals of the Java language and Object Orientated Programming. The student will be required to write many small programs as well as doing two larger assignments where the programs will be more involved.

A continuation of the introduction to Java with more basics in Java and some advanced Java language features including Multithreading, Data Access, File IO, Servlets and JSP.

Students will build a substantial servlet based shopping cart web application in Java using data access, session tracking, and dynamically generated HTML.

This course will teach students to the fundamentals of developing dynamic content web sites using Active Server Pages .NET. The course focuses on using ASP.NET in conjunction with Visual Basic.NET language.

This course introduces students to many of the topics and concepts in the world of computer networks. Starting, appropriately, with the basics of what a network is, and why they are useful. From here, topics include the many types of networks, understanding network services, determining network requirements, and the myriad of networking hardware available. This course provides a solid foundation in the core concepts of electronic networks. These concepts allow the students to move into more intensive studies into TCP/IP, network security, and system administration.

Building on the foundation of Intro to Networking, this course delves deeper into the inner workings of networks. Focusing on the TCP/IP suite of protocols (as used on the Internet, and related networks), students will learn all about both networking, as well as internetworking. Packet structure, subnetting, architecture, and routing form some of the major topics of discussion.

The course is meant to provide an excellent introduction to the Administration of a Windows 2000 Server based network. The topics range from the setup of servers to advanced configurations and services needed to create an enhanced environment.

This 25 hour course is meant to be a continuation of the Introduction to Unix course.  Students will explore server side shell scripting, Linux installation, and the administration of the Ubuntu GUI (Graphical User Interface).

Armed now with a strong understanding of networks and internetworking, this course deals much more heavily with the provision of services over the Internet. Students will cover conceptual topics such as System Life Cycles, and what the role of a System Administrator is. As well, more practical topics such as DNS and Apache configuration and maintenance are explored in detail. This course provides a solid foundation in the core concepts of the system and site administration. Combined with the networking courses, this provides a powerful combination of skills in the world of network and system administration. Further, this course provides the necessary foundation for continued studies in network security.

This course introduces the concepts behind security in the Information Age. Building on the principles learnt in Network Technologies 1 and 2, students will learn to build Threat Risk Assessments, Security Policy Documents, and Disaster Recovery Plans. Further to this, they will engage such topics as Privacy, Anonymity, and the many faces of 'hacking'. This course steers away from strictly technical issues, which will be tackled in Network Security 2. This course provides a strong foundation in security, and related / relevant topics in such. By approaching non-technically specific topics first, the theory learnt here can be applied forward through the remainder of the Network Security stream.

This course introduces the more technical aspects of security. Building on the concepts covered in Network Security 1, students will learn about practical topics such as Firewalls, Intrusion Detection, and Cryptography. Further to this, they will explore the anatomy of an attack, analyze how many types of electronic attacks function, and how they can be prevented. This course provides the grounding in common technical aspects of Network Security. The students know the theory as a result of the first level, and will learn how to apply those tools and concepts to real-world solutions.

At this point in the ISSD program, students have an understanding of how to create web applications with their own code. In this 30-hour block, students will be introduced to frameworks and content management systems which will allow them to create robust web applications in a fraction of the time it would have taken them to write from scratch.

Ajax is the combination of several technologies already acquired in the ISSD program. In this 30 hour block, students will become familiar with the XMLHttpRequest object and learn how to create seamless interaction between the user and the server.

This course is the final one taken by the ISSD students. It combines many of the skills and lessons learned throughout the entirety of the course, but focusing specifically on the network / administration / security component. Students will be tasked with building, from the ground up, a fully functional Internet server. This includes assembly and configuration of the network, research, installation, and configuration of services, and full security assessment. As well, students will have to build a small web presence, simulating a commercial establishment online. Students will have to form groups, manage and delegate responsibilities, meet internal deadlines, and operate as a business should. In two weeks, an Internet server will be born, and it's services brought to fruition. It is designed to be a test of many skills, covering everything from networking to project management to web design, etc. Simulating a real-world environment, this will be the final test of the students skills and readiness for the industry.