My Learning Plan

How computer networks are built and how they are protected. The course starts with network types, devices, the OSI and TCP/IP models, addressing, protocols and ports, cabling and Wi-Fi, cloud and virtualization, and the command-line tools technicians use to test a connection. It then applies security ideas (the CIA triad, authentication and access control, encryption, network defenses, common attacks and business continuity planning) to keep data private and the business running, and ends with the laws, standards and frameworks organizations follow to stay compliant. It is the prerequisite for Networks.

Networks builds on Network and Security - Foundations and covers how networks are built, run, secured, and repaired: how data moves through the OSI layers, IP addressing and subnetting, routing, switching and VLANs, Wi-Fi, core services such as DHCP and DNS, monitoring and disaster recovery, common attacks and the controls that stop them, and a step-by-step troubleshooting method. The course is passed by earning the CompTIA Network+ certification.

A practical course in Microsoft Excel. It starts with the everyday work of a spreadsheet: entering and formatting data, writing formulas with the right kind of cell reference, and using common and conditional functions. It then covers preparing raw data for analysis, with cleaning, sorting, filtering, tables, lookups and validation, and finishes with presenting a dataset clearly through charts, PivotTables, conditional formatting and a one-page summary that answers a business question.

This is the program's main security course, and it is passed by earning the CompTIA Security+ certification. Building on the networking courses before it, it covers who attacks organizations and how they get in; how to design secure networks, cloud services and data protection; how security teams harden systems, manage identities and vulnerabilities, monitor activity and respond to incidents; and how governance, risk management, vendor oversight and compliance hold a security program together.

Core project management: projects and the project manager's role, life cycles and process groups, integration and change control, scope, schedule and cost analysis, and a complete project management plan. Content follows the CAPM exam areas; the course is passed with performance assessments, not the CAPM exam.

A first course in Linux and open source, built around the LPI Linux Essentials certification. It explains what Linux is and where it runs, how distributions and open source licenses work, and then moves to the command line: finding help, working with files and directories, archives, redirection and text tools, and simple shell scripts. It ends with everyday administration (installing Linux, hardware and device files, processes, services, logs and network settings) and with security basics: users and groups, sudo and SSH, file permissions, the sticky bit and links.

An introduction to how organizations store and organize data in relational databases. It starts with what a database and a database management system are, then covers tables, data types and the families of SQL commands, the primary and foreign keys that link tables, and the queries that create and change data. It then walks through designing a database in three passes: a conceptual model of entities and relationships, a logical model of normalized tables and keys, and a physical model of storage and indexes. The course has no prerequisites.

A hands-on course in MySQL that builds on Data Management - Foundations. It turns a conceptual data model into working databases, tables, primary and foreign keys, views and indexes, fills the tables with data, and changes and removes that data. Most of the course is querying: from simple SELECT-FROM-WHERE statements through functions, subqueries and views to aggregate reports and joins across three or more tables. It also covers how to recommend a type of database and a database management system that fits an organization's needs.

Cloud computing from a business point of view, taught through Amazon Web Services: why organizations move to the cloud, the service and deployment models, how adoption changes the way IT runs its services, and the security, compliance, cost and support questions that come with it. The course prepares for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, and passing that exam is how the course is completed.

ITIL 4 service management: the vocabulary of services and value, the seven guiding principles, the four dimensions, the service value system and value chain, and the practices IT teams use to run services. Passed with the ITIL 4 Foundation certification exam.

First programming course, in Python. Running code in a terminal, an IDE and a notebook; variables, operators, strings, conditions, loops and functions; lists, tuples, sets, dictionaries and files; finding and fixing errors. No prerequisites.

Python for automating IT and network work: parsing command output, CSV and JSON inventories, decision logic and loops, files and backups, running system commands, and libraries for SSH, Telnet, NAPALM, REST APIs and email. Scripts are built to run repeatedly and safely.

Vendor-neutral cloud operations: architecture, deployment and migration with code, monitoring, scaling and backup, security and identity, DevOps basics, and troubleshooting. Passed by earning CompTIA Cloud+ (CV0-004).

Accessible, responsive web pages: semantic HTML, CSS styling and layout, basic JavaScript for interaction, WCAG accessibility and core UX and UI principles. No prerequisites.

Graduate-level course taken in the bachelor's portion; it counts toward the MSIT. Three skills: analyze an organization's technology infrastructure, build an ethical IT management strategy from a scenario, and define a personal ethical leadership approach for managing IT people.

How organizations choose and adopt new technology. Two skills: evaluate an emerging technology against a business need (fit, cost-benefit, security, privacy, adoption), then propose and plan its integration with research, data and a clear story.

Graduate-level course taken in the bachelor's portion. Explaining IT issues to technical and nontechnical audiences: audience analysis, written documents, presentations and data visuals. Passed with performance assessment tasks, one a recorded presentation.

How organizations decide, fund, staff, control and check their technology. Governance structures and decision rights, the COBIT, ITIL, CMMI and ISO frameworks, resource management, and risk, compliance and ethics. Passed with a written performance assessment.