CNS/CTY Curriculum: Discussion Transcript
Transcript of CNS/CTY Discussion (Scott Apted, Wednesday January 21, 2015)
So... we are on track here (need to make some corrections to the curriculum maps).
In general, we are looking at a couple of things: One was trying to set out a better core curriculum for both programs. The last semester in CNS is basically all professional options. CTY has a "ton" of professional options (which is OK), but then CTY does this divergent thing in their third and fourth semesters, where if a student is starting out in CTY, that person goes into co-op, then decides to graduate from CNS, they are going to miss a couple of things. For example, if we potentially graduate students that have never taken ops335 which is considered a weakness since they are missing a big portion of the OS administration skills. (traditionally and optimally, students in CTY would take OPS435 for scripting skills, then take OPS335 for Linux administration skills).
The idea is essentially to return to the first 4 semesters being consistent for both programs: whether you are CNS or CTY. As a result, courses like INT420 (configuration of Apache web servers using the Perl scripting language) would no longer be a required or "core" part of the curriculum, as opposed to a "professional option". If we do that, on the other hand, we would have to not require INT620 a required course, but a "professional option" as well, since INT420 and INT620 are related courses.
Here would one of the major impacts or suggestions for both CNS and CTY curriculum development. For the CNS curriculum for the fourth year, it is currently NDD430 plus 4 professional options and for CTY program it is NDD430, INT420, OPS335 and two professional options. Relating to the future CTY curriculum map would be splitting NDD430 into two courses: the first being focused on LAN infrastructure (networking), and the other being focused on installation of a server and configuration of services. In addition to these courses, there is a suggestion for a need for a Firewall course (understand and know the functions of firewalls), a basic security course (focusing on security policies as opposed solely to intense focus on applications ("Bells and whistles" - like stated from textbook, "Inside the Security Mind" - perhaps what the current course SEC625 attempts to accomplish). There has been discussion regarding the last course available such as a "professional option", but part of the MTCU requirements for diploma status is some knowledge of "project management", so there is talk of eliminating the professional option for the fourth semester and having a course in project management.
Therefore, the first 4 semesters of both the CNS and CTY programs are more structured (i.e. taking the courses that are prescribed).
... more to be transcribed ...
