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3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Distance Learning Lower DivisionScienceSurvey of the digital world, computers as multi-purpose machines, digital information, definition of programming, computers everywhere (the Internet of things), computers that perform simultaneous computations, how apps work, data storage and searching, databases, digital audio, graphics, video, computer networks and the Internet, the World Wide Web and Internet sharing services, network and Internet performance, real-time services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, security, and privacy. CS students may take course for elective credit only.
Learning Outcomes1Understand how to decide the disk size needed when purchasing a computer or smart phone.
2Understand why smart phones, desktop, and laptop computers have more than one processor (such as dual-core and quad-core devices).
3Understand why computers are embedded in appliances and automobiles.
4Understand why saving a document is required after changes are made and what a computer does when one saves a document.
5Understand why music is available in a variety of digital formats, such as m4a, mp3, and wav.
6Understand why someone acquires an Internet service that is 10 times faster than their current service, it is unlikely that web pages will load 10 times faster.
7Understand when someone uses the Internet to communicate with a person who is halfway around the world, how the information travels between the two computers.
8Understand why when someone streams a movie, they have to wait before the movie starts playing.
9Understand why a computer may be able to fool you into thinking a human is really answering your questions.
10Understand whether it is possible for a computer to control a car and navigate it through traffic on an actual highway.
11Understand how, if you receive an email message that appears to come from a friend asking you to click on a link to see a Facebook page, you can tell whether it is safe to click the link or not.
12Understand where, when you upload a video to a cloud service (e.g., YouTube), the video is stored
13Understand whether if a new virus appears, the virus protection software on your computer will prevent the virus from infecting your computer.
14Understand whether or not if your bank's URL begins with "https", a criminal who wiretaps your Internet connection can see each keystroke you send to the bank.