Courses tagged with "Evaluation" (733)

Because we have compiler programs, software developers often take the process of compilation for granted.  However, as a software developer, you should cultivate a solid understanding of how compilers work in order to develop the strongest code possible and fully understand its underlying language.  In addition, the compilation process comprises techniques that are applicable to the development of many software applications.  As such, this course will introduce you to the compilation process, present foundational topics on formal languages and outline each of the essential compiler steps: scanning, parsing, translation and semantic analysis, code generation, and optimization.  By the end of the class, you will have a strong understanding of what it means to compile a program, what happens in the process of translating a higher-level language into a lower-level language, and the applicability of the steps of the compilation process to other applications.

The World Wide Web (WWW) has become the primary means by which we conduct searches and perform billing transactionsevents that can only occur with the support of specific applications.  The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the design and development of such applications.  This course will expose you to the basic fundamentals of the Internet and Web protocols, the different architectures that Web-related applications use, and the programming languages that enable the development of Web applications, placing particular emphasis on JavaScript, HTML, XML, AJAX, and Java Server Pages (JSP).  We will also cover matters of security and reliability in the development of web applications via the use of transport encryption and authentication.

This course will introduce you to modern operating systems.  We will focus on UNIX-based operating systems, though we will also learn about alternative operating systems, including Windows.  The course will begin with an overview of the structure of modern operating systems.  Over the course of the subsequent units, we will discuss the history of modern computers, analyze in detail each of the major components of an operating system (from processes to threads), and explore more advanced topics in the field, including memory management and file input/output.  The class will conclude with a discussion of various system-related security issues.

The Internet has become one of the most important components of our life. We browse the Web, check e-mails, make VoIP phone calls, and have video conferences via computers. All of these applications are made possible by networking computers together, and this complex network of computers is usually referred to as the Internet. This course is designed to give you a clear understanding of how networks, from in-home local area networks, or LANS, to the massive and global Internet, are built and how they allow us to use computers to share information and communicate with one another. Unit 1 introduces you to an explanation of what computer networks are as well as to some basic terminology fundamental to understanding computer networks. You will also familiarize yourself with the concept of layers, which compose the framework around which networks are built. Next, Unit 2 explains the concept of protocols. A computer communication (or network) protocol defines rules and conventions for communication between netwo…

Though we may not recognize them in our everyday activities, databases are everywhere.  They are hidden behind your online banking profile, airline reservation systems, medical records, and even employment records.  This course will provide students with a general overview of databases, introducing you to database history, modern database systems, the different models used to design a database, and Structured Query Language (SQL), which is the standard language used to access and manipulate databases.   Many of the principles of database systems carry to other areas in computer science, especially operating systems.  Databases are often thought of as one of the core computer science topics, since many other areas in the discipline have been derived from this area.

This course is an upper division computer science course that studies the design of programming languages. While most of the industry uses either procedural or object-oriented programming languages, there are entire families of other languages with certain strengths and weaknesses that make them attractive to a variety of problem domains.  It is important to know about these less well-known yet powerful languages if you find yourself working in an area that could utilize their strengths.  In this course, we will discuss the entire programming language family, starting with an introduction to programming languages in general and a discussion of the features and functionality that make up the modern programming language.  From there, each unit will discuss a different family of programming languages, including Imperative, Object-Oriented, Functional, Scripting, and, Logical. For each language, you will learn about its computational model, syntax, semantics, and pragmatic considerations that shape the langua…

CS405 introduces the field of artificial intelligence (AI).  Materials on AI programming, logic, search, game playing, machine learning, natural language understanding, and robotics introduce the student to AI methods, tools, and techniques, their application to computational problems, and their contribution to understanding intelligence.  Because each of these topics could be a course unto itself, the material is introductory and not complete.  Each unit presents the problem a topic addresses, current progress, and approaches to the problem.  The readings include and cite more materials that are referenced in this course, and students are encouraged to use these resources to pursue topics of interest after this course.

This course focuses on the fundamentals of information security that are used in protecting both the information present in computer storage as well as information traveling over computer networks. Interest in information security has been spurred by the pervasive use of computer-based applications such as information systems, databases, and the Internet. Information security has also emerged as a national goal in the United States and in other countries with national defense and homeland security implications. Information security is enabled through securing data, computers, and networks. In this course, we will look into such topics as fundamentals of information security, computer security technology and principles, access control mechanisms, cryptography algorithms, software security, physical security, and security management and risk assessment. By the end of this course, you will be able to describe major information security issues and trends, and advise an individual seeking to protect his or her dat…

User dependency on the Internet increases every day; nowadays, everyday tasks like paying bills, communicating with others, and applying for jobs are all routinely carried out via the Internet.  While the Internet represents a huge network, it is meaningless without the applications that it supports.  These applications enable user interaction and facilitate everyday activities.  In this course, we will learn about the design and implementation of network-based applications, focusing on Object-Oriented Programming and programming techniques both at the application layer and the transport layer of the TCP/IP protocol stack.  Additional concepts covered include text transport (moving text from one computer to another over the network), data transport, object transport, remote function calls, and, finally, class transport.  You will approach these concepts from an Object-Oriented point of view, learning to implement design patterns in your code in order to ensure software reusability (a highly desirable fea…

This course will present advanced topics in Artificial Intelligence (AI).  We will begin by defining the term “software agent” and discussing how software agents differ from programs in general.  We will then take a look at those problems in the field of AI that tend to receive the most attention.  Different researchers approach these problems differently.  In this course, we will focus on how to build and search graph data structures needed to create software agents, an approach that you will find useful for solving many problems in AI.  We will also learn to “break down” larger problems into a number of more specific, manageable sub-problems. In the latter portion of this course, we will review the study of logic and conceptualize the differences between propositional logic, first-order logic, fuzzy logic, and default logic.  After learning about statistical tools commonly used in AI and about the basic symbol system used to represent knowledge, we will focus on artificial neural network and…

Cryptography is essentially the science of writing in secret code.  In data and telecommunications, cryptography has specific security requirements, such as authentication, privacy or confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation.  To meet these security requirements, we employ secret key (or symmetric) cryptography, public-key (or asymmetric) cryptography, and hash functions. In the first part of the course, we will review a number of different ciphers that were used before World War II.  These ciphers would be easily broken nowadays, since cryptography has advanced quickly over the past couple of decades with the advent of modern computers.  We will cover block cipher algorithms and describe the advanced encryption standard for a symmetric-key encryption adopted by the U.S. government.  We will also learn about the important MD5 and SHA-1 hash functions as well as the message authentication code. This course will focus on public key cryptography, which is best exemplified by the RSA algorithm (na…

While CS403: Introduction to Modern Database Systems [1] covered many of the core concepts behind database management systems, there are many other considerations that should be addressed if you intend to pursue a career in this field.  This course will expand upon what you learned about SQL in CS403 and introduce various other advanced topics, including query optimization, concurrency, data warehouses, object-oriented extensions, and XML.  While CS403 introduced the basics of database management systems, the additional topics covered in this course will help you become more proficient in writing queries and will expand your knowledge base so that you have a better understanding of the field.  By the end of this course, you should have a solid grasp on data warehouses and XML, which will prove to be invaluable as you progress further in your Computer Science studies. [1] http://www.saylor.org/courses/cs403/…

Technology continues to evolve and provide us with increasingly powerful mobile devices.  As a result, applications that can run on a browser must also be written such that they are compatible with mobile devices, the majority of which are now web-enabled.  Meanwhile, there is an increasing demand for native applications that can be downloaded to and run on mobile devices.  This course will address these trends, teaching you to think about the unique design and deployment issues that must be taken into consideration when developing applications for mobile devices. This course will expand upon what has been covered in CS305: Web Development [1].  We will specifically look at the tools used to design mobile applications.  We will learn about mobile platforms, mobile browsers, native applications, and best practices in terms of test usability. [1] http://www.saylor.org/courses/cs305/…

Have you just begun your journey into Web development? This course will introduce you to the basics of Web design and teach you how to style your Web site for a professional look and feel.

The Microsoft team and experts from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) will guide you step-by-step in using the latest Web standards to structure your content and presentation like a professional. In this course, you will explore numerous CSS features to help you control the look and feel of your site such as colors, fonts and layout. By the end of the course, you should understand all the fundamental elements of CSS and how to use them effectively.

It is recommended that you are at least a little familiar with HTML before taking this course, but we will be providing you with the HTML code when necessary.

Are you tired of hearing that your computer has a virus? Or that your email account has been hacked? Now, is the time for you to protect yourself by understanding the basics of cyber security.

This computer science course presents an introduction to cyber security showing different aspects of this discipline. You will learn what the main existing cyber security threats are and how to protect yourself against them. The course presents a practical approach in which all required material will be provided to allow you to better understand attacks and establish appropriate countermeasures.

Taught by instructors with years of experience in the field of computer security, this course will pave the way to the security area of IT-related professions.

This economics course provides an introduction to the field of cybersecurity through the lens of economic principles. Delivered by four leading research teams, it will provide you with the economic concepts, measurement approaches and data analytics to make better security and IT decisions, as well as understand the forces that shape the security decisions of other actors in the ecosystem of information goods and services.

Systems often fail because the organizations that defend them do not bear the full costs of failure. In order to solve the problems of growing vulnerability to computer hackers and increasing crime, solutions must coherently allocate responsibilities and liabilities so that the parties in a position to fix problems have an incentive to do so. This requires a technical comprehension of security threats combined with an economic perspective to uncover the strategies employed by cyber hackers, attackers and defenders.

The course covers five main areas:

1. Introduction to key concepts in security economics. Here, we provide an overview of how information security is shaped by economic mechanisms, such as misaligned incentives, information asymmetry, and externalities.
2. Measuring cybersecurity. We introduce state of the art security and IT metrics and conceptualize the characteristics of a security metric, its challenges and advantages.
3. Economics of information security investment. We discuss and apply different economic models that help determine the costs and benefits of security investments in network security.
4. Security market failures. We discuss market failures that may lead to cybersecurity investment levels that are insufficient from society’s perspective and other forms of unsafe behaviour in cyber space.
5. Behavioural economics for information security, policy and regulation. We discuss available economic tools to better align the incentives for cybersecurity, including better security metrics, cyber insurance/risk transfer, information sharing, and liability assignment.

After finishing this course, you will be able to apply economic analysis and data analytics to cybersecurity. You will understand the role played by incentives on the adoption and effectiveness of security mechanisms, and on the design of technical, market-based, and regulatory solutions to different security threats.

Our daily lives, economic vitality, and national security all revolve around technology. Our dependence on technology means we need a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace. However, computers and networks are being misused at a growing rate both by cybercriminals and by our own employees. In this computer science course, you will learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity and basic threats. You will also learn to build a comprehensive security plan that integrates people, processes, and technology, and how to begin protecting yourself and your information.

You will be exposed to areas of personal and physical security, best practices for using our computers and mobile devices, and how we protect our privacy and secure our devices and networks against attacks.

We will examine cybersecurity standards, laws, and ethical issues, the impact of cyber terrorism, how governments use technology and computer systems to defend and attack adversaries, and the effect this has on privacy and individual liberties. We will also explore why IT administrators and cybersecurity professionals need to demonstrate adherence to ethical principles.

Finally, we will look at the important areas of data breach planning and business continuity, both of which are critical to the long-term viability of an organization.

This course will also focus on the types of careers within the cyber security field and how you can enhance your career through professional certifications.

No prior knowledge or skills are required except for basic computer literacy.

EECS149.1x introduces students to the design and analysis of cyber-physical systems --- computational systems that are integrated with physical processes. Applications of such systems include medical devices and systems, consumer electronics, toys and games, assisted living, traffic control and safety, automotive systems, process control, energy management and conservation, environmental control, aircraft control systems, communications systems, instrumentation, critical infrastructure control (electric power, water resources, and communications systems for example), robotics and distributed robotics (telepresence, telemedicine), defense systems, manufacturing, and smart structures.

A major theme of the course is on the interplay of practical design with formal models of systems, including both software components and physical dynamics. A major emphasis will be on building high confidence systems with real-time and concurrent behaviors. Students will apply concepts learned in lectures to programming a robotic controller in a specially-designed virtual laboratory environment with built-in automatic grading and feedback mechanisms.

This edX course is an online adaptation of the UC Berkeley undergraduate course EECS 149, covering a subset of topics that are especially relevant for the lab component of that class.

Learn about the ten domains of cybersecurity through the lens of subject area experts from companies such as Coca Cola, SAP, and Macy's.

This capstone includes the evaluation of the competencies and performance tasks, which define a successful cybersecurity defense.  

This capstone is part of the RITx Cybersecurity MicroMasters Program that is specifically designed to teach cybersecurity techniques and tools needed to effectively defend systems and networks of a corporate environment or enterprise.

In order to qualify for the MicroMasters Credential you will need to successfully earn a Verified Certificate in each of the four RITx Cybersecurity courses as well as pass this final capstone.

The capstone will test knowledge and skills across all 4 courses in the Cybersecurity MicroMasters Program. It will include hands-on lab exercises that build on the assessments in the previous four courses.