Computer Systems Fundamentals — 48 hrs

This introductory course is designed to provide students not only a comprehensive grounding in fundamental knowledge of computers but also some of the latest advances in technology. More specifically, using both lectures and laboratory practices, the course would introduce students to essential computing concepts in hardware, software, data storage and manipulation, operating systems, programming, e-commerce, networking and the Internet. Students will gain hands-on experience with different operating systems including Windows, Linux, and Mac, application software packages including spreadsheets, word processing, and presentation, security software, email, the World Wide Web, and the Internet. Students will also learn techniques of refined searching, evaluating, and validating information on the Internet. Furthermore, the course will provide a very basic understanding of advanced and emerging computing technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, virtual and augmented reality, Internet of things, blockchain technology, quantum, fog, and edge computing, and 5G technology. Finally, the course would examine the social, legal, and ethical aspects of computing including privacy, data protection, intellectual property, health concerns, and accessibility.

Programming Languages — 48 hrs

This introductory course is the first of its kind in computer programming which is designed to introduce essential programming and scripting concepts to students. The main purpose of this course is to develop learners’ basic structured and web programming skills and prepare them for advanced programming and application development. Students will learn writing fundamental computer programs and scripts from scratch and will gradually practice major programming tools and techniques to implement them. More specifically, students will learn not only the design and implementation of the constructs of structured programming (variables, sequence, selection, iteration, functions, parameter passing, and arrays) in the context of a procedural development environment but also implement the same constructs in web programming scripting languages. Students will get familiarity with a number of languages including C++, Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. The course will enable students to write small pieces of code and implement them in the aforementioned programming languages. Finally, the course will enable learners to develop small client-server applications in scripting languages.

PC Maintenance: Hardware — 48 hrs

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a hands-on knowledge and comprehensive grounding in computer hardware and their operation. More specifically, using both lectures and laboratory workshops, the course will equip students with necessary skills required to manage, maintain, and troubleshoot computer hardware and their constituent parts. This course has been designed in alignment with CompTIA A+ learning objectives. The course will cover a range of topics including identifying different parts of a desktop computer, laptop, and mobile devices along with their operation and functions, connectivity and compatibility of internal parts of a computer, identifying repairing and maintenance tools and their purposes, disassembling and assembling back both a desktop and a laptop, installing, replacing, configuring, and maintaining motherboards, microprocessors, and memory (RAM), comparing the purposes and features of Intel and AMD processors, comparing various types of RAM and their features, installing, configuring, and maintaining various types of hard drives and comparing their features, implementing and setting up hardware RAID, and installing, configuring, and troubleshooting I/O devices, networking hardware, and printers. Students will gain hands-on experience of routine maintenance tasks required to support and manage all kinds of computer hardware. The course will help students prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.

PC Maintenance: Software — 48 hrs

This is the second course that has been designed in alignment with CompTIA A+ certification requirements. The purpose of this course is to provide students with practical knowledge and hands-on experience of software installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and maintaining fundamental system security. More specifically, the course will equip students with necessary skills required to manage, maintain, and troubleshoot operating system, application programs, and other software. Students will learn how to install, configure, and set up Windows, application programs, and networking software. Through hands-on lab sessions and practical assignments, students will gain knowledge and skills of using different Windows tools and utilities to support the system and customers, manage user accounts, files, and folders, taking backup of data and system files and keep them safe in case of crash, and perform preventive maintenance tasks to keep Windows healthy. The course will also examine the networking software (TCP/IP protocol stack), connecting to and setting up a network, and securing Windows resources including files and folders. Finally, the course will explore Android, iOS, and Windows mobile operating system. Students will gain hands-on experience of routine maintenance tasks required to support and manage all kinds of computer software. The course will help students prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.

Introduction to Computer Networks — 48 hrs

This course is designed to provide learners the fundamental knowledge of networking, with particular emphasis on the architectural components of a computer network and network technologies. More specifically, this course will introduce students to the architecture of a computer network, different types of networks, network technologies including both local and global, networking hardware, and the design and configuration of a computer network. The course will begin with the introduction of basic terminologies and concepts and will move on to explore the core components of a network including basic hardware and software, end systems, access networks, network applications, network links, and physical media. The course will explore various types of computer networks including LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet. Students will also gain an understanding of physical topologies of a computer network and different types of cabling used for networking. The course presents a brief introduction to each layer of the TCP/IP protocol stack and the protocols used on the Internet. Students will also learn about the operations and functions of different networking hardware, with particular emphasis on router, switch, network interface card, and modems. During the course, students will gain a hands-on experience on how to design and configure a computer network. Furthermore, the course will also explore wireless networking, particularly wireless LAN (WLAN) including characteristics of wireless transmission, WLAN standards, and technologies. Finally, the course will introduce network security and troubleshooting of computer network. The course will help students prepare for the Network+ certification exam.

Windows Client OS Configuration — 48 hrs

This is the first course of the Windows client operating system courses. This course will equip students with the working knowledge and hands-on experience of Windows 10 configurations and will provide a basis for Windows Server courses. The course will begin with explaining the requirements and steps to install and configure Windows 10 and will proceed to installing it in an enterprise environment with additional features and post-installation configurations including power settings, customization of the user interface, and accessibility options. The course will further explore different ways to configure Windows environments including remote connections and mobile computing. Students will learn how to configure and manage file and printer sharing, folder shares, public folders, OneDrive, and file and folder permissions. Students will also learn how to configure and implement Windows networking including Workgroups and domains. Furthermore, the course will introduce installation and configurations of desktop applications, startup options, and Windows features. Finally, the course will examine authorization and authentication and backup and recovery methods. This course will help students prepare for the MD-100: Windows Client and MCSA 70-698 certification exams.

Windows Devices Configuration — 48 hrs

This is the second course of the Windows client operating system courses. The main purpose of this course is to prepare students for implementing, administering, and troubleshooting Windows computers and devices in environments ranging from small to enterprise-level deployments. More specifically, this course will equip students with the working knowledge and hands-on experience of Windows 10 to configure and deploy devices and drivers, configure storage and security, plan and manage Microsoft Intune, and manage and support data access, Windows Store, and Cloud apps. The course will begin with the discussion of configuring automated installation of Windows 10 and will explain Hyper-V, images, and mobility configuration options. The course will cover devices and drivers’ configuration and will teach learners how to install, update, and disable drivers, configure their settings, and resolve associated issues. Students will learn how to configure disks, volumes, removable devices, I/O devices, and file system options. They will further examine troubleshooting storage and removable devices issues and NTFS (New Technology File System) security issues. The course will further explore Microsoft Intune to teach learners how to manage devices, enroll devices, provision user accounts, manage policies, and manage remote computers. Using Intune, students will also learn how to deploy software applications and updates, manage and support mobile devices, Windows Store and cloud apps, and desktop apps. Finally, the course will explore how to deploy and manage Azure RemoteApp. This course will help students prepare for the MD-100: Windows Client and MCSA 70-697 certification exams.

Windows Server 2019 Configuration — 48 hrs

This is the first course of the Windows Server 2019 courses. This course is designed to equip students with the working knowledge and hands-on experience of Windows Server 2019 configurations. More specifically, the course will provide learners an in-depth knowledge and necessary skills to: i) install and configure Windows Server 2019 in host and compute environments; ii) implement storage solutions, Hyper-V, Windows containers, and high availability; and iii) maintain and monitor server environments and installations. The course will begin with the discussion of Windows server 2019 installation requirements and will explore server roles, features, and deployment services. Students will learn how to install and configure Windows server 2019 and Nano server, implement roles and features, perform upgrades and migration of servers and core workloads, and create, manage, and maintain server core and Nano server images. Through hands-on laboratory sessions and practical assignments, students will further develop skills to perform configuration of disks, sectors sizes, and data replication, creation of virtual hard disks, and installation and configuration of Hyper-V and virtual machines. The course will also explore configuration and management of high availability and disaster recovery, implementation of network load balancing and failover clustering, and installation and configuration of Windows containers. Finally, the course will examine the maintenance and monitoring of Windows server performance, efficiency, and installations.

Linux Essentials and Shell Scripting — 48 hrs

The purpose of this course is twofold: i) to provide a hands-on introduction to Linux and its commands; and ii) to introduce essential shell scripting for automating a variety of tasks. Hence, the course has two main parts. The first part would focus on introducing essential commonly used Linux/Unix shell commands. These include, but not limited to, general purpose commands, directory management commands, file management commands, access control commands, and networking commands. Through hands-on labs and practical assignments, students will learn how to interact with the Linux terminal, execute different commands, navigate directories, edit files, and install and update software. The second part of the course aims at learning how to write small pieces of shell scripts and execute them in the Linux terminal. Students will gain the working knowledge and hands-on experience with writing fundamental shell scripts and will gradually move towards practicing more advance scripts using constructs including variables, operators, selection, loops, functions, and arrays. Furthermore, the course will also equip students with the skills to create shell scripts involving metacharacters, quoting mechanisms, command substitutions, I/O redirection, pipes and filters, and command line arguments. At the end of the course, students will be able to run shell commands and scripts with great confidence and ease leading to increased productivity and less effort in performing tedious and redundant tasks.

Windows PowerShell — 48 hrs

The purpose of this course is twofold: i) to provide a hands-on introduction to Windows PowerShell and its commands; and ii) to introduce essential shell scripting for administering and automating a variety of repetitive and tedious tasks. Hence, the course has two main parts. The first part would focus on introducing essential commonly used PowerShell commands. These include, but not limited to, general purpose commands, directory management commands, file management commands, access control commands, and networking commands. Through hands-on labs and practical assignments, students will learn how to interact with console, execute different commands, navigate directories, edit files, and install and update software. The second part of the course aims at learning how to write small pieces of shell scripts and execute them to automate the day-to-day tasks. Students will gain hands-on experience with writing basic scripts and will gradually move towards creating more functional scripts using constructs including variables, operators, selection, loops, functions, and arrays. Furthermore, the course will also equip students with the skills to use cmdlets and scripts for memory and process management, network management and basic troubleshooting, and managing structured data including reading and writing CSV files, Excel spreadsheets, and JSON files. Students will also learn how to write scripts that will manage the active directory objects including user accounts, computer accounts, and groups. Finally, the course will discuss the best practices for writing shell scripts and evaluating the scripts and outputs.

Internet Protocols Fundamentals — 48 hrs

This course is designed to provide learners with the fundamental knowledge of Internet, with particular emphasis on the Internet architecture, applications, and protocols. More specifically, this course will provide students an in-depth knowledge and working of the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol stack. The course will begin with the introduction of the Internet and will discuss further the network application architecture including client-server and peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. The course will explore different types of distributed applications including the World Wide Web and HTTP protocol, electronic mail and SMTP protocol, the domain name system (DNS), file transfer and FTP, and peer-to-peer file distribution. The course will examine further two transport layer protocols including TCP and UDP (user datagram protocol) and the services these two protocols offer to the process-to-process communication on the Internet. Students will explore the network layer functions and services that include IP addressing schemes, subnetting, packet encapsulation, DHCP server and protocol, address resolution protocol (ARP), routing, routing protocol, routing table, the function and working of routers, and network address translation (NAT) protocol. Finally, the course will examine the data link layer of the TCP/IP protocol stack and the associated protocols and issues. Through a series of experiments carried out using Wireshark, a packet capture tool, students will gain hands-on experience of network traffic analysis. The course will help students prepare for the CCNA certification exam.

Cisco Networking: Routing and Switching — 48 hrs

This course is designed to provide learners the working knowledge and hands-on experience of routing and switching. More specifically, this course will provide students an in-depth knowledge and skills of how different devices are connected by a switch in a network and how different networks are interconnected by a router. Students will gain the necessary skills of implementing layer 2 and layer 3 protocols and setting up, configuring, and troubleshooting layer 2 switch and layer 3 router of the TCP/IP networking model. The course has two major parts. In the first part of the course, students will learn about topics including switch features, functions, components, configuring settings on a switch, interface configuration settings, working with virtual LAN (VLAN), VLAN Trunking protocol, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and Rapid STP. The second part of the course will introduce students to routing basics, dynamics routing, routing process, routing troubleshooting commands, router-on-a-stick, setting up and configuring a router, routing protocols, and operating, configuring, and troubleshooting the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol. Finally, the course will explore implementing security on Cisco devices and will discuss further device password configuration, configuring layer 2 security features, and applying access control lists (ACL). Through a series of experiments carried out using Cisco Packet Tracer simulation software, students will set up, manage, andmonitor a simple network. The course will help students prepare for the ICND2 and CCNA 200-301 certification exam.

Networking with Windows Server 2019 — 48 hrs

This is the second course of the four Windows Server 2019 courses. The main purpose of this course is to provide students with the working knowledge and skills required to successfully configure, manage, and troubleshoot the TCP/IP protocols stack in Windows Server 2019. More specifically, using Windows server 2019, this course will cover the configuration and management of networking protocols and domain name system (DNS) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers, the implementation of IP address management, configuration of network access, and understanding file services. Students will learn how to configure and implement IPv4 addressing, subnetting, supernetting, and interoperability between IPv4 and IPv6. Students will also gain the hands-on knowledge of installing and configuring DNS servers, creating and configuring DNS database zones and records, and installing, configuring, and maintaining DHCP server. Students will further learn the installation and configuration of IP address management (IPAM) and management of DNS and DHCP servers using IPAM. Finally, the course will cover the implementation of network address translation (NAT) and virtual private network (VPN) and the installation and configuration of distributed file system (DFS) namespaces and branch office solutions.

Securing Windows Server 2019 — 48 hrs

This is the final course of the Windows Server 2019 courses. This course is designed to provide students with the working knowledge and practical skills required to secure Windows Server 2019 implementation. More specifically, using Windows server 2019, this course will cover the implementation of server hardening solutions, securing a virtualization and network infrastructure, managing privileged identities, implementation of threat detection solutions, and workload-specific security. The course will begin with the configuration of disk and file encryption and will move on to explore the implementation of server patching and updating solution, deploying and managing malware protection, and protecting credentials. The course will examine techniques to secure Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure and will discuss the implementation of a Guarded Fabric solution and shielded and encryption-supported virtual machines (VM). Students will explore the security of network infrastructure and will learn how to configure Windows firewall, implement a software defined distributed firewall, and secure network traffic. The course will further introduce security techniques to manage privileged identities from cyberattacks. Furthermore, the course will examine the implementation of threat detection solutions including configuring advanced audit policies, installing and configuring Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics, and Operations Management Suite. Finally, students will learn how to implement workload-specific security and will gain the skills to secure application development and server development infrastructure, dynamic access control, and file services infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Fundamentals — 48 hrs

The main purpose of this course is to provide a foundational background for understanding the basics of cybersecurity. More specifically, the course will teach students the skills required to identify basic security threats related to operating system, computer networks, software and applications, hardware, personal data and databases, and choose the best security practices to address those threats. The course will begin with the origin of cyberattacks and will discuss further the cybersecurity roles, processes, and types of security threats and cyberattacks. Students will learn about password management, multi-factor authentication, device hardening mechanisms, and will understand the difference between authentication, authorization, and accounting. An introduction to operating system threats and security techniques will be provided. The course will further examine different types of network attacks including denial of service (DOS), distributed DOS, and botnets attacks and how to defend networks against such threats. Students will learn about the data and database vulnerabilities and the safeguarding measures to protect against database breaches. The course will introduce web-browsing safety concerns with applications and public browsing, including managing plug-ins, extensions, and toolbars. Students will gain knowledge of web browser security configurations, cookies, and computer caches. A brief overview of infrastructure security will also be provides. Finally, students will get an overview of IT governance and best practices and compliance frameworks and standards. The course will provide students the working knowledge and hands-on experience to develop their cybersecurity skills through industry specific and open-source security software, tools, and utilities. This course will help students prepare for the CompTIA Security+ certification exam.

Introduction to Cryptography — 48 hrs

The main purpose of this course is to understand how cryptographic systems work to protect information in computers and how to apply them in real-world applications. The course will begin with the definition of cryptography illustrated by examples of ciphers and discuss pseudo-randomness and its use in encryption. The course will then introduce block ciphers, more powerful algorithms, including Advances Encryption Standard (AES) and the Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES). Through programming assignments, students will learn how to use AES and 3DES to encrypt data. To ensure further data integrity, students will investigate the MAC (Message Authentication Codes) systems. The course will then turn to discuss authenticated encryption methods to ensure both confidentiality and data integrity. Furthermore, the course introduces key exchange protocols to safeguard against eavesdropping and public-key cryptography algorithms to encrypt file systems and messaging systems. Students will examine two popular public key algorithms including RSA and the Diffie-Hellman protocol. The course will also give a brief overview of digital signatures and will teach students how to sign a digital message or document using RSA algorithms. Students will examine some identification and authentication protocols including Kerberos, Zero-Knowledge Identification Protocol (ZKIP), PAP, CHAP, and AAA. Finally, students will learn the working of SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols and how they are implemented in web browsers to secure data and authenticate a connection on the Internet.

Penetration Testing — 48 hrs

This course provides students with an in-depth working knowledge and skills of penetration testing. More specifically, the course will examine and assess the main phases of penetration testing process including planning and scoping, information gathering and vulnerability scanning, attacks and exploits, and reporting and communication. Students will learn how to use different penetration testing tools and perform code analysis during all the phases of penetration testing process. Through use cases assessment, scenario-based learning, and code analysis techniques, students will prove their competence to plan and scope engagement, tackle legal and compliance requirements, conduct vulnerability scanning and penetration activities, and analyze the results of those activities. The five major areas consist of subtopics including the role, reasons, benefits, requirement, and stages of penetration testing, penetration testing standards and methodologies, rules and scope of engagement, details of contracts, compliance and legal concerns, passive and active reconnaissance, types of vulnerabilities and their variants, vulnerabilities exploits, configuring and executing vulnerability scan, software security testing, post-exploitation tools and techniques, performing attacks including networks attacks, application-based attacks, social engineering attacks, and attacks on cloud technologies, and analysis of findings and script or code. Students will gain hands-on experience to develop their penetration testing skills in Python, Java Script, PowerShell, and Bash. The course is designed in alignment with PenTest+ objectives and will help students prepare for the CompTIA PenTest+ certification exam.

Ethical Hacking — 48 hrs

The main purpose of this course is to provide students a foundational background and necessary skills in ethical hacking. Staying within the ethical and legal bounds, students will be practically trained in the methodologies, tools, and techniques to launch attacks on computer systems, different computing infrastructures, and distributed applications. The course will begin with the fundamental concepts of hacking and will move on to introduce the methodology of ethical hacking including the Cyber Kill Chain model. The course will cover footprinting methods and tools including open-source and technology intelligence. Students will examine various scanning and enumeration methods and will learn how to use various tools and built-in utilities to perform scanning and enumeration in networks. Students will also explore sniffing tools and techniques including MAC flooding, ARP poisoning, DHCP starvation, and spoofing and evasion tools and techniques including firewall and honeypots particularly for layer and layer 3 traffic. Furthermore, the course will explore different methods, tools, and techniques for launching hacking attacks on computer systems, web servers and applications, wireless and mobile networks, the IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and cloud infrastructures. Finally, the course will discuss trojans and other kinds of attacks and their deployment methods and techniques associated with malware, viruses and worms, denial of service (DOS), and session hijacking. The course is designed in alignment with the EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) examination objectives and will help students prepare for the CEH certification exam.

Cybersecurity Analysis — 48 hrs

This course is designed to examine and analyze security analytics by using different security tools in real-world scenarios. The course will provide students with the working knowledge and skills in five key areas of cybersecurity analysis including threat and vulnerability management, software and system security, security operations and monitoring, incident response, and compliance and assessment. The course will begin with the assessment of cybersecurity threats and security controls and will move on to assess different types of threat intelligence and their usage. Students will learn how to acquire intelligence using tools and techniques, design a vulnerability management program, and analyze vulnerability scan reports. The course will further examine threat management techniques and conduct security analysis in clouds, identity and access management, software and hardware development, and various diverse operations. The course will also cover how to build an incident response program and analyze indicators of compromise. Finally, the course will briefly explore forensic analysis techniques, incidence recovery, risk analysis, and security policy and compliance and best practices. The course is designed in alignment with the CompTIA CySA+ objectives and will help students prepare for the CySA+ certification exam.

Digital Forensics — 48 hrs

This course provides students with the working knowledge and practical skills required to investigate digital forensics. More specifically, the course will examine and assess the process of digital forensics including acquiring digital evidence, analyzing the evidence, and presenting the findings. The course breaks down the materials into three parts. The first part will focus on acquiring evidence and collecting forensically sound data and the methods to achieve this goal. This section will explore topics including the types of computer-based investigations, the forensic analysis process, acquisition of evidence, and understanding computer systems including the boot process and file systems. The second part of the course will examine the investigation process where students will learn how to identify the evidence that has been collected, analyze the evidence, and draw conclusions. This section will cover topics including computer investigation process, analyzing Windows artifacts and memory devices, and the investigation techniques of emails and Internet artifacts forensics. The third part of the course will focus on mobile forensics, cloud computing forensics, social media forensics, and social engineering forensics. This section will also discuss effective report writing to communicate the findings of the digital forensics process. Finally, the psychological, ethical, and cultural implications of digital forensics will be discussed. Students will get hands-on experience of open-source and proprietary tools to perform digital forensics analysis.

Communication Skills — 48 hrs

The main purpose of this course is to help students develop and enhance effective communication skills in English for successful interaction. More specifically, the course will focus on particular domains of communication in English including the role of listening, verbal and non-verbal communication, holding a formal conversation at interviews and meetings, writing professional emails, making effective presentations, and networking online. The course begins with the introduction of elements of communication and will move on to discuss communication style, barriers to communication, and the process and core principles of effective communication. Students will learn how to improve their listening skills, understand non-verbal cues in communication, write persuasive messages, and select the right medium of communication. The course will focus on building students’ speaking and writing skills and will enable them to clearly articulate their thoughts and ideas in writings and speaking including in-person, online, and telephonic conversations. Students will also learn how to write effective business emails to fulfil their professional needs. The course will further cover interviewing and presentation techniques to help students prepare for better interviews and design and deliver effective presentations. Finally, the course will cover online networking and will equip students with the necessary skills required for making meaningful online connections with other professionals.

Career Development Planning — 48 hrs

This course is designed to help students plan, develop, and pursue effective career and employment strategies. More specifically, the course will focus on particular domains and stages of career development including devising career strategies for before, during, and after the job interview. The course is divided into three major parts. The first part of the course will focus on the before the interview stage. Students will learn about the techniques of choosing an appropriate career that suit them their interests, knowledge, and skills and also comply with the type of work they choose. Students will further learn how to create an effective professional resume from scratch or update the current one. The course will also cover creating a profile on LinkedIn and Indeed employment website, the tips and techniques of tapping the hidden job market, and assessment of online presence. Students will also learn how to write and adapt a professional cover letter. The second part of the course will focus on preparing students for the job interviews. Students will participate in video-recorded mock interviews that will enable them to assess their own interests, skills, competence, performance, personality, and values. The final part of the course will cover the after the interview stage and will discuss the follow-up, negotiations, weekly manager meetings, and the impact of contemporary issues on career choices and self-management. Finally, the course will discuss the BC Human Rights Code, BC Employment Standards Act, federal Employment Equity Act, and employees’ rights.