IST Course Catalog
The IST Department offers a wide variety of courses that allow you to customize your education to meet your goals. Here is a list of the courses we currently offer.
ATV 137 Doane Information Solutions Cadre (DISC) (1)
Provides students with an experience that will allow them to apply their understanding of information systems and applications in creating an information systems solution. Students will be assigned to a project team and given responsibilities as part of that team. The team will be given a project that will involve analyzing a user's needs, designing a solution, and implementing that solution. Prerequisite: permission. (Pass / Fail)
IST 140 Introduction to Information Science and Technology (3)
An introduction to information science and technology by exploring a breadth of topics in the areas of computer science and information systems. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to articulate the similarities and differences of the majors in information science and technology, identify and generally discuss the major topics in each major and their relationships, and discuss differing views on several ethical questions related to the computing industry. Through examination of the disciplines and research of computing careers, this course will provide information that will assist students in deciding whether or not to pursue an information science and technology major and career. Offered fall terms.
IST 145 Introduction to Programming and Problem-Solving (3)
An introduction to the science and art of implementing solutions to problems using a high-level programming language. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to design solutions to a variety of problems using top-down and structured design techniques and implement those solutions using programming constructs such as branching, loops, arrays, and functions or procedures. Prerequisite: MTH 105 or equivalent.
IST 146 Programming and Problem-Solving II (3)
A continuation of IST 145. This course further examines data and procedural abstraction and the design, implementation and analysis of algorithms. Upon completion of this course, the student will have gained experience with the object-oriented paradigm, a more modern program design technique, as an alternative to top-down and structured design. In addition, students will learn basic searching and sorting algorithms, sequential and random access file algorithms, dynamic memory allocation techniques, and basic data structures such as linked lists and binary trees. Prerequisite: IST 145. Offered spring terms.
IST 201 Instructional Technology (3)
A course consisting of a series of experiences related to using educational technology in the classroom. Teaching about technology, teaching with technology, and integrating technology in the classroom are topics of this course. Course experiences provide an awareness of the educational uses of technology and the skills necessary to use and integrate technology in the classroom. Competency will be demonstrated in the use of application software relevant to the classroom. Prerequisite: Major in Elementary Education, Special Education, or completing secondary certificate.
IST 217 Information Systems Theory and Practice (3)
Provides an introduction to the field of information systems and an understanding of the decision process and how information is used for decision support in organizations. Students will develop an understanding of decision theory and practice essential for providing viable information to the organization and will be able to identify the various types of information systems. Prerequisite: IST 145. Offered spring terms.
IST 246 Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
A course focusing on abstract data types, such as linear lists, linked lists, stacks, queues, graphs, and trees, and the design, implementation, and efficiency of the algorithms for processing these structures. More advanced searching and sorting techniques will be introduced and analyzed. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to utilize data abstraction to solve a wide variety of computational problems using various data structures and to analyze the efficiency of their solutions. Prerequisite: IST 146. Offered fall terms.
IST 252 Principles of Digital Logic & Computer Organization (3)
A study of the computer as a physical device. Upon completion of the course, students will understand the basic principles of digital logic and how it is used to build useful hardware components, understand the basic organization of a computer system in terms of digital hardware components and how instructions are executed using those components, and have the knowledge and skills necessary to implement high-level language constructs in assembly language. Prerequisite: IST 146 or permission. Offered fall terms.
IST 271, 371, 471 Selected Topics (1-3) (1-3) (1-3)
An investigation of topics not offered in other courses, selected on the basis of student interest and available instruction. Prerequisite: Permission.
IST 290, 390, 490 Directed Study (1-3) (1-3) (1-3)
An opportunity for supervised, independent study of a particular topic based on interest of the student, and availability and approval of the faculty.
IST 307 Database Application Design and Development (3)
A study of the methods of organizing and accessing data on peripheral devices using database management systems (DBMS). Upon completion of this course, students will understand the relationship between file systems and database systems, and will design and implement a database application with a web interface using a DBMS. Prerequisite: IST 145. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 312 Software Engineering I (3)
An investigation of the application of engineering principles to the development of software systems. Students will gain a better understanding of these principles through the completion of a software engineering project. Prerequisite: IST 146. Offered alternate fall terms.
IST 314 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3)
An introduction to complexity theory, searching and sorting, and techniques of algorithm design, including greedy, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, and backtracking methods. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply these methods in designing algorithms and be able to analyze the efficiency of these algorithms. Prerequisite: IST 146, MTH 330. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 315 Theory of Computation (3)
A study of the basic theoretical principles embodied in formal languages and automata. Topics include finite automata, context-free grammars, Turing machines, computability, and the halting problem. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to apply theoretical models to the solution of computational problems. Prerequisite: IST 145, MTH 250. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 322 Computer Networking I (3)
Provides students with the knowledge of data communications and networking concepts, including telecommunications architectures, protocols, hardware, and software. In addition, the analysis, design, and implementation of networks in organizations such as businesses and schools will be examined and experienced. Prerequisite: IST 146. Offered alternate fall terms.
IST 324 Digital Electronics (4)
An introduction to digital logic devices, microcontrollers (programming and operation), analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, and basic input/output methods. Emphasis is given to controlling a process using these devices. Completing the course allows the student to identify and develop digital solutions to selected real world data acquisition and control problems. Prerequisite: PHY 107, 108. (Cross-referenced with PHY 324.) Offered alternate fall terms.
IST 326 Roles of the Instructional Technologist (2)
An examination of the roles that an individual with an instructional technology major and/or a computer science endorsement might fulfill at the secondary level. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have an understanding of the roles they may be asked to fulfill related to providing support in analyzing, designing, implementing, and maintaining administrative and instructional information systems and technology in schools, as well as training students, teachers, and administrators on its effective use. In addition, teaching methods and curriculum content of computer science and the teaching methods and curriculum content of computer applications will be discussed. Competency will be demonstrated in the use of application software relevant to the classroom. Prerequisite: IST 145 and 252 and enrolled in the semester immediately prior to the professional term, or permission. Offered spring terms.
IST 352 Operating Systems (3)
An introduction to operating systems. Students will leave the course with a better understanding of multiprogramming concepts such as CPU scheduling, deadlocks, memory management, virtual memory and protection, operating systems structures and distributed operating systems. Current operating systems will be surveyed and discussed as they relate to these concepts. Prerequisite: IST 146. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 353 Computer Architecture (3)
A study of the design principles for computing machinery components. Upon successful completion of the course, students will have an understanding of these design principles for the processing unit, input/output, arithmetic unit, memory, and for improving throughout, via pipelining, vector and parallel processing, RISC architecture and neural networks. Prerequisite: IST 252. Offered alternate fall terms.
IST 401 Information Science and Technology Honors Research (1)
With the guidance of a faculty mentor, each student will identify a research area of interest, perform a literature review, identify a specific research project, perform the research, develop a paper, and present the results in a public forum. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the IST Honors Program.
IST 407 Web Application Design and Development (3)
A continuation of IST 307, this course will further investigate techniques to develop applications designed for the web. Upon completion of this course, students will have the skills to design and develop web applications using a number of different techniques and tools and will design and develop a web application using these techniques and tools. Prerequisite: IST 307 or permission. Offered alternate fall terms.
IST 412 Software Engineering II (3)
A continuation of IST 312, students will employ current software engineering methods to analyze, design, and implement a significant, modern software product. Emphasis will be placed on the utilization of a chosen software life cycle model from IST 312. Another area of emphasis will be the exploration of Graphical User Interface (GUI) programming. Prerequisite: IST 312. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 421 Information Science and Technology Internship (0-12)
Practical experience in an information systems environment (industry or research). Prerequisite: CED 205 or permission. (Pass/Fail)
IST 422 Computer Networking II (3)
A continuation of IST 322, students will examine how the fundamentals of computer networking are implemented in a modern network environment. Topics will include network architecture, configuration, management, and security, among others. Prerequisite: IST 322. Offered alternate spring terms.
IST 495 Information Science and Technology Seminar (1)
A research or experiential project developed under the guidance of a department faculty member to culminate a student's study of information science and technology. Completion of the project, including a written and oral presentation, demonstrates the skills expected of a Doane information science and technology student, including a solid understanding of information science and technology concepts; the confidence and skills to 1) work with existing and emerging computing technology; 2) efficiently research and learn an unknown topic or solve an unknown problem; and 3) effectively communicate, including writing, speaking, and listening. This course may be taken twice. Prerequisite: IST student with junior or senior standing and permission.