console output
Output from a Linux Bourne Again Shell (BASH) in which a command was issued to the computer which the shell interpreter did not know how to process. It even suggested that perhaps we wanted to "explode an interesting module"! How handy. Learn more about using BASH on Linux.
home > CIT-100 module menu

Module Menu: Computer Fundamentals

Choose your own adventure modules!

At a pace of about one per week, choose an interesting topic of exploration from the menu below and create a mini-project that you can share with other (and future) CIT100 and 115 students.

Use the toolbox for submissions

The computer fundamentals toolbox is the companion to this document and contains links for submitting all module mini-projects, the course syllabus, and final project information.


spreadsheets

Intro & System Diagramming Primer

First half of term: First assignment

Computers are made of hundreds of smaller components all engineered to work together to do a whole bunch of handy stuff with digital data. We'll explore how to represent systems of many kinds symbolically which will aid in our explorations of many computer-related systems.

spreadsheets

Operating System Essentials

First half of term: Second assignment

Operating systems connects the programs we know and love with the guts of the computer: digital data, stored in files and processed by the CPU. Explore the tree-based file structures at the heart of this process by creating your own tree of interesting stuff.

spreadsheets

OS Command Line Expedition

First half of term: Third assignment

Computers keep track of millions of files with tree-based storage structures. Take an expedition through the underbelly of this digital forest by visualizing your student-interest file trees using a nifty command line utility.

spreadsheets

Spreadsheets 1: Create a Budget

First half of term: Forth assignment

Spreadsheet tools are so powerful that when VisiCalc was first released, personal (i.e. desktop) computers quickly became seen as a business necessity. But the value of spreadsheets extends into every corner of our lives, as we'll find out in this module.

spreadsheets

Spdshts 2: Spreadsheetify your life

Post-break new module!

Convert of some part of your life you currently manage on paper (i.e. analog) by creating a schnazzy replacement spreadsheet.

spreadsheets

Spreadsheets 3: Bid Like A Pro

Post-break new module!

Using a handy template, develop a services or product bid for a real or fictitious client. Polish your negotiation skills by using your tool to make a deal with a partner/actor.

spreadsheets

extensionBe a Stealthy Field Researcher

Post-break new module!

Investigate a public behavior by designing a data gathering tool in a spreadsheet, using it to collect observational data in the world around you, and crunch the results into a sharable form.

This video reviews existing student projects for this module and discusses how to build on other students' work when designing your own study.

Video posted 25APR18

spreadsheets

extensionFinal Exam Option 2: Music album database

Explore the fundamental concepts in relational databases. Tinker along with your instructor as you build a database storing information about your favorite music albums. Organizations across America today are calling for database-competent folks to join them!