There are three distinct emphases within the Department of Information Leadership Technology.
Computer Science Emphasis
Students in the computer science emphasis focus on how we represent and work with diverse information in the presence of information technology. They will learn about the connections between how we choose to organize our data and how we choose to compute using our data, including considerations of space efficiency and time efficiency. Students apply these concepts in a range of domains within computing and develop skills in selecting the appropriate techniques for the given context. They will also learn to balance ideal visions for large scale systems with real-world considerations such as development time, resource limitations, security, reliability and maintainability. In conjunction with the core courses in the ITL major, this emphasis will prepare students to pursue a career or graduate education in areas such as software engineering, information systems management, information security, computer science and other computational fields.
Data Discovery Emphasis
Students in the data discovery emphasis will focus on the ways that computers can help humans understand complex social behaviors or scientific phenomena. In addition to learning how to acquire data for digital manipulation, students will learn how to access large datasets for specific purposes, and to convert that data into human-useable form. Students will be encouraged to connect these skills to interests in a connected minor or double major in a science or social science field, using the data discovery techniques of data analysis, data mining, or geographic information systems to complement their broader educational objectives. Courses from the data discovery emphasis include ITL 241: Introduction to Data Mining, ITL 346: Geographic Information Systems, ITL 351: Advanced Database Design, and ITL 359: Database Driven Web-Sites. Students interested in Information Technology Leadership but who do not wish to major are urged to consider the ITL minor as a vehicle to discover connections between their primary area of academic interest and issues in information technology. The minor may be of particular interest to students in art, psychology, or various science and social sciences fields. Students with a primary interest in art may also wish to consider the Graphic Design Concentration, an interdisciplinary concentration between the Art and ITL departments open to students of any major wishing to study the theory and production techniques pertaining to graphic images of any form.
New Media Emphasis
Students in the new media emphasis focus on how we communicate meaning through innovative contexts capitalizing on various new media, including static and multimedia web documents, digital images, and digital video and audio. Visual literacy and creative problem solving are stressed; students are asked to reflect on their consumption and critical understanding of new media content. A wide range of fields are drawn from, including graphic design, educational technology, media studies, photography, human-computer interaction, film studies, electronic publishing, project management, multimedia production. Courses from the new media emphasis include ITL 271: Preparing New Media, ITL 361: Digital Imaging, ITL 365: Digital Film, and ITL 370: Web Design and Development.
Faculty
Samuel B. Fee, Ph.D.
Charles Hannon, Ph.D.
Amanda Holland-Minkley, Ph.D.
Matthew North, Ed.D.
Resources
Course Requirements
College Catalog
For more information, contact Holland-Minkley.
