Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS)

​T​his hands-on course or equivalent knowledge is assumed for all follow-on COMP courses in BCIT Computing Flexible Learning programs. COMP 1002 focuses on how a Personal Computer (PC) system works. Exercises reinforce best practices to use and manage a Microsoft Windows 11 PC, Students are provided with remote access to a virtual Windows 11 lab computer. Topics include: An introduction to PC hardware, functions of an operating system (OS), file and disk management, backing up and protecting data, troubleshooting, security, privacy, malware and firewalls. Networking, user management and Windows 11 configuration are also discussed. Hands-on exercises and labs include applied experience with all aspects of the course. There will be a brief comparison to Windows 10, Linux and MacOS, including practise with a Linux distribution. Attendance, participation in class and the BCIT Learning Hub are mandatory, plus there is significant homework. Participants must provide their own current PC device (Windows, Mac, or Linux, or some Chromebooks). COMP 1002 is a required course for Computer Systems Certificate (CSC) and several Associate Certificates. It is the prerequisite for COMP 1516 , COMP 1630 , COMP 1850 , and COMP 2010 . Upon successful completion, students will be able to configure, maintain and secure a Windows 11 PC in a networked environment.​​​ COMP 1002, or equivalent knowledge is the prerequisiste for all Computing Flexible Learning programs.​ This course may be eligible for students to receive funding through the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant at www.bcit.ca/financial-aid/strongerbc-future-skills-grant. Students register themselves into the course, then apply for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant to cover payment, if eligible.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Students with no prior computer programming experience are introduced to using Python to write simple programs. This hands-on introductory computer programming course is the foundation for all BCIT Computing Flexible Learning programming courses. COMP 1516 is not a Python development course, it is the first step in a series of three (3) applied programming fundamentals courses. Students must provide their own current model Windows capable PC, i5 or higher equivalent processor, 8 GB of RAM minimum, and 256 GB minimum storage. High-speed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. Topics include: Data structures, data modelling, programming constructs, lists, strings, sets and maps. Labs and exercises focus on writing code for projects, assignments, and activities. Participants will design, implement, test, and debug simple programs that incorporate: variables, expressions, assignments, I/O, conditional and iterative control constructs, functions, and parameter passing. Please Note: Attendance, participation in class and the BCIT Learning Hub are mandatory. Students may have an average total time commitment of 15 hours per week; 3 hours of class time, a 1-hour online component and 10+ hours of homework each week. COMP 1516 is required for the Applied Software Development (ASD) and the Applied Computer Information (ACIS) Associate Certificates, as well as the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC). Upon completion, successful students will have a basic understanding of computer programming and be prepared to move on to COMP 2501 –Programming Fundamentals Part 2.​
Prerequisite(s):

• COMP 1002

​This hands-on course provides an introduction to basic web technologies, including scripting with HTML5 and CSS3. COMP 1850 is the foundation for several advanced web courses in BCIT Computing. Students are shown how to hand code web pages according to W3C standards using HTML plus style text and content with CSS. In addition to learning the foundational web scripting languages, students receive an introduction to web interface design concepts. Information architecture, and basic interactivity using web forms will also be discussed. There is a brief introduction to JavaScript and the concept of the DOM (Document Object Model). Labs and exercises focus on how to build fluid layouts using CSS flexbox and grid. Students will also create mobile phone and tablet friendly websites using modern mobile-first responsive web development techniques. COMP 1850 is a required course for Web Development Fundamentals and several Associate Certificates including: Applied Web Development, AWD; Applied Computer Information Systems, ACIS; Applied Computer Applications, ACA; Technical Writing, some Business programs, as well as the Computer Systems Certificate, CSC. By the end of this course successful students will be able to design, develop, and deploy effective modern and responsive web sites. After completing COMP 1850 students are prepared to move on to the next level COMP 2132 -Web Development with JavaScript..
Prerequisite(s):

• COMP 1002

This hands-on course follows on from COMP 1002 -Applied Computer Concepts and is aimed at students who are already able to use a Windows PC and able to manage files on a network, in the cloud. Topics include essential skills for proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint using a student version of MS Office 365, hosted by BCIT. COMP 2010 includes lectures, lab exercises and assignments outside of class in MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint. Students will also receive an introduction to simple databases with MS Access and be prepared to move on to the follow-on 6-week courses offered once per year: COMP 2361 MS Word Advanced in October, and COMP 2362 MS Excel Advanced in June. COMP 2010 is required in the Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS) Associate Certificate. It is an elective in the Technical Writing Associate Certificate and the Computer Systems PTS Diploma from BCIT Computing. Upon successful completion, students will be able to create, edit and manage documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in the cloud.
Prerequisite(s):

• COMP 1002

​​​This hands-on course is aimed at BCIT Computing students who want to develop and implement an IT project plan. Students focus on Project Management best practices and decisions which apply across the IT sector including software development, building web sites and data analytics systems. COMP 1288 begins with a definition of Project Management fundamentals and terminology. Topics include: stakeholders, scope, deliverables, phases, milestones, deadlines, scheduling, estimates and budgets. Labs and exercises are designed to create project plans that identify and manage risk and take into account quality measures. There is a basic introduction to Microsoft Project software. Participants apply strategies to communicate project progress to stakeholders to keep IT projects on time and on budget. COMP 1288 is an elective in several associate certificates, including Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS) and Agile Development, and is required for the CST FLEX Diploma. Upon successful completion students will have a basic understanding of project management concepts and tools and will be able to conduct a post project evaluation. This course may be eligible for students to receive funding through the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant at www.bcit.ca/financial-aid/strongerbc-future-skills-grant. Students register themselves into the course, then apply for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant to cover payment, if eligible.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

COMP 1114 is partially discrete mathematics, partially an introduction to linear equations and assumes that students have a good understanding of Grade 12 Mathematics. The purpose of Mathematics for Computing is to give a solid foundation for follow-on technical and programming courses at BCIT. This course is divided in four parts; (1) Number systems and data representation; (2) Boolean algebra and design of logic circuits; (3) Exponential and logarithmic functions; and (4) Matrix methods in Linear algebra. COMP 1114 is equivalent to several full-time diploma courses; COMP 1113 –Applied Mathematics in Computer Systems Technology, CST; MATH 1310 -Technical Math for IT in Computer Information Technology, CIT; MATH 1320 –Mathematics for Computing in Full Stack Web Development, FSWD. Mathematics for Computing is also a required course in the Computer Systems Certificate, CSC and an elective in the Applied Computer information Systems, ACIS associate certificate. Upon successful completion of COMP 1114, students who achieve 60% may move on to the next level; COMP 2121 – Discrete Mathematics and COMP 2825- Computer Architecture.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​This intensive, hands-on course is the prerequisite for follow-on database courses in several BCIT Computing programs. Students are introduced to relational database design concepts and industry standards. COMP 1630 starts with tools and processes for data modeling in Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). Labs and exercises take place in a Windows 11 PC environment. There is also a heavy focus on the Structured Query Language (SQL) to define and manipulate data. Topics include functional dependencies, normalization, database design methodologies, entity relationship modeling and the use of UML as a diagramming notation. Advanced topics include: an introduction to SQL, DDL- data definition language and DML- data manipulation language, views, security, transaction management, triggers and stored procedures. Current trends in database such as Replication, Data Warehousing, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), using databases on the web and in the cloud are discussed. Students in are required to participate in group work, there is significant reading and assignments required outside of class. Online activities via the BCIT Learning Hub are mandatory. COMP 1630 is a required course for the Applied Database Administration and Design (ADAD) Associate Certificate; the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC) and the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC). It is also equivalent to the Full-time COMP 2714 and ACIT 1630 database courses. Upon successful completion, participants will be able to design and implement a database application and be prepared to move on to higher level database courses including: COMP 3677 Introduction to MS Server Administration Part 1, COMP 3678 SQL Server Development; COMP 3679 Business Intelligence (BI) Tools, and COMP 3839 Data Quality Improvement. This course may be eligible for students to receive funding through the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant at www.bcit.ca/financial-aid/strongerbc-future-skills-grant. Students register themselves into the course, then apply for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant to cover payment, if eligible.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 1002

​Power BI is a Microsoft collection of tools and an analytics service for data visualization and business intelligence reporting. BCIT Computing offers a series of MS Power Bi courses. COMP 2156 is a hands-on intro course designed for database professionals, data analysts, business analysts and managers. It follows on from COMP 2362 or COMP 2364, it assumes that students have an understanding of statistics for data analysis and advanced functions of MS Excel. Students begin with a brief introduction to the building blocks of Microsoft Power BI and its related services. They are shown how to get a variety of data into the Power BI Desktop from multiple sources. In class labs and exercises focus on how to model, explore, clean and transform simple data for business reports. Topics include: Data Analysis Expressions, DAX, relationships and Data Visualization. Labs and assignments are designed to provide best practices that can be transferred to the workplace. Participants must provide their own current model PC capable of running Windows 10 and MS Excel, with an i5 or higher equivalent processor, 8 GB minimum RAM, and 256 GB minimum storage. High-speed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. COMP 2156 is an elective in several BCIT Computing credentials including the CST Diploma (FLEX), and a required course in the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC). By the end of this course successful students will be able use the Power BI unified analytics platform to build and publish high quality dashboards to the web. They will be prepared to move on to the next level COMP 3156 –MS Power BI Optimization and COMP 3157–MS Power BI Advanced Data Visualization.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 2362 or 60% in COMP 2364

​Crystal Reports by SAP is a low-code well established reporting solution used to create reports and dashboards from a wide variety of data sources, with minimal coding for Business Intelligence (BI). Students who know how to use a Windows PC and MS Office are introduced to planning and developing business intelligence reports. COMP 2252 participants will create dynamic reports and dashboards. Labs and exercises apply best practices in: report design, how to extract and manipulate data, and display information in custom formats from many sources. COMP 2252 is an elective in Applied Computer Applications (ACA); Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS); Applied Database Administration and Design (ADAD) Associate Certificates, as well as the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC) and the Computer Systems Technology (CST FLEX) Diploma. Please note: This course will be offered in the January (Winter) or September (Fall) terms. By the end of this course, successful students will be able to use Crystal Reports to display and analyze data visually for BI and to make actionable decisions.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 2010 or 60% in COMP 2364

​This hands-on course is designed for database professionals, data analysts, business analysts and managers, who want to analyze and visualize data from a variety of sources. Students begin with a foundation in data visualization techniques and principles. Effective data analysis techniques, and industry standard best practices are discussed. Through hands-on labs, assignments, projects and group work, participants learn how to build insightful and interactive dashboards. Participants learn to present compelling visuals via lab exercises and assignments. Tableau dashboard performance considerations are discussed. Students registered in COMP 2256 will receive a student license for Tableau software for their home machines for the duration of the course and have access to a Tableau subject matter expert with industry experience. This course is an elective in five School of Computing and Academic Studies credential programs; Computer Systems Technology Diploma (CST/PTS), Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS), Applied Computer Applications (ACA), Applied Database Administration and Design (ADAD) and Technical Writing. COMP 2256 is a requirement for the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC). A project presentation is required and designed to help the students become better communicators. By the end of this course successful participants will be able to produce highly interactive graphs, reports and dashboards that access and visualize data from a multiple sources. We recommend that students working toward a Computing credential complete COMP 1630 first.
Prerequisite(s):

• COMP 1002

​This instructor lead, hands-on course continues on from COMP 2010. Students must have prior knowledge and skills at using the basic and intermediate features of MS Word before starting this Advanced MS Word course. Participants start at an intermediate level and progress to expert in just 6 lessons while practicing how to manage a variety of documents. COMP 2361 focuses on the best practices, time saving techniques and how to use MS Word to create professional documents. Lectures, lab exercises in class and assignments outside of class are used for an applied learning experience. Advanced topics include: automating a table of contents; building an index; tracking changes; mail merging; developing templates and forms; automating tasks with building blocks and macros. COMP 2361 is an elective in Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS) Associate Certificate. By the end of this course, successful students will be expert end users of MS Word. COMP 2361 will only be offered once per year in the April (spring) term.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 2010

​​This instructor lead, hands-on course continues on from COMP 2010. Students must have prior knowledge and skills at using the basic and intermediate features of MS Excel before starting this Advanced MS Excel course. Participants start at an intermediate level and progress to expert in just 6 lessons while practicing how to create and manage a variety of meaningful spreadsheets. COMP 2362 focuses on the best practices, time saving techniques and how to use MS Excel to create to analyze, communicate and manage information. Lectures, lab exercises in class and assignments outside of class are used for an applied learning experience. Advanced topics include: consolidating data in multiple worksheets templates, dealing with error messages, solver and basic macros. Students who have not completed COMP 2010 should know subtotalling, pivot tables and pivot charts. Participants progress from intermediate to expert in just 6 weeks. This course is an elective in the Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS) Associate Certificate from BCIT Computing. By the end of this course, successful participants will be expert end users of MS Excel. This course is offered once a year in the Spring (April) term.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 2010

​​Following on from COMP 2156 , and parallel to COMP 3157, this hands-on advanced course was designed for Business Intelligence and Data Analysts. Students who already know how to use Power BI to build and publish reports begin with an in-depth introduction to Star Schema and its relevance to optimal Power BI data modeling. COMP 3156 in-class labs and exercises focus on specific strategies to optimize large complex Power BI data models and how to leverage Power BI Service in the cloud for fast performing reports. Topics include relational data modeling in Power BI, Designing Import, DirectQuery, and Composite Data Models. There is also an in-depth explanation of Power BI Service Performance Monitoring. Tabular Editor and DAX Studio are also discussed. Labs and assignments include managing security permissions, data visibility based on role as and leveraging specialized third-party tools. Tabular Editor and DAX Studio are used to monitor and evaluate data model performance. Participants must provide their own current model PC capable of running Windows 11 and MS Excel, with an i5 or higher equivalent processor, 8 GB minimum RAM, and 256 GB minimum storage. High-speed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. COMP 3156 is an elective in several BCIT Computing credentials including the CST Diploma (FLEX), and the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC). By the end of this course, successful students will be able to build advanced, optimized data models and use the Power BI Service cloud environment.​ This course will be offered in the Winter (January) and Spring (April) terms.
Prerequisite(s):

• 60% in COMP 2156

This communication course teaches practical business communication techniques for planning, organizing, selecting, writing, and presenting information in business or industry. It covers routine memos, letters, request and reply letters, and oral presentations. NOTE: Students do not need to submit transcripts for entrance to this course. BUT, in the case of formal or informal grade appeals or reviews they will be asked to show proof of their English requirements. Students scoring below "C+" in English 12 should take COMM 1106 instead of COMM 1103. Students who wish to confirm their English level are strongly advised to take COMM 0015. This course may be eligible for students to receive funding through the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant at www.bcit.ca/financial-aid/strongerbc-future-skills-grant. Students register themselves into the course, then apply for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant to cover payment, if eligible.
Prerequisite(s):

• English Studies 12 "67%" (C+) or equivalent (ie: COMM 0015 "70+" or IELTS Academic 6.5, etc.)

This communication course is designed for students needing additional assistance in meeting the language standards of a credit introductory business and technical Communication course. It teaches practical business communication techniques for planning, organizing, selecting, writing, and presenting information in business or industry. It covers the same content as COMM 1103, but has additional English language support and communication development. NOTE: Students do not need to submit transcripts for entrance to this course. BUT, in the case of formal or informal grade appeals or reviews they will be asked to show proof of their English requirements. Students who wish to confirm their English level are strongly advised to take COMM 0015.
Prerequisite(s):

• English Studies 12 "50%" (PASS) or equivalent (ie: COMM 0015 "50+" or IELTS Academic 6.0, etc.)