OCW2 Computer Science and IT - Version 1

This is the second (the first is OCW2 Maths) of a series of academic subjects being developed for the OCW2 project. Comments and suggestions are welcome - even if you have no particular interest in Computer Science and IT your comments on form and structure would be of value in developing OCW2 material for other academic areas.

Note that a "linear" rather than a "book" version of all, or some pages, can be obtained by clicking on Printer-friendly version. There is also an e-book version with clickable links but no embedded video.

What is Computer Science and Information Technology?

The terms, "Computer Science" and "Information Technology" tend to be used rather loosely. Computer Science in its purest form is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation but it is often taken to include large parts of Information Technology (IT) more concerned with the design and development of computer-based information systems. "OCW2 Computer Science and IT" aims to cover both of these areas, focusing on the fundamentals as taught by universities and colleges at degree level rather than "tips and tricks" for particular programming languages or specific software or hardware implementations. However, basic principles are best illustrated by practical examples and this is certainly true for the Open Courseware that we recommend.

Computer Science

This is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that describe and transform information.

Computer science has many sub-fields and some, such as computer graphics, emphasize the computation of specific results, while others, such as computational complexity theory, study the properties of computational problems. Still others focus on the challenges in implementing computations. For example, programming language theory studies approaches to describing computations, while computer programming applies specific programming languages to solve specific computational problems and human-computer interaction focuses on the challenges in making computers and computations useful, usable, and universally accessible to people.

The general public sometimes confuses computer science with vocational areas that deal with computers or think that it relates directly to their own experience of computer activities such as gaming, web-browsing, and word-processing. However, the focus of computer science is more on understanding the properties of the programs used to implement software and using that understanding to create new programs or improve existing ones.

- Based on Computer Science in Wikipedia
 

Information Technology

Information Technology (IT) is the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Today, the term information technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. IT professionals may be involved in data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design as well as the management and administration of entire systems.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.

- Based on Information Technology in Wikipedia