The Department of Computer Science and Emerging Technologies at Olivet Nazarene University was recently recognized as an outstanding local innovator in education for The Daily Journal 2020 Progress Awards. This award salutes the School while placing special emphasis on the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
Olivet’s recently reimagined Department of Computer Science and Emerging Technologies (CSET) is at the forefront of bold innovation and real-world practicality. As part of the Martin D. Walker School of Engineering and Technology, the department has expanded course concentrations and added certifications to reflect the needs of a constantly shifting industry. Professor Jeff Rice, director of the cybersecurity defense program at Olivet says, “If we don’t change every couple of years, we’re doing something wrong.” Changes include curriculum rewrites to be relevant to industry demands and friendly to prospective students looking to transfer, with an overarching emphasis on practical applications of technology.
The unique programs offered in the department include cybersecurity, software development, software entrepreneurship, networking, and data communications. The department also offers innovative elective courses including big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. A Pearson VUE exam lab is set up to allow students to take certification exams on campus. Olivet offers these certifications as value-added opportunities for students to prove their knowledge prospective employers by using industry recognizable certifications. The CSET department is also an Amazon AWS Academy, offering courses in cloud foundations, cloud architecture and cloud development. The curriculum changes also integrate the University’s cybersecurity lab, which will soon allow students to run vulnerability assessments for local organizations to measure the security strength of their network.
Thank you to The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Illinois) for recognizing Olivet’s innovation in education!
To learn more about the Walker School of Engineering and Technology and other areas of study at Olivet, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
Published 4/15/2020
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