Smart cars, smart people, smart program

First-year offering will prepare students for careers in rapidly growing connected vehicle industry

It’s clear that our new world of smart cars and smart phones will require a lot of smart people to service them. That’s where Washtenaw Community College comes in.

In response to rapidly-changing workplace demands in the computer technology industry, particularly in intelligent transportation systems, the Computer Instruction department of the Business and Computer Technologies division at WCC has added a C# (pronounced “C sharp”) Programming for Modern Computing certificate for the 2015-16 academic year.

“C# programming is one of the key aspects of WCC’s strategy to prepare students for careers related to the rapidly growing industries of connected vehicles and computing mobility,” said Dr. Kimberly M. Hurns, dean of Business and Computer Technologies.

Those blind spot detectors in your car? That rear-view camera system? Parking assistance? The technology that helps prevent collisions and better manage traffic patterns? It’s all possible due to C#, which is a hybrid of two popular programming languages C and C++ and is a programming language on the Microsoft platform.

“C# is a programming language for embedded systems like Fitbits, smartphones and other electronic devices,” Hurns said. “There are so many small computers that we use in our every-day lives that we take for granted. People must be able to understand and program the hardware piece required of these devices, using the C# language.”

The program will contain a combination of traditional classroom learning, hands-on training, and experimental learning while providing students with the option of transferring to a four-year program. The first course (CPS 171: Introduction to Programming with C++) will be offered this fall.

The C# program is one of several new programs that will be part of WCC’s new Advanced Transportation Center (ATC). The center helps to prepare students for careers in the latest advanced transportation technologies.

“With the rapid growth of computerized electronic controls in almost all transportation systems, the WCC C# Certificate Program will be an important competency builder for aspiring information technology computer programmers in their career preparation,” said ATC Director Al Lecz.

“Consumers are demanding this sophisticated technology and the automotive companies are responding,” Lecz continued.

“What employers are requesting are IT professionals in the Intelligent Transportation field to be able to write effective and efficient programming code to manage connected vehicle and roadside equipment. The C# program will provide these skills and assure that our students are job ready when they graduate.”

In addition to C#, the Business and Computer Technologies division offers two other programming languages: Java and C++.

Hurns added that this new program is a push toward closing the skills gap and preparing future skilled professionals.

This new program, she said, is designed to ensure that WCC students are prepared for tomorrow’s workplace demands.

“We want to make sure we’ve got our eye on the ball in regard to what’s changing in the industry,” she said.


C# Programming for Modern  Computing Certificate (CT)

18 credit hours
Business and Computer Technologies Division  Computer Instruction Department

Description: This program focuses on one of today’s most in-demand programming platforms: C#.Net. Students will progress through a series of courses starting with basic computing logic and algorithm development, database theory and object-oriented programming techniques. The program culminates in a hands-on capstone project targeting the creation of an application for modern embedded computing environments. The skills learned in this pro-gram will be adaptable to the development of connected vehicle applications and intelligent transportation systems, as well as applications for mobile, infotainment, desktop and Internet devices. Prior knowledge of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), networking fundamentals, client/server architecture, and basic electricity/electronics is recommended. Suggested courses include:  ELE 111 Electrical Fundamentals; ELE 211 Basic Electronics; CST 225 PC Networking and WEB 110 Web Development I.

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