MS Office is the standard for almost all corporate, government, and military environments, making a working knowledge of the MS Office products a valuable skill and often even a job prerequisite. This course will focus on the requirements to pass the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. These are the basic skills sought by employers, and they will also provide a strong foundation for Microsoft certification exams. Students will learn Level 1 in both Word and Excel. Level 2 will be covered in MS Office Applications II. After completing this course, students whould be well prepared to take the Specialist level exams in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Students will be required to have MS Word 2010, MS Excel 2010, and MS PowerPoint 2010 (earlier versions of these applications will not suffice).  This course is specifically for PC users.  If you have a Mac, you will need to obtain the PC version of MS Office 2010, which will require software to allow the Mac to emulate a PC.  (Click here for more information regarding the required software and text.) This class will be smaller that the average TPS class in order to provide individual assistance during class time. 

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P	Mon	10:00 pm	-	11:30 pm	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 2 (2011 Overseas) P	Tue	6:30 pm	-	8:00 pm	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 3 (2011) P	Wed	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 4 (2011) P	Wed	3:00 pm	-	4:30 pm	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 5 (2011) P	Fri	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Bob Madison

This course is a continuation of MS Office Applications I. Students will complete the requirements to pass the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams in Word and Excel (Expert Level) by covering Level 2 of Word and Excel. Students will also learn the Level 1 objectives of the database application of Microsoft Access. Advanced skills include creating and modifying macros, as well as integration with Microsoft products. Required Software: Microsoft Office 2010 with Word, Excel, and Access OR the individual applications of Word 2010, Excel 2010, and Access 2010. (Earlier versions will not suffice. Please check your software carefully for Access, as the student/teacher package does not include Access.)  This course is specifically for PC users.  If you have a Mac, you will need to get the PC version of MS Office 2010 and the software that allows the Mac to emulate a PC.  (Click here for more information on this course regarding the required software and texts.) This class will be smaller that the average TPS class in order to provide individual assistance during class time.

Section 1 (2011) P	Mon	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 2 (2011) P	Tue	4:45 pm	-	6:15 pm	Closed	Bob Madison

This course is the final course in the Microsoft Office series. Access Level 2, Publisher, and OneNote are the topics of this class. Students will need to have Office 2010 Professional. The course will begin with Access Level 2. After completing the Access portion of the course, students will have used the necessary skills to sit for the Microsoft Specialist (MOS) exam in Access. We'll next cover Publisher, the most underrated of all of the Microsoft Office applications, and we'll end the course with the outstanding application, OneNote. Most people are amazed at what Publisher and OneNote can do. Required Software: Microsoft Office 2010 with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, OneNote and Publisher. Earlier versions will not suffice. Check your software carefully for Access as the student/teacher package does not include Access. Click here for more information.

Section 1 (2011) P

Mon

1:15 pm

-

2:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

This intensive one-semester course will introduce students to the world of databases and give them working knowledge of relational databases and the importance and uses of databases in business, government, and education.  Upon successful completion of this course, students will have covered all of the topics tested on the Microsoft Office Specialist Exam in Access 2010.  For course material requirements and more specific information, click here. In order to provide maximum individualized assistance during class time, this class will be limited to fewer students.

Section 1 (2011) P

Fri

1:15 pm

-

2:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

See course description for Microsoft Access (1st Sem).

Section 1 (2011) P

Wed

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Bob Madison

Section 1 (2011) P

Wed

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Bob Madison

See course description for Microsoft Excel (1st Sem).

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P

Mon

8:15 pm

-

9:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P

Mon

8:15 pm

-

9:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

Please see course description for Microsoft Word (1st Sem).

Section 1 (2011) P

Fri

1:15 pm

-

2:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

Section 1 (2011) P	Tue	1:15 pm	-	2:45 pm	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 2 (2011 Overseas) P	Thu	8:15 pm	-	9:45 pm	Closed	Bob Madison

Section 1 (2011) P	Thu	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Bob Madison
Section 2 (2011) P	Thu	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Bob Madison

Section 1 (2011)	Mon	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Kris Zehm
Section 2 (2011)	Tue	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Kris Zehm
Section 3 (2011)	Fri	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Kris Zehm

Section 1 (2011)	Tue	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Kris Zehm
Section 2 (2011)	Wed	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Kris Zehm

Section 1 (2011) P	Mon	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Kris Zehm
Section 2 (2011)	Thu	1:15 pm	-	2:45 pm	Closed	Kris Zehm

This introductory course will take students who have no previous CADD experience and give them exposure to the tools used by leading designers. The course will teach students how to design houses and other buildings using a format called “Building Information Modeling” (BIM).  As a project in the second semester, the students will have the opportunity to design their dream home.  Prospective students should have an understanding of algebra and geometry. The software used in this course, AutoCAD Architecture, is the leading software programs used by architects. A student version of the program can be downloaded from the internet at no cost.  Click here for more information.

Section 1 (2011) P	Mon	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Maury Middleton
Section 2 (2011) P	Tue	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Maury Middleton

This introductory course will take students who have no previous CADD experience and give them exposure to the tools used by leading designers. The course will progress from making rough sketches, to defining all the geometry in the sketches and converting them to 3D solid models. Multiple parts will be assembled into a project.  From here students will progress into animation and visualization for engineering analysis.  As part of the course, students will work on recapturing aspects of the engine design developed by John Ericson and used in the USS Monitor, the Civil War ironclad that changed the course of naval warfare.  Prospective students should have an understanding of algebra and geometry. The software used in this course, Autodesk Inventor, is one of the premier parametric modeling CADD software programs used in automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding and industrial design. A student version of the software can be downloaded from the internet at no cost. Click here for more information.

Section 1 (2011) P	Mon	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Maury Middleton
Section 2 (2011) P	Tue	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Maury Middleton

This course builds on the basic course and introduces the students to many engineering features.   The students will begin with an understanding of vectors to determine velocities, accelerations and forces inside the sketcher.  The students will then progress from simple to complex assemblies that can be animated through the Dynamic Simulation Workbench.  Here, the students will learn how to analyze forces, velocities and accelerations on components.  The forces will be imported into a Finite Element Analysis workbench where the students will analyze how the design will work.  In addition, the students will learn the marketing aspect of their design by using the Inventor Studio.  Prospective students should have completed the first course and have an understanding of algebra and geometry. The software used in this course, Autodesk Inventor, is one of the premier parametric modeling CADD software programs used in automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding and industrial design. A student version of the software can be downloaded from the internet at no cost. Click here for more information.

Section 1 (2011) P

Mon

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Maury Middleton

Web design is an exciting confluence of techniques and technologies that enable a designer to bring a rich internet experience to users.  This Web Design 1 course is the first in a unique, multi-year Web Design track and is designed to introduce students to the fundamental techniques and technologies involved in creating attractive and effective web pages.  Students in this course will learn the basic elements of web page structure (HTML markup), style (Cascading Style Sheets), and behavior (JavaScript). Web forms (interactive web pages) are introduced together with the client-server paradigm.  The TPS web development server, on which students are given accounts, facilitates CGI scripting in Python, allowing the student to build dynamic web pages, responding to user data and navigation requests from web forms and navigation.  In order to complete this aspect of the course, students will be introduced to the Python programming language to the extent necessary to build basic CGI scripts.  Upon successful completion of this course, students will be capable of developing a fully functional web site and be adequately prepared for TPS Web Design 2.

Section 1 (2011 Overseas)

Thu

8:15 pm

-

9:45 pm

Closed

Mark Connor

This second course in the TPS web design track expands and builds on the topics introduced in Web Design 1.  Students will be introduced to the MySQL database management system (DBMS) and learn fundamental Structured Query Language (SQL) to interface with the DBMS.  Then students will learn to program Python to utilize SQL and interact with MySQL database files.  JavaScript will be formally taught from primitive variables through Object-Oriented code design, facilitating student's learning of many new JavaScript techniques, from custom pop-ups to animation to manipulating style sheets.  As Regular Expressions in JavaScript are introduced, students will be able to improve their form validation techniques significantly.  Images, their formats, and optimization schemes will be discussed together with common software tools used for image manipulation, like Adobe Photoshop and Fireworks.  Once students in this course are introduced to jQuery, a cross-browser compatible JavaScript framework, they will be able to easily manipulate the Document Object Model and add web effects.  Asynchronous JavaScript and XML will be introduced, allowing the web page to maintain its own state and retrieve information/HTML from the server without ever submitting the web form.  If time permits, a brief introduction to HTML 5 web design concepts will be provided.  Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to create professional-looking, fully functional web sites, integrating the latest JavaScript techniques and database interactions.

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P

Mon

8:15 pm

-

9:45 pm

Closed

Mark Connor

Python is a complete object-oriented programming language, quickly becoming the language of choice for many companies.  Python is free, ubiquitous, and combines the best characteristics of compiled and scripting languages, such as being easily coded and maintained, yet fast.  In this introductory course, students will learn the language syntax, how to write code, how to code an object-oriented design, and how to solve a variety of real world problems with Python and utilize design patterns, such as a Singleton.  Students will also be introduced to multithreaded coding development  and techniques in inter-process communication, such as the use of FIFOs, queues, and files.  Creating Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) with Tcl will be explored and, if time permits, CGI scripting with Python for web servers, and network programming with sockets.  Upon successful completion of this course, students will have coding experience, have mastered many aspects of coding with Python to solve real-world problems, and be able to take this skill and employ it in to other courses, such as math, physics, and web design.

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P	Tue	8:15 pm	-	9:45 pm	Closed	Mark Connor
Section 2 (2011 Overseas) P	Wed	8:15 pm	-	9:45 pm	Closed	Mark Connor

This level one programming course will guide students on a detailed introduction to object-oriented programming in the Java language. Students will develop skills in the complete process of programming including: requirements analysis, prototyping, development, and testing. This course will teach basic programming structure, e.g., conditionals, loops, and subroutines; object oriented design, e.g., encapsulation and extensibility; object oriented programming, e.g., classes, objects, methods, and messages; some data structures, file handling, exceptions, and other subjects as time permits. Students will be encouraged to solve real-world problems through assigned programming exercises, designed to inspire creativity.  The text for this course is Java for Programmers, by Deitel, Paul and Harvey Deitel.

Section 1 (2011)

Fri

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Rich Yonts

This level one programming course will guide students on a detailed introduction to object-oriented programming in the C++ language. Students will develop skills all aspects of programming, including: requirements analysis, prototyping, development, and testing. This course will teach basic programming structure, e.g., conditionals, loops, and subroutines; object oriented design, e.g., encapsulation and extensibility; object oriented programming, e.g., classes, objects, methods, and messages; some data structures, file handling, exceptions, and other subjects as time permits. Students will be encouraged to solve real-world problems through assigned programming exercises, designed to inspire creativity.  The text for this course is C++ for Programmers, by Deitel, Paul and Harvey Deitel.

Section 1 (2011)	Thu	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Rich Yonts
Section 2 (2011)	Mon	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Rich Yonts

This course will guide students through a detailed introduction to programming on the Linux platform.  Linux is a popular and free operating system that is used and supported by many universities, businesses, and individuals.  Computer Programming in Linux will cover the basics of application programming using the Linux model, choosing the best tools to solve particular problems.  The course will focus on shell programming, Linux file system and kernel services, telecommunications, memory management, debugging, and scripting.  Many available tools such as sed, grep, regular expressions, gcc, gdb, and more will be introduced and used.  Programming exercises will be done in the bash shell, C programming, and Perl scripting languages.  The text for this course is Beginning Linux Programming, by Matthew, Neil and Richard Stones.

Section 1 (2011)

Mon

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Rich Yonts

NEW! This course is a continuation of Computer Programming in Visual Basic 1. In the course, students will enhance their programming skills with more complex problems beginning with creating their own version of the popular Minesweeper game. This project will incorporate algorithm design and module programming techniques. The project will be created in stages with programming testing modules throughout the development of the game. After completing the Minesweeper project, students will suggest projects to complete during the remainder of the course. God gave man the intellectual ability to create incredible programs to run computers for work and play. The class will be limited to eight students in order to provide as much one-on-one attention as possible. This course will provide a continuation of showing the infinite capacity of the power of programming. Students will need Visual Basic 2010 Express (free download) or Visual Studio 2010 Professional. Click here for more information.

Section 1 (2011) P

Wed

1:15 pm

-

2:45 pm

Closed

Bob Madison

NEW! Computer Programming in Game Development is for the student that has some experience with Python and is interested in developing 3D computer games. No prior game development experience is necessary. This course is for both PC and Mac platforms. Computer Programming in Game Development will be taught through the Python language with the module Pygame.  PyOpenGL will also be integrated.  Nevertheless, the ideas presented will be, in general, applicable to other languages. Pygame is a Python application that binds the Python language to the game creation library called Simple DirectMedia Layer, or SDL. SDL handles the lower level tasks of interfacing with the specific video, sound, and input devices across various platforms. SDL also works seamlessly with Open Graphics Library, called OpenGL (via the Python binding PyOpenGL). OpenGL is a cross-platform application programming interface (API) permitting applications to write both 2D and 3D computer graphics. More specifically, OpenGL offers over 250 function calls used to draw complex 3D scenes from simple geometric primitives. These function calls interact with the graphics processor on your video card through the drivers supplied by the video card manufacturer. As a student in this class, these will be your tools. You will spend your time programming Python and learning to call Pygame functions to build your scene. Major topics you will learn include: Introduction to Pygame; Creating visuals; frame rate and exploring vectors; keyboard, mouse, and joystick control; exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and implementing state machines; Matrices and OpenGL; and working with textures and models.

Section 1 (2011 Overseas) P

Wed

8:15 pm

-

9:45 pm

Closed

Mark Connor

NEW! This course will guide students through a detailed introduction to developing databases using techniques such as entity-relation modeling and normalization and how to use SQL to create, add, modify, and delete data in database tables.  Almost all businesses and educational institutions use relational databases making this course relevant to real world practice.  Students will learn simple to sophisticated ways to query particular data from databases, selectively sort and group the data, produce meaningful relationships between multiple tables of information, nested queries, restricting or rearranging the perception of data by using views, aggregation and mathematical manipulation of data, stored procedures and triggers, and various other means to determine specific answers from collections of related data.  Various programming languages using a database will be demonstrated, showcasing C, Java, and PHP.  Programming exercises will solidify understanding and use of the techniques.  The text for this course is Beginning MySQL, by Sheldon, Robert and Geoff Moes, published by Wrox.

Section 1 (2011)

Wed

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Rich Yonts