Information Technology Essentials
A broad introduction to information technology aimed at students with little or no computer background. The course from MIT's Sloan School of Management covers hardware and operating systems, networks and distributed computing, the World Wide Web, software development tools and processes, relational databases, security and cryptography, enterprise applications, and electronic commerce. Hands-on components give students practical exposure to web development, database systems, and graphical user interface tools, connecting theory to actual system building. As an MIT OpenCourseWare offering, the course provides lecture materials, assignments, and readings free of charge, with no certificate attached. It suits learners preparing for further study in computing or those who need functional literacy in the technologies that underlie modern business information systems.