As the spring semester draws to a close, changes are taking place in the School of Computing and the Business/Multimedia departments at Weber State University. Classes that are currently prefixed with NTM are being changed to WEB or NET.
Network Technology and Business Multimedia, or NTM, is the department for many classes, including the Computer and Information Literacy courses. This department covers an assortment of classes specializing in networking and business technologies.
Kyle Feuz, an assistant professor of Computer Science, said the new prefixes will separate classes that support Network Management Technology from the classes that support Business/Multimedia Technologies.
Feuz said that the NTM prefix previously encompassed all classes from different programs.
“Under the new prefixes, classes directly supporting the Network Management Technology degree will have the NET prefix,” Feuz said. “While classes supporting the Business/Multimedia Technologies will have the WEB prefix.”
According to Feuz, the prefix changes were made to make better use of students’ time and efforts at WSU and to allow students to find the courses they need in an easier and more efficient format.
“The biggest change is that NTM is now part of the School of Computing,” Feuz said. “We felt that this would be a good time to create a clearer, more meaningful course prefix that future students will be able to find more easily.”
Brian Rague, Chair of the Department of Computer Science, said that he and the department are working through the change and want the transition to be smooth.
“I imagine students will get disoriented, so it needs to be carefully vetted by faculty and has to have some rationale behind it,” Rague said. “This is a fairly long and carefully made process and we want to bring to light the two different disciplines that we are trying to emphasize.”
Rague said that although it will be a slow start once students understand which classes fall under which prefix, signing up for classes will be much simpler in the long run.
Thomas Bell, Chair of the Department of Business/Multimedia Technologies, also believes the prefix change will benefit both departments.
“The terms web and user experience are more descriptive and more aligned both with job placement and the focus of existing curriculum,” Bell said. “This terminology is more in line with industry usage and is more recognizable than business multimedia.”
Students can expect to see these changes in the near future. These changes will allow students to plan their college courses so that they more effectively align with their future career choices.
Rague said that students should be patient when first trying to find these new courses.
“Exercise some patience when finding these courses. Faculty are still there so nothing has changed,” Rague said. “Programs are just like before, except we’ve decided to change some courses to have different prefixes.”
For more information on classes and on how to sign up for them, students can make an appointment to speak with an advisor.
Additional information about the Computer Science department can be found on their website. Information about the Network Technology and Business Multimedia department can be found on their website as well.
