KOUT 2110 - Cloud Computing 101

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts, architecture, and services of cloud technology without requiring a technical background. We will explore the shift from physical servers to virtualized environments and examine how the cloud drives innovation in public policy and business. Students will gain hands-on experience through practical labs, learning to deploy basic infrastructure while critically analyzing the ethical, geopolitical, and economic impacts of "The Cloud." By the end of the semester, students will move from being passive users of digital services to informed architects of cloud-based solutions.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome 1: Understanding the Infrastructure Shift

• The Big Picture: Trace the evolution of computing from massive, isolated room-sized computers to the "infinite" global network of the cloud.
• The New Economy of Computing: Understand how "storage" and "computing power" became utilities—like electricity or water—that you pay for only when you use them.
• The Modern Workforce: Recognize how the job of managing IT has changed from physical hardware maintenance to "Infrastructure as Code" (managing servers using software and automation).

Learning Outcome 2: Navigating the Global Cloud Market (AWS, Azure and Google) and learning by navigating Google Cloud Platform Console

• Platform Fluency: Understand current cloud market solutions and services they provide. Gain the confidence to navigate the console of Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Real-World Use Cases: Connect cloud services to actual problems, such as hosting a website, storing massive datasets for policy research, or deploying an AI chatbot. We will discuss concrete use cases and case studies, including, wherever applicable, artificial intelligence.

Learning Outcome 3: Familiarizing yourself with the Three Phases of Cloud Growth

• Phase 1 (The Digital Copy): Learn how to move traditional computers into the cloud using Virtual Machines (digital computers) and Containers (portable software packages).
• Phase 2 (Growth & Reliability): Discover how the cloud handles "surges" (e.g., a website crashing during an election) through Auto-Scaling and ensures services stay online even when a data center fails (High Availability).
• Phase 3 (The Future - Serverless): Explore the "Serverless" model, where you focus entirely on your code or policy application while the cloud provider manages every technical detail in the background.

Professional Skills

• Cloud Architecture Guidance: Capability to provide informed advice on structuring Google Cloud resources (Projects, Folders, and Organizations) to support data governance in both public and private sectors.
• Service Selection Literacy: Capability to assist in the selection of appropriate Google Cloud services—such as Compute Engine (Virtual Machines) or BigQuery (Data Analytics)—based on specific organizational goals.
• Public Policy Digital Design: Capability to support the design of cloud-based public services by understanding the differences between Regional vs. Multi-regional deployments to meet data sovereignty needs.
• Cloud Security Foundations: Capability to explain the Shared Responsibility Model and assist in implementing basic Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Skill Badges & Certification Roadmap

Students will have the opportunity to earn digital credentials that validate these skills through the Google Cloud Skills Boost platform:

• Skill Badge: A Tour of Google Cloud Hands-on Labs: The first step in learning how to navigate the Google Cloud Console and manage basic projects.
• Skill Badge: Create and Manage Cloud Resources: A fundamental credential covering the creation of virtual machines and basic network configurations.
• Skill Badge: Perform Foundational Infrastructure Tasks: A badge focusing on storage buckets, monitoring, and networking
• Certification Preparation: Cloud Digital Leader: This course provides the foundational knowledge required for students to sit for the Cloud Digital Leader exam, a non-technical certification.

Continuous feedback in class for technical labs. Written feedback will be provided for oral presentations and final project.

• Continuous Assessment: Google Cloud Skill Badges (20%) – Students obtain 2 skills badges during the duration of the course (Skill badges are free to obtain and accessible on Google Skills Boost - Dashboard | Google Skills)
• Group Case Study: "Cloud in the Public Interest" (30%) – A 15min oral group presentation to apply technical concepts to public policy dilemmas and demonstrate "Service Selection Literacy."
• Participation & Engagement (10%): Active involvement in class discussions, peer-reviewing group projects, and sharing relevant "Cloud in the News" articles.
• The Final Project: Cloud Learning Showcase (40%) - This is the alternative to a final paper. It is a live digital portfolio where students curate their semester's work.

• Attendance: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 30 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 12 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 48 hours a semester