Syllabus: CSC 578 - Cloud Systems Engineering
- Semester: Fall 2026
- Class Meeting Time: Tuesday, Thursday from 7:15PM to 8:30PM
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- The course runs from August 24, 2026 until December 07, 2026.
- The distance learning modality of the course is 100% online synchronous.
- All class materials and recorded links to the lectures will be provided via D2L.
Required Materials:
- There is no required textbook for this course. Reading materials will be made available in D2L.
- Access to a laptop or desktop computer is required for the learning activities in this course.
Resources and Accessibility:
- For general technical support, students can contact WCU IT HelpDesk at 610-436-3350 or via email: helpdesk@wcupa.edu.
- For distance education support, students can contact WCU Distance Education Services at 610-436-3373 or via email: distanceed@wcupa.edu.
- A Discord server will be created and invitation link made available inside D2L. Technical questions specific to online competition platforms used in the course can be sent via email to the instructor or posted on the Discord server.
Course Description
This course provides students with more in-depth understanding of advanced cloud computing technical concepts. Through the perspective of infrastructure-as-code and project-based learning activities, we will study how cloud computing orchestration works to enable the deployment of large-scale complex services in business and academic environments. As a graduate level course, students are expected to demonstrate a deeper critical understanding of orchestration and infrastructure-as-code, evaluating trade-offs among different platforms, and connecting practices to research and emerging technologies.
Course Student Learning Outcomes (CSLO)
- Be able to write programs that describe the deployment, installation, and configuration of complex services in the cloud.
- Be able to demonstrate understanding of -as-a-service (networking, firewall, storage).
- Be able to develop a complex infrastructure that support a full-stack set of services inside the cloud.
- Be able to critically compare orchestration and IaC platforms (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Helm) with respect to scalability, automation, and security.
- Be able to connect orchestration practices to emerging research or industry case studies, producing a synthesis that highlights future trends.
MS in CS Program Objectives (CSPO):
- Be well prepared to enter a career.
- Be able to apply their course learnings to research career in an industrial setting.
- Be exposed to the latest, cutting-edge technology.
Course Topics:
- Infrastructure for Cloud Computing
- Infrastructure as Code
- Storage as a Service
- Networking as a Service
- Load Balancing
- TLS in the Cloud
Prerequisites
- CSC 568: Cloud Computing Fundamentals
Evaluation Policy
Method of Evaluation
| Assessment | % of Final Grade | Course Objectives Assessed | Program Objectives Assessed |
| Assignments | 30% | 1,2,3 | 1 |
| Course Project | 30% | 1,2,3 | 1 |
| Quizzes | 10% | 1 | 1 |
| Exams | 30% | 1,2 | 1 |
Grade Scale:
Assessments:
Details on assessments will be made available on D2L.
- Assignments:
- Accessing and deploying cloud infrastructures based on ready-to-run templates
- Carrying out manual steps to spin up containers and manual setup services inside containers
- Writing bash scripts that automate the deployment processes
- Project: Design, implement, and deploy various services and applications inside small containers.
- Quizzes and Exams: Assessing understanding of theoretical concepts necessary to support the tasks described in the assignments and projects.
Lateness Policy:
Assignments that are late are assessed a 10% per day late penalty. Saturday and Sunday are each days.
Course Schedule
- Quizzes are typically disseminated once a week.
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