EGN 101 is the introductory computer engineering course at Atlantis University. It establishes the foundations every CE / IT student needs before specializing: what algorithms are and how to design them, how computers represent and process information at the binary level, how the Von Neumann architecture works and how assembly programs run on it, what an operating system does and how to use one from the command line, what high-level programming is and how to write a real working program, how computer networks work end-to-end, what databases and AI/ML actually are at the technical level, and what computing's role in society demands of the engineers who build it.
The course is structured as a single 8-week vertical climb up the computing stack — from the hardware level (gates and circuits) through the architecture level (CPU and memory), the systems level (operating systems and networks), the programming level (Python and SQL), the data level (databases and machine learning), and finally the social level (ethics, responsibility, the engineer's role). Every week is anchored to a hands-on project that builds the student's competence with real tools used in practice. By the end of the course, students have direct exposure to draw.io, CircuitVerse, the Little Man Computer simulator, the Linux command line, Python, browser DevTools, Wireshark, and SQLite — none of which require any paid license.
A defining feature of EGN 101 is the explicit integration of generative AI throughout the learning process. Students apply AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) every week to algorithm design, Boolean logic verification, assembly debugging, command-line help, code generation, network concept validation, and SQL writing — and they critically evaluate every AI output against authoritative sources and against actual measured behavior. The course produces graduates who understand the foundations of computing AND who can use AI as a productivity tool without losing their own judgment.
- Teacher: Cullen Bass