Does anyone know what exactly is taught in this course?
If it's anything like 3DQ5, what kind of software/hardware is used?

You will do some Verilog, but most of the course is C based, so it's much easier to understand (IMHO). You'll still be using Quartus and the DE2 boards, although with more interesting peripherals (touchpad, camera...) Labs and takehomes will take a lot of time, as in DQ, but luckily there is no project. I found the assignments were really more about developing your coding and algorithm skills rather than diving into the hardware too deeply.