Designing Classes:
The Making of a Java Course

By Roni Bennett
Java Marketing, IBM



Objective of Java Professional Training

The purpose of the Java Professional Education program is to provide customers with the Java skills to meet their business objectives. But it takes a lot of planning to put together our classes. Our strategy for education assumes people go through the following technology learning cycle:
  • Stage 1: Gain an awareness of and interest in new technology via specialized events, e.g., Java World Tour and e-business forums
  • Stage 2: Obtain the knowledge and confidence to use the new technology
  • Stage 3: Develop a set of core technology skills
  • Stage 4: Keep up-to-date with technological advancements.
In developing our Java course, our goal was to provide customers with the skills necessary to create a first implementation of an e-business application using Java. We wanted to maximize training with a solution-oriented approach that introduced object-oriented (OO) concepts, Java technology, and e-business solutions. Therefore, it was essential to select a small, strongly motivated course development team in which everyone was focused on the same agenda. Each member of the team had to be strong in one area. We also needed a leader to carry the project through, to maintain the vision and implement the course structure.

Creating the Course

  1. Research

    The research for the our Java course was a little different from that of traditional product courses. With new technologies, customers usually have a hard time defining requirements based on past experience or on future needs. Therefore, we had to consult a variety of worldwide sources, including focus groups (customer and non-customer), technical experts, industry consultants, IBM consultants, and the IBM sales and marketing teams. The data collected from these groups was used in a Request for Information (RFI) document, which was in turn sent to seven companies who develop educational programs for Java and other Internet-related technologies. These companies in turn added their input about the development and objectives of the course. Based on all this input, we decided that upon the completion of this class, the student should be able to do the following:

    • Describe how e-business and Java work together to create a competitive advantage
    • Describe how Java delivers e-business applications
    • Understand the role of Java as a language, platform, and an enterprise integration tool in three real-world applications
    • Describe a framework for selecting a Java application pilot
    • Describe a process for building a team and for designing and developing a case for action
    • Understand how Java and the Internet increases e-business value

    The Request for Information (RFI) was developed and issued to seven companies, one of which would be chosen to develop and deliver this solution-oriented course. The reason we chose an outside company was that the demand for emerging technology classes (classes about e-business, Network Computing Framework, IBM products, etc.) far outstrips the capacity of the IBM's Education and Training (E&T) organization. Education partners help to fill that demand. The Java marketing team sponsored the course and provided the educational requirements and direction, and the IBM E&T group provided management for the selected Education Partner so that the course could be quickly developed and delivered.

  2. Development

    Java and e-business solutions are appearing at Web speed. As a result, we were faced with several challenges in developing our Java course: continual change in Java, pre-release products and technologies, unavailability and instability of new technology features, unavailability of subject matter experts, conflicting information, and legal and marketing considerations. Because Java and the Internet are "moving targets," we could not follow the normal development process; we therefore adopted an interactive approach. Following is our list of development tasks:

    • Draw up a detailed outline for the class
    • Create a template for content
    • Research content for topics
    • Configure technological environment
    • Design technology demos
    • Develop the lecture content
    • Develop case studies
    • Develop student and instructor notes
    • Create a plan for updating the instructors and course materials as necessary

    There were several course reviews conducted by the Education Partner developers, selected Java, e-business, and NCF technical experts, and the Java education team. The course reviews covered the content, the flow of the materials, the depth of the topics, the student and teacher materials, etc. Technical reviews of the course content were conducted on a weekly basis. It later became apparent that too many people were involved in the review process, and, as a result, the course was pulled in too many directions. A walk-through of the course was conducted, which brought out this problem. (As in software development, the purpose of the walk-through is to test out the course to make sure it fully meets the requirements of the customer.)

  3. Delivery

    The Java course underwent a walk-through with a focus group consisting of individuals with varied technology skill sets. A major problem was identified: The course was trying to cover too many topics: e.g., Java, NCF, e-business, network computing, etc. We lost focus on the fact that the course was supposed to be about Java. In two days one cannot become an expert in Java, NCF, e-business, Internet, and RAD (Rapid Application Development). The feedback was incorporated in the new Java course outline and content and, with several more technical reviews (using fewer reviewers), the course was ready for a second walk-through. We selected very few people (whose opinions we highly respected) to test-drive the class. Minor construction problems and flow issues that were corrected and the class was ready for students.

The End Result

Our Java class is a two-day class for technical managers, project leaders, and any Web, application, or content developer who is implementing e-business solutions using Java. The class has a split track: There is a general introduction that provides all students with information about Java as a programming language, platform, and e-business technology. The class then separates into specific tracks, allowing students to focus on the tasks related to their work. The management track focuses on tools, skills, and project plans for implementing Java applications; and the technical track analyzes the components of Java applications and project implementation plans. The overall course is centered around real-world success stories from companies that have used Java for e-business solutions or mission-critical applications. These case studies are important in building customer confidence and motivating them choose Java and e-business solutions.

Day 1: ( For Managers and Software Engineers): Choosing Java X

  • Information Technology Challenges and Java Solutions
  • Java: the Language
  • Java: The Base Platform
  • Extending the Java Platform to the Enterprise
  • Java Applied: e-business Solutions
Day 2 (For Managers): The Java Champion
  • E-business and Opportunities with Java
  • Selecting a Java Candidate
  • Creating the overachieving development team
  • Project Planning with Java
  • The Case for Action
Day 2 (for Software Engineers): The Java Architect
  • The Java Team
  • Java Design
  • Prototyping and Java Beans
  • Enterprise Development Environment
  • Java Security
Java Course Location and Price

US Course #
Managers N3104: Essentials of Java for e-business
Technical Professionals N3105: Architecting e-business Applications with Java

WW Course#
Managers IN69
Technical Professionals IN70

DELIVERY: Instructor-Led Classroom
LENGTH: 2 Days
AVAILABILITY: NOW
PRICE: $445.00





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