Corporate and academic curricula integration @II.EDU.MK

Anastas MisevInstitute of Informatics

Faculty of Natural Sciences and MathematicsUniversity “Ss Cyril and Methodius”

Skopje, Macedonia

The possibilities

• More corporate curricula available

• Universal and worldwide availability

• Better workforce development

• “Closing the digital divide”

Corporate curricula examples

• SUN Academic Initiative

• CISCO Networking Academies

• Microsoft IT Academies

• …

SUN Academic Initiative

• Oriented towards SUN technologies

• Covering both HW and SW

• Most useful for Java training

• More details in last years’ WS presentation

CISCO Networking Academy• “Comprehensive e-learning program that provides

students with the Internet technology skills”• Launched in October 1997 with 64 educational

institutions in seven states• Today: more than 150 countries, over 1.6 million

students have enrolled at more than 10,000 Academies located in high schools, technical schools, colleges, universities, and community-based organizations.

• Standardized curricula– http://standards.netacad-currdev.net/home/default.asp

The CCNA model• http://cisco.netacad.net• Training the trainers• 3 levels CATC

Regional Regional

Local Local Local Local Local

GLN• Blended learning environment

– Rich Media, promoting broad, media-intensive curricula for text, video, audio, interactive, and animated content, all of which address multiple learning styles and needs

– Course materials and assessments done on-line– Practical, hands-on exercises done on actual equipment at labs – Simulators and remote labs for practicing when equipment not

available– Personalized Feedback, providing students and instructors with

information on each student's progress and proficiency level • Prerequisites

– Institution with accredited curricula– PC or MAC lab– Internet connection

Courses and partners

• CCNA 1-4 (280h)– Basic networking courses– Suitable for high schools, universities

• CCNP 1-4 (280h)– Advanced networking– Technical university level

Courses and partners (2)• Fundamentals of Network Security (70h)

– Suitable for specialized high schools, universities (especially short 2-3 year studies)

• Fundamentals of Wireless LANs (70h)– Suitable for specialized high schools, universities

Courses and partners (3)• HP IT Essentials I: PC Hardware and

Software (70h)– Partnership with HP– Suitable for high school, non CS/CE universities

• HP IT Essentials II: Network Operating Systems (70h)– Partnership with HP– Suitable for specialized high schools, universities

(especially short 2-3 year studies)

Courses and partners (4)• Fundamentals of Java Programming (70h)

– Partnership with SUN– Terminating by 01.06.2006– Suitable for universities

• Fundamentals of UNIX (70h)– Suitable for specialized high schools, universities

(especially short 2-3 year studies)

Courses and partners (5)• Fundamentals of Web Design (70h)

– Partnership with Adobe Systems– Terminating by 01.06.2006– Suitable for high schools, non CS/CE universities

• Panduit Network Infrastructure Essentials – Partnership with Panduit– Suitable for technical high schools

131313© 2001, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.Presentation_ID

Curricula Offerings 2005

High School

Career

CareerUniversity

College

Fundamentals Courses

ITE 2

HP

UNIX

Sun

JAVA

Sun

NIE

Panduit

ITE 1

HP

3 Switching

1 Basics

4 WAN

2 Routing

CCNA

CCNP

3 Multilayer Switching

2 Remote Access

4 Trouble

Shooting

1 Advanced Routing

Wireless

Security

Career

Network Installer

Basic IT Support

System Admin

Software support / dev

SMB Networking

Enterprise Networking

1120 Hours of learning

Academy Curricula and Certifications

IT Essentials I & IICCNA 1&2

WirelessCCNA 3&4

SecurityCCNP 1

CCNP 2CCNP 3CCNP 4

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Secondary Schools, Colleges, University

Higher Education

Higher Education, Technical University

BSCI

Comptia A+ PC Hardware & Operating Systems

ICND Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Exam

CCNA Cisco Certified Network AssociateCWNA Certified Wireless Network AdministratorCFSS+ Cisco Firewall Specialist & Security +

CFSS+

CCNA

CWNA

ICND

Comptia A+

BSCI Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks

BCMSN Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks

BCRAN Building Cisco Remote Access Networks

CIT Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting support

BCMSN

BCRAN

CIT

Microsoft IT Academies• Designed to allow accredited academic

institutions to deliver to students a premium education on the latest Microsoft technologies

• Prepares students for academic education tracks, rigorous Microsoft certification exams, and for career opportunities as IT professionals

Academy curricula• Designed around Microsoft Software

– Operating System Software– Developer Software– Server Software– Productivity Software

• Requires yearly membership fees• Depending on the model, instructors training

can be free• Benefits in software licensing

Academy Levels• IT Pro Plus

– designed to provide complete workforce development resources to institutes offering career development from the desktop to the IT professional for degrees or certifications: IT Pro (MCP) and Microsoft Office Specialist certification.

• IT Pro– designed to provide workforce development resources to

institutes offering career development in the IT profession for degrees or certifications: IT Pro (MCP) only

• Office Specialist– designed to provide benefits toward Microsoft Office

Specialist certification. This level does NOT include IT Pro (MCP) benefits.

Levels of integration• Loose integration

– Offering the courseware as additional, non required course material

– Left to the students to choose

• Strong integration– Offering the courses in the integral part as the whole or

including the courses in the integral part as parts of other academic courses

• Independent offering of the courses out of the curricula– Open for students, but also for general public

Integration@II: SUN

• Loose integration– Offered as supplement to the students of

the courses:• Programming languages• Data structures and algorithms• Internet technologies (partly)

Integration@II: CISCO• Strong integration

– The students of the courses:• Computer networks• Computer networks design

are offered an option to take the course according to the CCNA program

• Independent offering of the courses to the general public

• The new curricula will add two more courses from the 3 year studies to the list:

• Wireless networks • Wireless and mobile technologies

which will be accompanied with the Wireless LANs

Integration@II: Microsoft

• In the process of establishment

• Possible integration– Strong for the subjects

• System software (partly)• Networking operating systems (partly)

– Independent offering as additional courses to the students, but also to the general public

Experience@II• Very positive!!!• Example: CISCO

– When offered as option, all the students choose to take CISCO curricula

– Small fee charged, covering only the material expenses (manuals, cables, connectors,…)

– Very high attendance, especially the labs

Experience@II (cont.)• Three models used so far

– The first one (used with the first generation)• Computer Networks given by our curricula• CCNA 1 and 2 covered the whole course in Computer Networks

Design– The second one

• Computer Networks given by our curricula• Computer Networks Design covered mostly by CCNA 1 and 2, but with

additional course material– The third one

• Computer Networks given as combination of CCNA1 and our curricula • Computer Networks Design (will be given this year) as combination of

CCNA 2 and 3, with additional course material• CCNA courses not included in the curricula offered as

additional independent courses

Final thoughts

• Positive experience so far

• Positive feedback from the industry

• “Ready-to-work” graduates

• Big interest from the students

• Include more industry curricula …

• … but maintain the academic level