An open integrated exploratorium for database courses

2001

This paper describes the development of a second database course for undergraduates, preparing students for the advanced database concepts they will experience in industry. Assuming an introductory course on relational database systems as a prerequisite, the topics addressed in the course include object-oriented data modeling, objectoriented database systems, object-relational database systems, Web access to databases, and professionalism and ethics. We present our experience with teaching the course, elaborating on the topics and assignments. We also present feedback from students and industry partners as well as our own assessment of future course refinements.

One objective of a database management course is to enable students to participate in real-world database development processes. This includes hands-on-skills in database modeling and design but also requires a deep knowledge of the underlying technology of database management systems. Due to the relative high maturity and proliferation of database systems it is usually quite easy for students to achieve practical knowledge in accessing and managing database management systems. Providing a learner with conceptual and theoretical knowledge concerning database management systems is usually more diffcult to achieve. Our approach is to deliver tool-mediated activities that engage students in theoretical and conceptual topics.

Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD) seems like a dying art, but many proponents believe that they should be the starting point of all software development projects. A new data modeling tool developed by Oracle could change the way data modeling in taught in today's classrooms. The powerful and easy to use tool that supports ERD allows a student to learn the entire cycle from logical to relational and finally to the physical design of the database. We present the way the tool was introduced in an introductory database management class. It is our belief that students can develop a higher level of expertise on the difficult concepts of database modeling and design with the aid of this tool.

In Spring 2003, Joe Hellerstein at Berkeley and Natassa Ailamaki at CMU collaborated in designing and running parallel editions of an undergraduate database course that exposed students to developing code in the core of a fullfunction database system. As part of this exercise, our course teams developed new programming projects based on the PostgreSQL open-source DBMS. This report describes our experience with this effort.

Computers & Education, 1995

This paper discusses our experiences in using state-of-the-art software tools in teaching an advanced relational database design course (a previous graduate course in database is the prerequisite for this course), which is taken as an elective by graduate students in the Department of Computer and Information Science at Cleveland State University. As an experiment, the class material was slightly modified to include student exposure to a prototype of current software that uses expert systems information technology (IT) to automate relational database design for microcomputer users at the management level. Surprisingly, the results in terms of student interest, involvement, and inquisitiveness were far better than expected considering the minor changes to the course that were involved. Typically in the past, students in Computer and Information Science departments have approached the study of relational database design solely from the point of view of learning normalization theory. This approach was used to train graduate students to become database administrators. However, more and more the needs of today are for students to be able to understand and certainly be able to use and deal with the latest expert system software in the database area including database design. We feel that database design courses should reflect these needs.

Proceedings of the Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference of Engineering and Implementation on Vocational Education (ACEIVE 2018), 3rd November 2018, North Sumatra, Indonesia, 2019

The global issue of problems in learning and teaching database subjects is a factor causing learning difficulties for students. Various problems of learning and teaching database systems lead to low learning outcomes, lack of learning motivation and lack of modeling and database design skills by students. In addition to teaching errors in managing learning, the models and approaches used in teaching and learning are not appropriate because they are not in accordance with the characteristics of the subjects and characteristics of students. The solution to the problem of learning and teaching database systems from previous researchers is to collaborate learning models based on the relevance between learning models with the characteristics of database subjects and characteristics of students so that database competencies can be fulfilled so that graduates can compete in the work industry.

2011

Oracle is a popular commercial database product which has been widely adopted in the teaching of a database related curriculum. Different Oracle packages or versions are required by various courses and other applications within the university environment. However, due to the complexity of Oracle package installation and maintenance, any attempt to install new versions of the Oracle package together with old versions and other software packages could easily cause massive conflicts in the network and operating system. Information Systems and Services (ISS) departments have been unable to provide adequate support for installing multiple or new versions of the Oracle package, which are required to teach students cutting edge practical skills for future employment. We report on teaching experiences of using Virtual Machine to overcome constraints posed by a centralised Oracle system administered by ISS. We also present three of the most widely available Virtual Machine platforms and highlight the benefits and issues of using Virtual Machine.

ACM Sigcse Bulletin, 1997

Integrating the practical use of a database product into the theoretical curriculum of a database management course is a challenge, The approach described minimizes the amount of class time that is allocated to teaching students the use of a database product, while providing guidance to the students in the use of the tool. Introduction of the database product is accomplished through cooperative learning, where students help each other learn the intricacies of the system. To facilitate this process, the students are provided with a complete database implementation example. Using this example, students gradually advance from a tutorial exercise, to a step-by-step extension of the example, and finally to more difficult extensions. These self-paced assignments provide a solid foundation for the students' knowledge in the implementation of their own cooperative group project.

A system that supports learning activities on data base management systems for the degree course in computer science is presented. After an accurate analysis of main open source tools, the system has been developed using ATutor, a freeware and multiplatform Learning Component Management System developed at the University of Toronto. The learning environment contains several courses, but our attention points out on the data base course. The course structure and evaluation criteria for system usability are discussed.

2020

This paper presents novel immersive simulation-based learning (I-SBL) modules as an alternative active-learning method for teaching and learning fundamental concepts related to database design. I-SBL involves a 3-dimensional simulated environment that resembles a real-world system. Students can navigate through the simulated environment (in lowand high-immersion modes), observe and understand the underlying dynamics, evaluate the effect of the changes on the system, and learn by doing. The use of such modules is especially important when access to the real system is limited or impossible due to geographical barriers and/or regulations and safety considerations. We assess the impact of the proposed approach by implementing a sample I-SBL module in an undergraduate database class. The study involves two groups of students: control and test groups. Students in the control group complete a traditional problem-based learning (PBL) assignment, while the test group uses the I-SBL version o...

2003

In this paper, we explore how online learning can support face-to-face teaching in fundamental database theory and the contributions it can make towards motivating and enhancing the student learning experience. We show how we have used WebCT for a third level database module and present student feedback to our approach. While online participation is high overall, motivation for self-learning is increased by the use of selfassessment exercises and summative assessment was also considered to be more fun online than using paper based equivalents. Evidence exists to link greater online participation of course materials to improved performance. We complement our feedback by presenting and discussing a number of software tools which help students practice important methods in database systems, including SQL. After evaluating these against known methods for improving student motivation, we suggest ideas for further development of more game-like learning tools.

The importance of relational algebra in a database course is widely recognized to facilitate teaching and learning of SQL. From our experience we have also found it very useful for the students to understand the basics of query processing in terms of execution plans. However currently there are no specific tools to make the process of learning relational algebra and execution plans an interesting and stimulating activity. The features of the JRS (Java Relational System) graphical editors of query plans are presented. The graphical editors are used to define and execute queries on a database represented by two kinds of trees: A logical plan of relational algebra, and a physical plan that describes an algorithm to execute a query using the physical operators of the relational DBMS developed in Java as a teaching tool.

Teaching a Database course in general is a challenging task, due to several influencing factors such as increasing expectations of the job market, different and ever-changing database products, quality standards and limited time frames of a regular semester system. This course is different from other courses in the sense that hands on training is essential to train students to maximize learning effectiveness. Learning database principles and concepts involves various activities, starting from fundamental concepts to state of the art in the area. This paper presents a typical balanced approach that has been designed and implemented in teaching the database course to students of a taught master"s program at the University of West Indies. The course design in this approach ensures both skills and knowledge training to meet the requirements of prevailing job market and international quality standards. Course design, composition, content delivery, independent learning through coursework, hands-on skills training, and assessment criteria are presented in a detailed manner.

LEARN-SQL is a tool that we are using since three years ago in several database courses, and that has shown its positive effects in the learning of different database issues. This tool allows proposing remote questionnaires to students, which are automatically corrected giving them a feed-back and promoting their self-learning and self-assessment of their work. However, this tool as it is currently used does not has the possibility to propose structured exercises to teams that promote their cooperative learning. In this paper, we present our adaptation of the LEARN-SQL tool for allowing some Computer-Supported Collaboration Learning techniques.

Advances in intelligent systems and computing, 2019

This paper deals with the development of virtual laboratory for Databases discipline, such laboratory can be used by Information Technology students as an auxiliary tool for self-education and acquiring professional skills in Ukrainian universities. The functional and software requirements for the laboratory practicum are given briefly in the paper. The functional and object models for the process of utilizing educational tools are presented in graphical and mathematical forms. The functional model represents the logic of the business process, data domain participants, and data exchange scheme. Business Process Modeling Notation has been used for representing the functional model in graphical form. The object model shows structural features of the data domain describing the entities, their attributes, and their interconnections. Entity Relation Diagram has been used for representing the object model in graphical form. The paper gives a description of the structure of relational database, as well as the features of graphical web-interface which implement the required functionality. The web-interface has been developed accounting for understandability, simplicity, and lowered sensitivity to user's mistakes. At the database and application level, the access rights are divided between user roles. In contrast to the existing ones, the virtual practicum presented herein gives a student the ability to master writing various SQL-queries. The given models of the data domain are universal and can be used for development of e-learning systems for various courses. The distinctive features of the proposed virtual laboratory are given here, as well as improvements that can be achieved when used in educational process.