An Agile Approach to Creating an Online Course

and collaborative

Agileag·ileadjective

1. able to move quickly and easily.

"Ruth was as agile as a monkey“

2. relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, that is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans.

"agile methods replace high-level design with frequent redesign"

Who we are

• Mike Amidon – Program Director – Professional Development• Ken Reily – Teaching Specialist – Computer Science Department• Sue Borowick – Director – Professional Development

Continuing EducationProvides ongoing educational opportunities for adult learners (“non-traditional” students)–Degree and Credit

• Adults returning to school• Wish to earn a degree

–Professional Development• Adults returning to school• Non-credit short courses and certificates• Open enrollment• Contract Learning

Software EngineeringCollege of Computer Science & Engineering

•Research•Education

– M.S. in Software Engineering

•Outreach: Forge partnerships with local industry to help enhance the economic basis of the State of Minnesota

Stakeholders

• CCE Professional Development

• CCE Degree and Credit

• Software Engineering

• Client

Roles & Responsibilities

• Mike Amidon – client manager

• Ken Reily – course developer & instructor

U of M Silos

Continuing Education Software Engineering

Professional Development Degree and Credit

Contract Learning

Gather Requirements

Determine curriculum

Select instructor(s)

Select or develop course

content

Customer describes what they want (discovery meeting)

Deliver training

Client Background

• Large medical insurance company• Facilities throughout the U.S.• Employs tens of thousands of software

developers• Develop internal apps that run their business• Embarking on an initiative to improve the

code writing skills of this group

Client Request

• Software Design

• Credit– Academically rigorous– Semester long– Testing and grades

Option A“Sorry! We don’t do credit…

Out of scope

• Project Management• Business Analysis• Business Process Management• Scrum & Agile• Supervision• Human Resources• Business Writing• Communications• Management• Organizational Development• Professional Train-the-Trainer

• Project Management• Business Analysis• Business Process Management• Scrum & Agile• Supervision• Human Resources• Business Writing• Communications• Management• Organizational Development• Professional Train-the-Trainer

Software Design

Option B

Continuing Education Software Engineering

Great!

Challenges & Solutions

Professional Development Degree & Credit

Non-compatible registration systems

Students not enrolled in a degree program

Partnered with Degree & Credit

Enrolled as “non-degree-seeking”

This offering of SEng 5802 non-existent Special Section of course set up

SENG 5802

1st Iteration

• For credit – non-degree seeking status• Participants hand-selected by managers• Participants all locally based

2nd Iteration

• For credit – non-degree seeking status• Participants hand-selected by managers• Students from Minnesota and Connecticut• Used Web tool for classroom lectures

3rd Iteration

• Non-credit• 40 hours• 1 day per week for 5 weeks• Participants all locally based

4th Iteration

• Non-credit• 8 weeks• Participants from wide geographic region

The Agile JourneyGather Requirements

Design

Develop

Test

Release

Classroom for credit – semester long

Classroom non-credit – 1 week long

Online non-credit – 8 weeks long for pilot group

Classroom and online for credit – semester long

sprint

sprint

sprint

sprint

JAD session JAD session JAD session

Disruptive Innovation

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network.

• Non-credit version of SENG 5802• Fully online delivery• Software Engineering Certificate?• Open enrollment potential• Market to other clients