Alastair Monger

1
Teaching Databases Internationally, Teaching
International Databases

• Alastair Monger
• Faculty of Technology, Southampton Solent
  University, UK
• al.monger_at_solent.ac.uk
• Ralph Lano
• Fakultät Informatik/Technik, University of
  Applied Sciences, Hof, Germany
• rlano_at_fh-hof,de
• Kenton Wheeler
• Systems Support Manager and DBA, Southampton
  Solent University, UK
• kenton.wheeler_at_solent.ac.uk

2
What is covered?

• 1. International Context quickly!
• 2. Teaching Databases Internationally
  Conclusions quickly!
• 3. An International Distributed Database
  hopefully interesting and useful resource!
• 4. Teaching International Databases
  questions/discussion
• 5. Further Work and Conclusion in paper!

3
Two International Collaborative Developments
Firstly, a cohort of 13 students from the b.i.b.
International College in Germany on final year of
Computing degree programme at Southampton Solent
University in September 2006. (21 in 2007 and 45
in 2008!)
Secondly, as part of EU Socrates-Erasmus
programme, a 3-week course in Modelling and
Analysing Data for Decision Support (essentially
OLAP) delivered at an International Summer School
at the University of Applied Sciences, Hof in
Germany in July 2006.

• These two developments raised questions of
• - What databases curriculum might these
  international students have covered?
• - How to handle differences in teaching and
  learning backgrounds of international students?
• How to deliver a practical OLAP course online
  across international borders?
• and
• - What international databases teaching and
  learning resources could we jointly develop?

4
The Modelling and Analysing Data for Decision
Support Course
Overview - Practical approach to OLAP using
iSQLPlus/Oracle and Excel/OpenOffice spreadsheet
tools. - 1st week review of SQL etc, 2nd week
OLAP concepts and skills, 3rd week assessed
application. - Taken and passed (ECTS 7.5) by
students from 6 countries inc. Ukraine, South
Africa and India. Teaching and Learning
Approach - A wide range of face-to-face and
ICT-based teaching and learning
methods. Practical Context - Small cube (for
practice) and large Oracle SH schema (a
million records in sales fact table). -
Analyse Multi-Dimensional Data Practical
resource. Online/Cross-Border Delivery -
iSQLPlus/Oracle and learning resources delivered
via the SSU VLE server. - Excel/OpenOffice on
client using VMWare software, English Windows
and USB US keyboards.
5
Teaching Databases Internationally Conclusions
Conclusions based on feedback from the students
and a review of the (limited in databases)
international learning literature
Curriculum - The databases curriculum is not
likely to be a significant issue in a
potentially increasing internationally
context. Teaching and Learning - Similar
conclusion! Online and cross-border delivery
of practical courses - No significant issues as
ICT is now able to effectively and reliably
support.
6
An International Distributed Database
1 node on machine in Germany!
A 3-node international distributed database based
on the Oracle sample Human Resources (HR) schema.
This includes the distribution of employee and
job_history records, and the replication of job
records.
2 nodes on one machine in Southampton
This practical resource can be used for teaching
data placement strategies, database naming and
database links, transparency, distributed
transaction management etc.
7
An International Distributed Database (cont.)
A virtual international distributed database
could be set up quickly on one server with less
hassle although probably not with the benefit
of sharing a TL resource between international
institutions!

• Install three Oracle 10g instances on one machine
  if necessary including Oracle sample HR (and
  other) schema. It includes Germany, UK and US
  sites not perfect data, but OK.
• Run paramaterised script on each database to
  create the distributed scheme HRD (D for
  Distributed!).
• Run a further script on one (HQ) node to create
  fixed user database links to the other two
  databases.
• Modify tnsnames.ora files on HQ node.

8
Teaching International Databases
Q1 - What international database content might be
appropriate to include in the curriculum?

• Distributed databases that underpin international
  information systems of large global organisations
  such as international banks and oil companies?
• International GIS and databases with
  international content/data?
• Other?

9
Teaching International Databases (cont.)
Q2 - Should we develop and share international
database content and learning resources?
Some points to take into account in the
discussion

• QAA Computing benchmark - no explicit reference
  to international databases or any international
  aspect of computing.
• The only academic subject community identified
  with an explicit international agenda is the
  International Network for Teaching Geography in
  Higher Education.
• Example of the increasing international dimension
  in computing is the successful open source
  Eclipse project with developers distributed all
  over the world. Naturally this also happens in
  large corporations, and it also happens in
  databases, and so should not students be exposed
  to this?
• However, is it likely to consume too much time
  and resource to develop realistic case studies
  and learning resources? If so, might a
  collaborative approach be a way forward?

10
Further Work and Conclusion

• In paper!