Course Descriptors | Course Activities |Project description|Technology environment
Aim of Open Source Lab Project
Training ICT practitioners to be highly skilled, world leading innovators in a networked, digital world requires a new model that is aligned to the digital economy. The Open Source Learning Laboratory is underpinned by a mentoring model whereby senior programmers mentor junior programmers under the guidance of online e-tutors. The mentoring model is more aligned to developing advanced practice, innovation and entrepreneurship.
While new to the educational community in New Zealand, there are some parallels to Google’s ‘Summer of Code’ where organisations provide mentors to junior programmers. Trainees or students would be mentored while working on real open source applications. Mentoring is designed to optimise the impact on productive capability through advanced practice in ICT and applied research.
Specific, mentorship based, training courses in open source technologies would be developed – e.g Perl, PHP, Python coding languages, MySQL and PostGres? database administration, project management etc. Initially the scope includes the development of six 12 week course modules including an eMentoring Course for senior programmers to become mentors.
The Open Source Learning Laboratory will have the following attributes:
- Recognition of evidence of prior learning.
- Weighted towards a coaching and mentoring structure rather than traditional teaching model.
- Potential for Internships – students may spend a specified amount of time with real companies on real projects.
- Nurture entrepreneurship through the appropriate bundle of course modules.
- Highly practical – students work on real open source applications that can be continuously improved from student cohort to student cohort. Therefore the outputs in terms of technology as well as know-how would benefit the economy, a highly tangible example of two-way knowledge sharing and relevant teaching and learning.
