[AISWorld] Plug: Online database course for when coronavirus hits you

[Chua, Cecil Eng Huang]

Hi all,

With the coronavirus thing about to make all our lives difficult, I thought I'd share something that might help instructors of database.  If your course goes completely online, you might be stuck with material to produce.  I've already produced the material, which is available both on YouTube and on a website.

Under YouTube, search for Cecil Teaches Database.

These aren't your typical YouTube database lessons.  I go very in-depth into particular topics.  In some cases, the way I approach those topics is controversial, so your comments are welcome.  There are exercises for students to follow, etc.

Specifically:

SQL- I have 19 videos on this topic (versus the 30 minutes to 4 hours other YouTubers produce).  I go through just about every ISO standard permutation of the SQL Select command and Type I nested Insert, Update, Delete (Cecil Teaches Database: SQL).  Basically, depending on the level of SQL you teach, just show students particular videos.  Controversial part: I express my opinion on SQL silliness in parts of the videos.  Not all my opinions- I think SQL itself is silly.  We should have just developed a language based purely on the relational algebra.
Normalisation- 8 videos including exercises.  Controversial part- I include what I call "instance dependencies."  I think it is silly that Normalisation doesn't cover the kinds of dependencies that lead to subclassing, so I include that idea (Cecil Teaches Database: Normalisation).  I also express my opinions on what First Normal Form really is.
ER Diagrams- 9 videos.  Controversial part- Students should skip the first video which is for other instructors.  I explain what I think are the controversial elements there. (Cecil Teaches Database: ER Diagrams).  Quite a few controversial things, because really we all can't agree on what an ER diagram is.  I adopt a very syntax-focused approach.  Again, very in-depth.  I go into things like fan traps, chasm traps and other things most instructors don't cover.
Decomposition (The transformation of ER diagrams into tables).  This is based on my paper "Issues and Guidelines in Modeling Decomposition of Minimum Participation in Entity-Relationship Diagrams" and is VERY DIFFERENT from the rules in many database textbooks, so take note before introducing the videos.  Seriously, I'm right, the textbooks are wrong, comments and debate welcome. (Cecil Teaches Database: Decomposition).  I have one more video to do on this topic.
I intend to do one more additional video on this series where I show how to integrate SQL with a programming language- PHP.

The videos comes with material available on my website.

Again, comments, criticisms etc. welcome- Put them in the comments section and let's debate.

Did I know coronavirus was going to hit?  Yes.  I have friends in China and Japan.  I was also seriously thinking about doing flipped classroom and Teach Less Learn More.  This is fresh- I literally produced this over the last two weeks.

If anyone wants, I'd be happy to share my self-running web development tutorials that can ALSO be used if you can't meet students.

Cecil Chua