XML Certificate Objectives and Employer Survey

Background

During the last five years, XML has become the method of choice for storing and transmitting a wide variety of data types, rapidly outdistancing all the plethora of data exchange alternatives proposed and tried during the 1990s. In their report, "Mid Tier XML Market Opportunities, Strategies, and Forecasts, 2004 to 2009", Wintergreen Research predicts that, "At some point after the end of the forecast period, all databases will be XML enabled."

In order to position Washtenaw County and southeast Michigan to benefit from this trend, Washtenaw Community College's (WCC's) Computer Instruction Department would like to offer training in XML-based technologies.

Overall Objectives of the XML Program at WCC

We postulate that there are four types of people likely to need information and training in XML, and we would like to provide them with instruction that effectively meets their needs:

1. Career programmers who need to code software for XML-based data handling.
2. College-age programming students who may want to transfer to a four-year institution or begin their career with an Associate degree.
3. Data analysts who need to organize data using XML-based markup.
4. Decision-makers and others who need to understand about XML and its application to their field, but have relatively little direct contact with XML-based markup or software.

The Computer Instruction Department at WCC has offered a course for career programmers and programming students. Because of its highly technical focus, it may not meet the needs of a broader audience, and we are interested in discovering the best combination of topics for all audiences.

Our overall goal is to meet the instructional needs of all potential XML learner groups. We would like to refine our understanding of these (and other) groups and their needs. Here is our current general understanding of the needs of each group; we eagerly solicit your comments to krieg@wccnet.edu. (Categories marked "Yes" are those we assume will need to be a part of XML instruction at WCC.)

Survey Questions

What types of people on your staff need to know about XML?

• Management decision-makers
• Programmers
• Web site designers
• Data analysts
• Data entry
• others:

What do your XML-associated staff need to be able to do?

• Read and interpret XML-coded files
• Read and interpret DTDs
• Read and interpret schemas
• Analyze the appropriateness of converting to an XML-based data storage and exchange system
• Plan and implement XML-based data storage systems
• Find existing industry-standard XML schemas appropriate for your organization
• Implement an XML-based data storage system
• Convert data in your database to and from XML for exchange with other organizations
• Convert an existing database to an XML-based storage system
• Convert XML-based data into Web format
• Write software to update, modify, query, and display data from an XML-based storage system
• Other tasks

What Instructional Format would Best Meet the Needs of Your Staff?

• In-class, short, non-credit
• In-class, traditional 15-week terms
• In-class, intensive weekend sessions over a few weekends
• On-line, non-credit
• On-line, for credit
• Evenings
• Days
• Other:

Background Information

• What is your industry or field of endeavor?
• Do you now use XML?
  • If Yes:
    • for what do you use it?
    • what public schema(s) or DTD(s) do you use?
    • do you write your own software?
  • If No:
    • are you considering the use of XML?
    • for what purpose?
• How many of your staff need to know something about XML in order to perform their tasks effectively?
• If members of your staff now know about XML, where did they learn it?
• How many of your staff would be interested in studying some aspect(s) of XML through WCC?

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