Teaching Web Development on .NET Framework

1
Teaching Web Development on .NET Framework

• Andrea Molinari
• University of Trento Department of Computer and
  Management Sciences
  
• Trento - Italy

2
Introduction my experience

• teaching academic ICT courses since 1989 with MS
  Technologies
  
• programming
• introduction to programming
• database programming
• web programming
• HCI (What? not Flash???)
• operating systems (What? not Unix/Linux???)

3
The facts

• teaching using .NET since 2001
• two different Universities
• two different Faculties
• Computer Science
• Engineering

4
The facts

• Current courses
• Internet technologies/ Internet programming
• Information systems
• Advanced Information systems
• Human Computer Interaction

5
Courses structure

• 36/48 face-to-face hours
• 18/24 lab hours (tutorship)
• two/three months period

6
Topics

• Programming
• Internet programming
• Advanced Database programming

7
Topics

• Human Computer Interaction
• Labs in Vb.net
• Internet programming
• ASP.NET with VB.NET
• Database programming
• ASP.NET with VB.NET as test-bed, Sql-server T-SQL

8
ASP.NET reasons of a choice

• My choices
• developing research prototypes with ASP
• previous experience with VB
• some far-sighted persons asked me to do.
• technically, I consider it a very good choice
• strategically (for students), I consider it a
  very good choice

9
VB(.NET) reasons of a choice

• Academic reasons
• facilitate event-driven and OO programming
  learning
  
• ensure quick programming experience (Windows)
• vehicle for declarative programming (ex.SQL)

10
VB(.NET) reasons of a choice

• Practical reasons
• students/companies want to build Win apps
• VB.NET and SQL open internship / job doors
• stage requirements
• its intuitive and easy

11
VB(.NET) the reasons of a choice

• My position
• Bad reputation among some operators, once
  correct, now absolutely unjustified and
  groundless.
  
• Relatively simple but powerful, now fully OO
• ideal for building apps/interfaces quickly
• most widespread language for windows settings
• continue.

12
VB(.NET) the reasons of a choice

• New programming environment framework .NET and
  VS
  
• Same language in different settings office,
  macros, various prgms, calculators,
  
• Used for Internet programming in .NET

13
VB.NET the problems

• students background
• Only Java/C
• VB6
• a brand new language
• fantasy-basic
• many linux-fans
• perplexity
• misconception
• hate no contamination strategy
• login to Tarantella, or accessing to a linux
  server with VMWare, and W2k running all the stuff

14
The unofficial reasons

• What? Still VB? Yes, yes and yes
• cross-environment
• office, Windows, Web, Mobile
• easy
• different to Java
• not taught in academic settings
• 25 years with Basic, from HP3000 to PDA?

15
Why not C ????

• too similar to Java
• In that faculties, all students attend billions
  of courses in Java
  
• a sort of latent request from students
  ..please, lets see something different.
  
• No knowledge reuse? No, I was surprised..

16
Teaching Web development with .NET the syllabus

• Introduction to C/S programming
• VB.NET
• VS / web matrix
• HTML
• ASP.NET built-in objects
• web controls and user controls
• Data bound web controls
• ASP.NET Database
• Multi-tier programming
• file management, cache, security

17
Whats left out

• deeper Framework knowledge
• C/S theory
• OO
• cache
• security
• XML
• web server management
• optimization
• DB programming
• multi-tier application

18
Teaching Web development

• Many different areas needed
• solid HTML and CSS knowledge
• VB.NET basics
• language structure, statements, variables etc.
• ASP.NET
• pages, objects, controls etc.
• DBMS
• mngt, SQL, connection strings, SP, triggers etc.
• IIS
• installation, configuration, management, TT .
• The O.S.
• security, user rights, performance monitor etc.

19
VB.NET inside ASP.NET

• used from console applications to multi-tier web
  applications
  
• console
• windows
• web
• no visual part, only language syntax and
  procedural statements
  

20
VB.NET

• the method
• all the materials is available online
• approx. 1 theoretical slide, 3 commented
  exercises for each one
  
• many examples
• internet, books, personal
• slides with code chunks
• animations
• live sessions
• webcast

21
VB.NET

• The method (labs)
• the exercise is presented and explained
• study groups, normally no one is working alone
• 2/3 students
• students try to find a solution, an outline is
  given
  
• the solution is finally presented by me/tutor and
  commented
  

22
NON-objectives

• Full knowledge of the framework
• impossible to achieve in 18/24 hours!!!!
• The involvement of students is indispensable
• self-training
• books
• using study groups to increase learning
• take full advantage of VS
• I prefer they work hard on coding, at least at
  the initial stage
  

23
Final exam

• a project agreed with me (highly recommended)
• a fully-functional website
• no care about the graphics and special efx
• robust use of VB.NET
• full usage of the best tools of ASP.NET
• a DB of min. 6 tables as a back-end

24
The difficulties the students side

• other than the usual difficulties in teaching
  programming.
  
• web programming many concepts
• The framework
• the vastity
• the similarity with some J2EE concepts
• short time
• the parallelism with other courses covering
  similar topics

25
The difficulties2 the students side

• the most hated topics
• too many objects and properties
• too many ways to do the same thing
• ADO.NET Datasets
• DB connection
• setting up MS server (right-click admin)
• installing the framework
• HTML, CSS and the browsers war

26
The difficulties3 the students side

• the most hated topics (and solutions)
• too many objects and properties ? VS
• many ways to do the same thing ? come to lesson
  ?
  
• ADO.NET Datasets ? take a good book
• DB connection ? MDB file with physical path
• setting up MS server ? I told you to study
  W2K/W2k3 as an OS!!!
  
• installing the framework ? take the PC with you
• setting up IIS ? take the PC with you

27
The difficulties4 the students side

• but there is one final solution
• TAKE A GOOD BOOK
• AND START FROM THE FIRST PAGE!!!

28
The difficulties-5 around me.

• many resistencies in setting up a classroom with
  MS server environments
  
• Linux is dominant in academy and in the
  technicians preferences
  
• lab technicians ignore many server-side aspects
  of MS technologies
  
• Trustworthy computing is far away..
• at the best, they use MS for printing and sharing
  files
  
• the result NO services, NO IIS, NO SqlServer

29
The difficulties-6 around me.

• It should be.
• a distributed development environment
• but it is
• a 127.0.0.1 environment
• Problems (from my point of view) no real world
  feeling about
  
• publishing
• versioning control
• development team management

30
The difficulties-7 around me.

• It should be.
• VS 2003
• IIS
• SQL Server
• but it is
• web matrix and (sometimes) its web server
• Access
• notepad
• Virtual machines, emulators etc.

31
The difficulties-8 the market.

• some facts kill the motivation in promoting MS
  technologies in academy
  
• few ISP
• available for deploying ASP.NET web sites and
  related technologies
  
• available for using top-class back-end DBMSs
• MS technologies are changing too fast respect to
  software life-cycle
  
• openness of MS products, prices, F/OSS
• something is changing

32
Final comments my experience -1

• some influent roles inside academy dont approve
  the use of MS technologies as part of a learning
  process
  
• am I particularly unlucky?
• Though officially the teacher has the freedom to
  choose.
  
• lets say..no stimulation in using MS
  technologies
  
• in case of competition for contract positions, a
  non-MS teacher could be preferred

33
Final comments my experience -2

• sometimes I hide the usage of MS techs
• appreciated by companies
• in the end, appreciated by students
• not so appreciated for
• internal projects
• academic projects
• EU projects
• public bodies projects/collaboration

34
Final comments my experience -3

• Official motivations for this ostracism
• too expensive
• not F/OSS
• I dont know it
• not trendy
• too market-oriented

35
Final comments

• Motivation too expensive
• not completely exact
• IISASP.NET free
• Web Matrix free
• MSDNAA for the OS
• in case of large usage of this formula (many
  colleagues said really all free?), is MS still
  available?

36
Final comments

• Motivations not F/OSS
• true, current initiatives are too blended

37
Final comments

• Motivations I dont know it
• REALLY true
• MS technologies largely used in high-schools, not
  used in academy
  
• Unix academic background is still prevalent

38
Final comments

• Motivations not trendy
• in academy, teaching MS technology is not a good
  visiting card
  
• nowadays, the free/opensource movement is largely
  dominating didactic activities
  
• I totally disagree with this vision
• University is probably the last place where
  people will have the chance to see different
  technologies and approaches

39
Final comments

• Motivations its too market oriented
• I dont want to explain general concepts with a
  proprietary technology
  
• partly true, this is a problem for MS that must
  be solved
  
• though I was never embarassed by market
  technologies.

40
Results

• pros.
• many enthusiastic students
• many of them developed the final project as a
  real-world website for someone
  
• companies appreciate ASP.NET skilled people
• our research group have skilled people for
  research prototypes

41
Results

• and cons
• no coordination with other courses
• too little time for all the topics
• few resourses
• really tough for those who dont like prgm

42
Results

• Students
• pass the exam (95.4)
• I dont remembet a student taking the exam at the
  first session
  
• the content of the project is larger than
  expected but
  
• the additions are not optimized
• no one asks for additional books or sources
• some attempts to copypaste from Internet

43
Results

• What do they appreciate of ASP.NET?
• fastness in creating a full-branded website
• simplicity in doing that
• potential for their future job
• the development environment
• the integration with the OS
• ASP.NET 2.0.?

44
Results

• What do they NOT appreciate of ASP.NET?
• .NET vastity
• doing same thing in different ways
• being a MS technology
• ASP.NET 2.0

45
Results

• What do I NOT appreciate of ASP.NET?
• .NET vastity
• the difference between programming and design
• some things corrected in ASP.NET 2.0

46
Results

• other aspects
• better to teach to non-MS students rather than
  old VB6/ASP programmers
  
• Deep knowledge of
• HTML, Javascript, CSS
• necessity at least of
• one preceeding module
• one following module

47
My wishing well

• less ostracism in academic settings
• more time the topic is vast as the tools are
• more coordination with other modules
• programming, operating systems, database
• more MS o.s. concepts, on the server side
• leaving the desktop approach to MS
• services, security, authentication, performance
  monitoring.
  
• XML.

48
My wishing well

• As we are forging future MS customers, from MS as
  a whole, I would expect
  
• more investments
• more care
• more support
• to academic teaching problems
• more partnerships on the teachers side
• you dont solve the issue just with MSDNAA
• TechEd?
• probably, a different marketing strategy on
  Academic settings

49

• Thank you for your attention, waiting for
  comments.