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About the Enrichment Course Programme
Enrichment courses are short, intensive courses conducted by SIS instructors & faculty members for SMU students.
They aim to:
- Expand the knowledge base of students
- Equip students with marketable and industry-relevant job skills
- Prepare students for professional certifications
Such courses usually span between half a day to 5 full days, and are purposely priced affordably for students. They are usually held during vacation breaks, and are voluntarily signed up for.
Students do not gain academic credits or course exemptions by completing an enrichment course, but take advantage of these instructor-led sessions to gain additional practical knowledge. Most students find the skills picked up through enrichment courses extremely helpful for their internships and the implementation phase of their IS Software Project (IS480).
Guest lecture & lab sessions by staff from SAP
(ERP Course, Aug 2008)
New Linux experts: We have earned our cute little Tuxes!
(First run of Novell 3071: Fundamentals of SUSE Linux, Aug 2007)
Types of Enrichment Courses
Broadly speaking, courses can be categorised into 2 groups:
- Licensed courses
- Non-licensed courses
Licensed courses are based on official curriculum developed by independent commercial entities. The following are examples of such courses currently available for students:
- Novell 3071: Fundamentals of SUSE Linux
- Novell 3072: SUSE Linux Administration
- Novell 3073: SUSE Linux Advanced Administration
- SUN SL110: Fundamentals of the Java Programming Language
- SUN SL275: Java Programming
- SUN SL314: Web Component Development with Servlets & JSP Technology
- SUN SL425: Developing Architectures for Java Enterprise Applications
- (to be offered in summer'09) EMC Fundamentals of Storage Technologies
The SUN and Novell courses are conducted by Sun Educational Services and Novell for professional clients in the IT industry. We have an academic agreement with both organisations to offer the same courses to students using the official course syllabi and course books at a vastly subsidised rate.
Hacking Code (Java Programming, May 2008)
To ensure consistent delivery of such courses, SMU instructors need to obtain relevant professional certifications and may be required to undergo train-the-trainer sessions before they are qualified to conduct them. Some of these licensed courses prepare participants for professional certifications. For example: SL-275 is tailored to match the Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) certification requirements, and Novell 3071, 3072 and 3073 prepare candidates for the Novell Certified Linux Professional (NCLP) practicum examination. Students who have completed these courses are encouraged to take the respective certification examinations, but in accordance with the spirit and objectives of this entire initiative exams are purely optional.
Non-licensed courses are specially created by our own instructors or based on Web content which are free for usage in academic institutions. Examples of such courses include:
- Business Rules Management (with JRules Engine)
- Data Structures & Algorithms in 2 Days
- Object-Oriented Design Patterns in 2 Days
- Project Management 101
- Introduction to SAS Tools (conducted under the SMU-SAS Enterprise Intelligence Lab collaboration)
More Information
Enrichment courses are scheduled depending on the availability of instructors, the demand for certain skill sets and matching instructional expertise. They are also strategically designed to complement the Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) undergraduate degree curriculum in constructive ways.
Courses are usually conducted during summer break (April-August) and the December vacation. Registration is usually open a month before term breaks & can be competitive for certain popular courses.
Click here  for the presentation slides about enrichment courses used at the Senior Academic Briefing (August 2007).
Please email the enrichment course coordinator for more information.
Who says learning cannot be fun?
(Data Structures & Algorithms in 2 Days, Aug 2008)
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