Re: consolidation of multiple rows

From: DA Morgan <damorgan_at_psoug.org>
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:47:40 -0700
Message-ID: <1205203644.916431@bubbleator.drizzle.com>


jhofmeyr_at_googlemail.com wrote:
> Once again we have a thread in this group where practical "working
> hero's" are attacking the "classroom fossils" who comprise the
> academic branch of our diverse industry...
>
> It always astounds me that the two "factions" fail to recognise that
> they are co-dependent. The academic side teaches the theory (which
> may not be practical) which shapes the way students approach real
> problems, the practical side provide the implementation and innovation
> that drives the industry forward.

Actually it is far worse than you imagine. There are three Oracle instructors at the University of Washington. I have been the primary instructor for 8 years, personally wrote the curriculum, and it is 95+% practical. The other two instructors are Robert Perry, a production DBA at Boeing, who has worked with Oracle since version 4 and Jeremiah Wilton, a member of the Oak Table (www.oaktable.org), and one of the people to whom Amazon.com owes its success.

Theory has its place in computer science classes. In Oracle classes at the University of Washington it is all about hands-on experience and midterms and finals deal with real-world issues experienced in the aerospace and communications industries ... not a single test ever given was True/False, Multiple Choice, or Essay. All exam answers always involve writing working code.

I am sure those throwing around their criticisms of academia have years of experience on their resumes. I'd also be willing to bet that a quarter or more of our students could code circles around them.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
Oracle Ace Director & Instructor
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
www.psoug.org
Received on Mon Mar 10 2008 - 21:47:40 CDT

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