News
Up2UML demo available [November 29, 2007]
A nice demo of Up2UML is available now to the public. It features two free lessons on Use Case Diagrams and Class Diagrams and provides a good overview of all results.
Up2UML successfully completed. Where do we go from here? [November 30, 2007]
Today, Up2UML successfully completed its mission. There are two main project outcomes:
- Standardised on-line training content modules in four European languages (English, French, German, and Bulgarian)
- Guidebook for practical application of innovative and sustainable methods for UML training
The content provides an introduction to the Unified Modeling Language, version 2 (UML2) and to the most important diagrams that are used in the UML, including
- Use Case Diagram Class Diagram
- Activity Diagram
- Object Diagram
- Sequence Diagram
- Deployment Diagram
- Communication Diagram
- Package Diagram
- State Machine Diagram
- Component Diagram.
UML theoretical knowledge is transferred into practice alongside a Case Study in which a simple Hospital Information System is developed. The software development process that was used in the case study is based on the Unified Process. This is why the training content also encompasses an introduction to the Unified Process, including phases and workflows, roles and models of the Unified Process (UP).
The materials are provided in the form of online training course modules containing
- text descriptions
- animations with or without sound recordings
- graphics and pictures
- exercises with solutions.
The contents are equally available in printed format (pdf).
The modular design within Up2UML supports the customization of existing blended learning concepts and the reconfiguration of courses.
The contents and the guidebook have been tested in nine different pilot trainings with excellent results.
The Up2UML partners offer courses on UML2 in their respective country using these outcomes.
Flexible Approach to Software Development Training [November 15, 2007]
Researchers at National College of Ireland (NCI) in collaboration with colleagues from across Europe have developed an innovative approach to learning that aims to address the specific needs of employees in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Ireland is on its way to become Europe’s premier location for software development. While multinationals such as Microsoft, IBM and Oracle are the first to come to mind, according to Enterprise Ireland, the industry comprises approximately 600 companies, most of them SMEs with less than 250 employees.
However, long-term success in software development is becoming a big challenge. One of the key factors for companies to stay competitive in an ever changing knowledge economy is continuous learning and training.
Funded by the European commission in a project called Up2UML, Stephan Weibelzahl and his team at the National College of Ireland as part an international consortium have developed an innovative approach to learning that aims to address the specific needs of employees in SMEs. In a study, employees from SMEs in the IT industry identified time flexibility as the single most important aspect for a successful training. By combining in-class training with self-paced on-line training and on-line tutoring, the new training methodology offers a maximum of flexibility while retaining a high quality standard and adequate support mechanisms. Trainers can compose a tailor-made training by selecting from activities from a pool of on-line and off-line modules in accordance with given learning objectives. The newly developed Up2UML methodology was used to create and conduct a variety of trainings on the so called Unified Modelling Language (UML). UML facilitates communication among customers, project mangers and software developers through standardised diagrams and has become a de-facto standard for the whole software industry. Pilot trainings in four different European countries demonstrated the advantages of this form of training. "From an organisational point of view, many SMEs simply cannot afford to send their employees to a one-week training programme, because there is nobody to fill the gap during their absence", says Stephan Weibelzahl, project leader at NCI, "Learners on our courses highly appreciate the gain of flexibility through learning technology, but don’t want to miss the individual feedback and support from a tutor." Up2UML offers a flexible way of tailoring the training to the specific needs of SMEs.
What is UML and Object-oriented software development? [October 21, 2005]
UML, the Unified Modeling Language, is a non-proprietary modeling and specification language often used by software developers to describe the functionality, the structure and internal behavior of software systems.
Have a look at the Wikipedia article on UML to get an overview.