Advancing computing education globally

In the first week of February 2020, Oracle in Ireland welcomed 40 Transition Year students to the annual Transitional Year (TY) program run by the Human Resources team. The participants are all family members of Oracle employees. This week-long program is jam-packed with insightful activities hosted by numerous lines of business, including Oracle Direct, Business Development Group, Oracle Academy, Human Resources & Recruitment, Finance, and Manufacturing & Distribution, to name a few. All the students were introduced to Oracle and its culture by experiencing sessions on Recruitment, Coding, Sales Storytelling, Digital Selling, Career Development, and many more. The aim of this program is to provide the students with a taste of the working world here at Oracle, support their life skills development, and help aid them in making future career decisions. As always, the students had a fun time exploring and developing their technical skills, and all staff encouraged them to take their learning further. The program gets great traction each year and is something that our employees greatly value. It is an opportunity for them to share their work life with their family members. Oracle Academy was delighted to again take part in this event by lending staff support, with Gary Miller, EMEA Training Instructor, and Willie McCabe, Senior Director, Member Education and Curriculum Development, (both pictured) on hand to teach the students the basics of data visualization and introduce them to Java programming through the Oracle Academy introductory Creating Java Programs with Greenfoot workshop. All Oracle employees have access to Oracle Academy curriculum and teaching resources, and we encourage all of our colleagues to avail themselves of these resources, which also are available free to educators to enhance computer science learning in the classroom.    Thanks also go to Iris Lanny, Oracle Academy Country Manager for the UK and Ireland, and Orlaith Lawton McCormack, Senior Marketing Manager, Oracle Academy EMEA, ( both pictured) for making possible our contribution to this event.    

In the first week of February 2020, Oracle in Ireland welcomed 40 Transition Year students to the annual Transitional Year (TY) program run by the Human Resources team. The participants are all family...

In collaboration with Oracle Women’s Leadership and Wtech—Association for Women in Technology, Oracle Academy collaborated to organize the Information Age & Emerging Technologies Conference, which brought together 60 university students, faculty, women leaders in technology and Oracle executives in Istanbul on February 4, 2020. The next wave of digital transformation is changing the traditional ways of doing business and employment in all industries. Therefore, it is important to provide students with the necessary digital skills, support them in keeping up with technological advancements, and create a gender-balanced qualified workforce. Supporting women to pursue STEM-related careers and empowering them to reach their leadership potential is at the heart of Oracle Women's Leadership (OWL)'s mission.  Recognizing the importance of creating a digitally skilled and gender balanced future, this conference aims to support university students and faculty in learning the latest developments in emerging technologies such as Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, DevOps and IoT. Attendees also had the opportunity to explore Oracle Academy computing education resources, including free access to the Oracle Cloud Free Tier and Autonomous Database through the new Oracle Academy Cloud Program. https://academy.oracle.com/en/solutions-cloud.html During the keynote speeches, Oracle VP of Advanced Customer Services, EECIS Leader Bircan Arslan, emphasized the importance of women's participation in technology, as it is important for creating an economically and socio-culturally more livable world, she noted. She also stated that we contribute to students’ professional development by supporting them with necessary digital skills to keep up with technological advancements in their future workplaces. Digital transformation, she said, is becoming the most important agenda of every sector, and therefore creating a qualified and gender-balanced workforce has become vital.  As part of the conference, a “Leading Women in Technology” panel presented, moderated by Board Chair of the Association for Women in Technology Zehra Oney. Inspirational women leaders in technology who participated included Oracle Cloud Solutions VP, EMEA, Pınar Rua Aksu, TUBISAD – Chairman of the Board, TFI – CTO Erman Karaca, and Garanti Bank BBVA Technology Executive Vice President Sebnem İpekci. They shared their inspirational career stories, tips for success, and the importance of adapting to change via constant personal learning and development. They also shared encouraging and motivating insights on the future of women in technology. Oracle Academy also organized a small contest on technology topics presented during the conference, which involved five students who gave the correct answers to technical questions receiving the award of mentoring support by Oracle executives. Special thanks to all participants, Oracle Women’s Leadership in Turkey, Wtech Turkey, our inspirational women panelists, and Oracle Solution Engineers who delivered extensive presentations on emerging technologies at the conference. Oracle Academy could not be a success in helping students become future technology innovators and leaders without our collaborations with like-minded partners and our dedicated volunteers willing to share their valuable knowledge and expertise.  

In collaboration with Oracle Women’s Leadership and Wtech—Association for Women in Technology, Oracle Academy collaborated to organize the Information Age & Emerging Technologies Conference,...

Students from the Computer Science Department, Ciputra University, Surabaya City, Indonesia, recently visited the Oracle Singapore office. The study tour sought to increase the students’ insight and knowledge of various world-class institutions and companies. The goal was to expose them to information and opportunities for developing successful startups, how to use information technology abroad, how to work in world-class information technology companies, and to understand various information technology implementations. With the support of Oracle Academy Country Managers in Singapore and Indonesia, the university teachers and students visited the Oracle Solution Center of Japan Asia Pacific, located in Fusionopolis, Singapore, across from the launchpad known as Singapore’s "Silicon Valley." On this visit, Francis Han, Senior Director of the Oracle Solution Center, received the students, who were briefed about Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision, as well as Cloud technology offered by Oracle. They also had the opportunity to see and 'selfie' the Cloud server space owned by Oracle in this office.   The student visit from Ciputra University later was followed by a visit from students from the Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung City, Indonesia, made possible through their membership in the Oracle Academy program. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership that are working to build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Students from the Computer Science Department, Ciputra University, Surabaya City, Indonesia, recently visited the Oracle Singapore office. The study tour sought to increase the students’ insight and...

by William McCabe, Senior Director, Member Education & Curriculum Development, Oracle Academy In your global classroom, wouldn’t it be wonderful to take advantage of Oracle Cloud technology for teaching and learning for your anytime/anywhere students? Imagine one-time classroom setup, access to the latest cloud services, and with no maintenance, patching or upgrades needed, saving hours of time. As a former teacher, that would have been my dream. Now, the new Oracle Academy Cloud Program makes this a reality for higher education teachers and their students, providing access to Oracle Cloud to Oracle Academy Institutional members for classroom teaching and learning to prepare students to become tomorrow’s technology innovators and leaders. Through the Oracle Academy Cloud Program, Oracle Academy Institutional members have access to two services: Always Free Cloud Cloud Credits 2 Oracle Autonomous Databases, each database with up to 1 OCPU and 20GB storage, and Autonomous Data Warehouse or Autonomous Transaction Processing US$300 free cloud credits for one year (expire after 365 days) 2 Compute Virtual Machines, each with 1/8 OCPU and 1GB memory Credits can be used to try a wide variety of additional cloud-based services such as Analytics, Integration, Kubernetes, Digital Assistant, Big Data, and manage always free services that consume larger capacities. See https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/ for a full list. The credits should not be used for general teaching and learning. 100 GB block storage (boot/block volumes), with up to 5 free backups for free volumes, up to a total of 500 GB free volume backup   10GB object storage, 10GB archive storage, and 50,000/month API requests   Load balancer, 10Mbps bandwidth   10TB/month outbound data transfer     Member educators and students may access always free Oracle Autonomous Database, Compute VM, object storage, data egress, and other essential building blocks developers need to create applications on top of Oracle Autonomous Databases. Plus, they receive US$300 of free credits for one year to prototype applications, run machine learning models in notebooks, or try software from Oracle Cloud Marketplace. Supported by Oracle Academy’s comprehensive curriculum and hands-on labs, educators and students can teach, build, learn, explore, and develop in the full functionality of Oracle Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Compute VM and other essential building blocks in the classroom. Easy signup from the Oracle Academy member site enables Institutional members to request, sign up for, and access the Oracle Cloud console in minutes. A few key points: Educators easily can provision student accounts, and classes are up and running in minutes in a cloud environment without the need to download, install or maintain software or databases.   Access to accompanying Oracle Academy database curriculum―Database  Foundations, Database Design and Programming with SQL, Programming with PL/SQL, and APEX – Application Development Foundations―is available in multiple languages.   Teachers and students enjoy always free access to tools including Oracle Application Express (APEX) for low code Web application development, SQL Developer Web for working with Oracle Autonomous Databases, SQL Notebooks for Machine Learning, Oracle REST Data Services for web interfaces, and Oracle Instant Client for the most popular programming languages.   You can quickly start cloud services and learn new technologies including Autonomous Database, Compute VM, Linux, AI/ML, and digital assistants, and develop in SQL, NoSQL, APEX, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP, and Ruby. Best of all, access to the Oracle Cloud through the Oracle Academy Cloud Program is always available to teachers and students, in and out of the classroom, using only an Internet browser. We at Oracle Academy are pleased to be able to provide this new benefit to Oracle Academy Institutional members. We hope all higher education faculty who are not yet members of Oracle Academy join us to take advantage of this exclusive access to the Oracle Cloud Free Tier for classroom teaching and learning. We are delighted to provide our members with the latest autonomous database features and computing power available as they prepare students to become tomorrow’s technology innovators and leaders. Learn more at academy.oracle.com/cloud.

by William McCabe, Senior Director, Member Education & Curriculum Development, Oracle Academy In your global classroom, wouldn’t it be wonderful to take advantage of Oracle Cloud technology for teaching...

Oracle Academy in Saudi Arabia is building strong relationships with academia to enable young students who wish to develop a career in the technology sector, to align with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. A recent event and a great example of collaboration was with the Princess Norah in Abdulrahman University, where Oracle Academy enabled more than 800 national female students to study Oracle Database using our online curriculum. “In collaboration with Oracle Academy, we proudly have taught more than 800 students with the Oracle Academy Database Foundations course. The course is aligned with one of the college’s introductory database courses. Our goal is to upskill our female professionals, expand their capabilities, and bridge the gap between academia and industry,” said Dr. Hanan Al Mengash, dean of the Computer and Information Sciences College at the university. This initial step was followed by further collaboration when a special speaker from Oracle headquarters, Heather VanCura, Group Director, visited Saudi Arabia for the first time to meet with the new generation of developers and innovators, with a focus on females. The dean invited Heather to hear from the university’s staff and students on computer and information sciences programs. Heather’s support is much appreciated, especially in relation to the upcoming launch of the PNU Women’s initiative, which plans to host her as a guest speaker to empower women and encourage them to peruse their aspirations either in academic or professional fields. Heather also supports the Oracle Academy program, Oracle Women Leadership (OWL), and Java communities across the globe. Oracle Academy looks forward to continuing to work on this important collaboration with the university.

Oracle Academy in Saudi Arabia is building strong relationships with academia to enable young students who wish to develop a career in the technology sector, to align with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s...

Oracle Academy recently supported Taiwan’s leading education expo dedicated to educators: EDTECH TAIWAN. This event, which took place in December in Taipei, was organized by the Taipei Computer Association and Ministry of Science and Technology, and is now Taiwan’s signature education event. The Expo brought together more than 300 exhibitors and over 3,500 Taiwan educators and school leaders, providing a platform for attendees to discover the latest developments in educational resources and learning technology. This year Oracle Academy Country Manager in Taiwan, Francine Yang, delivered a session, “Think Autonomous and Find More Time to Create,” that introduced the new Oracle Academy Cloud Program. This new benefit for Oracle Academy Institutional members will be available in early 2020 for educators and students and will provide cloud for the classroom with access to Oracle Cloud Free Tier. Oracle Cloud Free Tier includes the new Always Free services―Oracle Autonomous Database and Gen 2 Cloud infrastructure―available for an unlimited time for classroom teaching and learning. Francine let educators know that as members of Oracle Academy, they would enjoy an easy, accelerated signup process and would be able to integrate the most comprehensive, robust cloud technology and the latest database features and computing power available today as they prepare students to become tomorrow’s technology innovators and leaders. Along with robust academic curriculum and resources, the new Oracle Academy Cloud Program makes Oracle Academy a global leader in computing education for educators and their students. As Oracle’s global, philanthropic educational program, Oracle Academy advances computing education around the world to increase knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. The program engages with thousands of educational institutions and educators in more than 120 countries, helping millions of students become college and career ready.  

Oracle Academy recently supported Taiwan’s leading education expo dedicated to educators: EDTECH TAIWAN. This event, which took place in December in Taipei, was organized by the Taipei Computer...

Dian Nuswantoro University (Udinus) recently hosted a conference for the Indonesian Association of Higher Education Informatics and Computers (APTIKOM) in Semarang City, Central Java. The event was attended by more than 300 tertiary institutions that have computational study programs, both private and public, from all over Indonesia, and was opened by Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo. The APTIKOM conference theme was "Strengthening Economic Communities through Creative Industrial Innovations in the Era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0", as APTIKOM continues to develop digitally literate human resources to embrace the ‘Industrial Revolution 4.0.’ Presentations from industry included a session by Oracle experts Alvin Pryana, Principal Solutions Consultant, and Gumilar Sentosa, Autonomous Database Specialist, from Oracle Indonesia, entitled “Achieving the Vision of Industry 4.0 with Oracle Autonomous Cloud.” At the conference, Oracle Academy was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the General Chair of APTIKOM, Professor Zainal A. Hasibuan, PhD. “By partnering with Oracle Academy, APTIKOM has been exposed to the core technologies used across industries around the world providing free professional development and bringing computing skills and hands-on industry-relevant experience to the students for their future. Various events both virtual and face-to-face for faculty and students broaden their insight to stay abreast of technology developments and reduce the gap between education and the needs of industry,” he noted. In awarding the certificate, he said, “All of these events make Oracle Academy an APTIKOM Strategic Partner, especially introducing state-of-the-art Oracle technology. Therefore we proudly award Oracle Academy with a Certificate of Appreciation for being an outstanding contributor as strategic partner in advancing computer science education.” Over the past three years, more than 950 faculty from 176 universities in 19 provinces in Indonesia have participated in database and Java programming training with Oracle Academy. The educators also have participated in technology-related professional development and learning events through Oracle Academy Educator Days and Knowledge Builder sessions with expert speakers from Oracle.  Students from Oracle Academy member institutions also had the opportunity to engage with Oracle through virtual webcasts and visits to the Oracle Indonesia offices, providing unique experiences as they received expert presentations on topics such as Blockchain, exploration of computer science subjects and career paths, the Internet of Things (IOT) smart devices, and most recently, on Oracle Application Express (APEX). Over the past three years, more than 10,000 students have joined these events. The Certificate of Appreciation was humbly accepted by Nurul Huda, Oracle Academy Country Manager for Indonesia and Malaysia. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Dian Nuswantoro University (Udinus) recently hosted a conference for the Indonesian Association of Higher Education Informatics and Computers (APTIKOM) in Semarang City, Central Java. The event was...

In November 2019, Kroton Educational teachers spent a week advancing their Java knowledge. They attended the Oracle Academy Java Fundamentals training at Anhanguera Vila Mariana University. These professors, who teach a variety of disciplines, were able to hone their Java skills and learn about new Java resources available to them through the Oracle Academy program, including theoretical curriculum and hands-on labs for classroom practice. Both are useful in helping them share knowledge with students and provide them with hands-on practice for practical application and experience. During the training, Oracle expert Daniel Uehara also conducted a “Frame the Challenge” session to bring clarity to challenges they will find in introducing these learning tools into the student learning experience. Kroton Educational is an Oracle Academy program member, and these teachers, who are now part of our member community, will be able to share their knowledge with all Kroton participants in Brazil.  We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Kroton Educational as we strive to promote computer science education for teachers and students throughout the country and region.

In November 2019, Kroton Educational teachers spent a week advancing their Java knowledge. They attended the Oracle Academy Java Fundamentals training at Anhanguera Vila Mariana University. These...

Oracle Academy is proud to continue its support for a key event on the national calendar in India—a nationwide hackathon for Girls in IT conducted by ACM-W. This year, more than 390 girls, comprising 130 teams, participated, mainly from southern, northern and western India. The first round of judging was conducted by 10 different judges until a shortlist of 20 teams was selected for further evaluation. Maria Choudhary, Principal Member, Technical Staff, from Oracle India, headed up the judging panel, which selected a final shortlist of 10 teams for the final hackathon held over two days at the Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research in Pune. First place was secured by ‘Team EVCA’ from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi. Second place was secured by ‘Team Landslide’ from Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT), and third place was won by ‘Team Innovators’ from MIT Art, Design and Technology University, Pune. A Special Recognition Award was given to ‘Team DAS’ from first year Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies (SICSR), Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) in Pune. The winning teams’ topics were:   Team EVCA: Before- and after-effects of afforestation and deforestation. (Team members: Ruchika Sharan, Mehak Jain, Nishita)   Team Landslide: Building an Android application that uses AI technology for environmental protection. (Team members: Vedangi Wagh, Sarita Joshi, Nayan Sabin)   Team Innovators: Building the software application for the following parameters:   Fertility of the soil Condition of seed Amount of seed optimally produced (Team members: Suman Nimbalkar, Tanmayee Tathele, Maziya Fatima)   Team DAS: Water quality status (Team members: Shritama Sengupta, Diya Suthiv, Aditi Kanojia)   Oracle Academy is pleased to support this important national event focusing on girls in IT in India and the important work done by ACM-W supporting, celebrating, and advocating internationally for the full engagement of women in all aspects of computing fields. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy is proud to continue its support for a key event on the national calendar in India—a nationwide hackathon for Girls in IT conducted by ACM-W. This year, more than 390 girls, comprising...

On November 18-19, 2019, Oracle Academy attended for the first time the EdEX MENA  education conference in Dubai. I was delighted to see more than 1,000 educators attend the event and show a great interest in the Oracle Academy program.  I had the opportunity to present at the EdTech Leaders seminar and share the findings of the latest report on the importance of computing education for the next generation: Beyond Tech: The Rising Demand for IT Skills in Non-Tech Industries.  The report, produced by Burning Glass Technologies in collaboration with Oracle Academy, contains a data analysis of more than 150 million unique 2018 online job postings across the United States to identify the computer science skills employers’ demand in a wide range of occupations.  Discussion of the report generated much debate in the audience about the need for both K-12 schools and higher education institutions to prepare their students with skills in coding and computer science.  In addition, the importance of ensuring our educators have access to Continuing Professional Development learning (CPD) so they can keep up to date on and ahead of the latest technology was discussed. Oracle Academy provides our members with CPD accreditation when they complete training in our curriculum.

On November 18-19, 2019, Oracle Academy attended for the first time the EdEX MENA  education conference in Dubai. I was delighted to see more than 1,000 educators attend the event and show a great...

The picturesque Croatian city on the mouth of river Krka, Šibenik, is known for its beautiful Renaissance cathedral of St. James (pictured) as well as for being the oldest native Croatian city on the Adriatic coast. The city hosted from November 6-8, 2019, the 21st CARNET Users Conference, supported and sponsored again this year by Oracle Academy.  Known for two decades simply as “CUC” this event, organized by the Croatian Academic and Research Network (or CARNET), has grown into the largest national and regional conference dedicated to IT usage in education. This year’s event—themed “On the verge of possible” —hosted more than 1,150 educator participants. Many of the teachers from primary and secondary schools who attended are involved in the largest ever IT project in Croatian education, named e-Škole (e-Schools), managed by CARNET on behalf of Croatian Ministry of Education. Co-funded by the European Union for about 200.000.000 EUR, through its European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund programs, the e-Skole project aims to bring by the end of 2022 a broad range of state-of-the art technologies into all schools and classrooms in Croatia. It will create an environment in which teachers can leverage technologies to innovate teaching practices while preparing pupils to embrace technologies and prepare better for the rapidly changing labour market of the 21st century. It takes a great team to organize an event of such magnitude as the CARNET Users Conference, and congratulations go to everyone involved in the organization. Special thanks to the Programme Committee, led by Marijana Pezelj, for the opportunity to present Oracle Autonomous Database at the conference. A big thank you also goes to Morana Butković, Cloud Platform Consultant from Oracle Croatia, who presented the Oracle Cloud Autonomous Database that uses machine learning to eliminate human labour associated with database tuning, security, backups, updates and other routine management tasks traditionally performed by database administrators.

The picturesque Croatian city on the mouth of river Krka, Šibenik, is known for its beautiful Renaissance cathedral of St. James (pictured) as well as for being the oldest native Croatian city on the...

I was delighted to attend the first ever Oracle Academy Faculty Day hosted by the Higher College of Technology (HCT), Muscat, Oman, on November 21, 2019. More than 100 participants from different colleges and universities attended the event, as well as participants from the Ministry of Manpower, the Bank Dhofar, the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Health, the DGHS, and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.  I had the opportunity to speak on the subject of “Advancing Computing Education” and why higher education should invest in computing education in collaboration with industry. My colleague Willie McCabe, Oracle Academy Senior Director for Member Education, spoke about the benefits of embedding Oracle Academy courses and resources into higher education curriculum and degree development programs, and other key Oracle Academy academic member benefits.  The participants were eager to discuss the rapid changes in education in an era of globalization and to debate how we can collaborate to implement new technologies to prepare our students for the Industrial Revolution 4.0.  My special thanks go to the Head of Department of HCT, Dr. Huda Al-Shuaily, and the Oracle Academy Coordinator, Ms. Ronette S. Rabanal, who not only were our most excellent hosts but also shared their experiences of being an Oracle Academy member for over 10 years.  The HCT encourages not only their staff but also their students to gain professional credentials to prove their computing skills, and motivates them to engage in a “world-class learning experience” to acquire the competencies that are aligned with the expectations of the job market, which will help them find success in their future careers. Find more details on the event on the HCT website.

I was delighted to attend the first ever Oracle Academy Faculty Day hosted by the Higher College of Technology (HCT), Muscat, Oman, on November 21, 2019. More than 100 participants from different...

Each year the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) recognises companies across Thailand that demonstrate excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To be considered, a company must meet key benchmarks of CSR practices, not just through individual projects or monetary contributions, but through an integrated approach to conducting business in a way that creates long-term economic and social value.     This year, at an event held in November 2019, Oracle Thailand proudly accepted an AMCHAM CSR Excellence (ACE) Award that recognized the contribution and impact of Oracle’s benchmark program, Oracle Academy. As Oracle’s global, philanthropic educational program, Oracle Academy advances computing education around the world to increase knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. The program engages with thousands of educational institutions and educators in more than 120 countries. In Thailand, the program supports more than 100 educational institutions and educators, helping thousands of students access world-class technology, expertly developed learning materials, and proven curriculum to help them become college and career ready. Accepting the award on behalf of Oracle was Taveesak Saengthong, Managing Director, Oracle Corporation, Thailand. “It was a great pleasure to represent Oracle at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) CSR Excellence Awards in Thailand, and to receive the award in recognition of the great work that Oracle Academy is doing as part of their philanthropic program within the education sector,” he said. “With digital transformation as a key goal of government and private organizations alike for strong digital economy growth, we look forward to growing this presence in Thailand and supporting the country’s workforce development objectives.” Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Each year the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) recognises companies across Thailand that demonstrate excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To be considered, a company...

Faculty from Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Melbourne, Australia, spent a day with Oracle Academy for a refresher on how the Oracle Academy program’s free resources can support their curriculum and classroom activities. The participants were provided ‘deep dive’ sessions on the current offerings related to programming and database as well as a preview of the Oracle Academy Cloud Program that is due to be released to Institutional members in early 2020.   Swinburne University of Technology offers high-quality teaching and opportunities for students to engage with industry for real-world experience. Its information technology courses are based on the need for graduates to be technologically savvy in a world where technology is so much a part of daily life and could lead to a future in health, transport, finance, media, manufacturing, automotive and beyond. Oracle Academy is working with Swinburne faculty to provide the foundational knowledge and relevant industry skills students need to have the confidence to apply their knowledge in the workplace. Michelle Gao, Oracle Academy manager for Australia/New Zealand, and Jian Li, Oracle Academy principal instructor, gave a comprehensive session on the Oracle Academy program to help the participants understand how best to utilize the range of assets and tools that are available to them as part of the free and philanthropic program. Associate Professor Sebastian Ng, from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, was particularly interested in the imminent availability of the Oracle Academy Cloud Program, which will provide Institutional members with access to the new Oracle Cloud Free Tier. The new program provides Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure as Always Free services for educators and students to learn, build, and explore in the Cloud. Oracle Academy’s offering is free of charge and tailored to the unique requirements of educational institutions and educators. Educators will receive training to teach students about Oracle Autonomous Database, which delivers unprecedented availability, performance, and security to drive innovation. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Faculty from Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Melbourne, Australia, spent a day with Oracle Academy for a refresher on how the Oracle...

Oracle Academy in Brazil was pleased to recently support the Centro Paula Souza (CPS) Academic Hackathon Final event on November 5, 2019. This exciting event was attended by 10 finalist teams, among the 128 teams from 17 CPS schools that participated in the competition. The 10 teams presented their projects, which were evaluated by jury members consisting of 10 evaluators and attended by two Oracle collaborators: Patricia Teixeira (Oracle Academy) and Patricia Taniguchi (LAD Logistics Manager). The hackathon's goal was to create an education application. The Organic team was the winner of the competition, led by Professor Prof. Claudio José Silva from ETEC Machado de Assis, with the students Gabriel Victor dos Santos, Daniel Feliciano, Elisandra Trindade, Flavio Simplicio, and Vinicius Silva. This innovative team proposed an app designed to facilitate the learning of the organic chemistry discipline using artificial intelligence and augmented reality to identify chemistry’s glassware on classes.   Following the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to watch a Talk Show track, one of them led by Patricia Teixeira, which showed the impact that the Oracle Academy educational program has been having on students and teachers across the country. CPS is an Institutional member of Oracle Academy, and students are learning about Java and database using Oracle Academy curriculum and classroom resources. This knowledge certainly will help the students of the teams develop their applications. The Oracle Academy program is pleased to continuously support initiatives like this hackathon, as we believe they are a way to change students’ lives through innovation and creativity.

Oracle Academy in Brazil was pleased to recently support the Centro Paula Souza (CPS) Academic Hackathon Final event on November 5, 2019. This exciting event was attended by 10 finalist teams, among...

The Department of Information Management, Chung-Hua University (CHU), Taiwan, has been a member of Oracle Academy since 2005, utilizing the program’s free teaching and learning resources. Their students learn Oracle database management through a formal college curriculum and are subsequently qualified to take examinations for Oracle professional certificates to position them to start their careers with success. Dr. Lee Chi-Chung, chairman of the Professional Master Program of Advanced Database Management, said, “As of 2018, more than 3,000 students attending the university have taken the Oracle database management courses. Chung Hua University is a valued Academy member, and the relationship has been recognized as an outstanding example in education in Taiwan.” In addition to providing curriculum and resource support, Oracle Academy worked with Oracle Volunteers to share time and talents to support educators and students through mentoring, teaching, and coaching. These Oracle experts provided informative sessions, giving examples of how new technology is being applied to business. The AI+ Experience Centre recently inaugurated at CHU was the venue for an Educator’s Day event in Hsin-Chu City, Taiwan. Rick Chuang, Oracle Master Principal Solution Engineer, provided a session entitled “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Service Application,” which demonstrated Oracle’s pragmatic approach to AI in business transactions.  In keeping with Chung Hua University's objective of trying to make students "job-ready," the Oracle volunteer experts provided an informative session that gave concrete examples of how new technology is being applied to business. Educators particularly liked the case study demonstration of insights derived from Oracle, and students enjoyed learning more about careers in technology and the way artificial intelligence is transforming business. Follow Oracle Volunteering on Twitter: @ORCLCitizenship

The Department of Information Management, Chung-Hua University (CHU), Taiwan, has been a member of Oracle Academy since 2005, utilizing the program’s free teaching and learning resources. Their...

The new wave of technological advancements such as cloud computing, automation and artificial intelligence continue to reshape economies and industries both domestically and around the world. As technology allow companies to hand over increasingly sophisticated tasks to machines, ensuring that students have the necessary digital skills to carry into the future workforce is much more important than in the past. While technological progress affect traditional jobs, it also creates new exciting ones. Recognizing the importance of continuing collaborations between industry and higher education institutions to prepare students for the future, Oracle Academy in Turkey held an Academic Roundtable event that brought together 15 faculty members and students from eight key universities. Participants from Koc University, Bogazici University, Yildiz Technical University, Galatasaray University, and others met in Istanbul on October 23, 2019, to discuss how to prepare for an automated future and provide graduates with the skills and technical competencies relevant to the future labor market. The participants had the opportunity to network and hear directly from Oracle Solution Engineers about the innovations and technologies triggered by digital transformation, such as cloud computing, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and discussed the challenges that they face in keeping up with this transformation. We also took a deep dive into Oracle Academy’s more tech-centric, computing education resources focused on building workforce skills. The event concluded with discussion around how teachers and students effectively utilize these resources and sharing best practices. Our thanks to all participating universities, faculty members and students.

The new wave of technological advancements such as cloud computing, automation and artificial intelligence continue to reshape economies and industries both domestically and around the world. As...

The picturesque Croatian city on the mouth of river Krka, Šibenik, is known for its beautiful Renaissance cathedral of St. James as well as for being the oldest native Croatian city on the Adriatic coast. The city hosted from November 6-8, 2019, the 21st CARNET Users Conference, supported and sponsored again this year by Oracle Academy.  Known for two decades simply as “CUC” this event, organized by the Croatian Academic and Research Network (or CARNET), has grown into the largest national and regional conference dedicated to IT usage in education. This year’s event—themed “On the verge of possible” —hosted more than 1,150 educator participants. Many of the teachers from primary and secondary schools who attended are involved in the largest ever IT project in Croatian education, named e-Škole (e-Schools), managed by CARNET on behalf of Croatian Ministry of Education. Co-funded by the European Union for about 200.000.000 EUR, through its European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund programs, the e-Skole project aims to bring by the end of 2022 a broad range of state-of-the art technologies into all schools and classrooms in Croatia. It will create an environment in which teachers can leverage technologies to innovate teaching practices while preparing pupils to embrace technologies and prepare better for the rapidly changing labour market of the 21st century. It takes a great team to organize an event of such magnitude as the CARNET Users Conference, and congratulations go to everyone involved in the organization. Special thanks to the Programme Committee, led by Marijana Pezelj, for the opportunity to present Oracle Autonomous Database at the conference. A big thank you also goes to Morana Butković, (pictured) Cloud Platform Consultant from Oracle Croatia, who presented the Oracle Cloud Autonomous Database that uses machine learning to eliminate human labour associated with database tuning, security, backups, updates and other routine management tasks traditionally performed by database administrators.

The picturesque Croatian city on the mouth of river Krka, Šibenik, is known for its beautiful Renaissance cathedral of St. James as well as for being the oldest native Croatian city on the...

As a part of their institution’s membership with Oracle Academy, 44 students from Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore recently visited the Oracle Singapore office to hear from a number of experts on topics relevant to their course of study.  Siva Ganeshanandan, Senior Director of Oracle Customer Experience (CX) in ASEAN, opened the session by sharing the Oracle strategy in Singapore before Kristin Ang, Oracle Academy Senior Operation Manager, introduced information about the Oracle Academy program and how Oracle Academy supports teachers and students in learning and understanding these in-demand technologies. The event’s keynote speaker, Julie Dura, Principal Solution Engineer, Oracle Singapore, provided the students with a technical session introducing the Oracle CX technology. Julie explained why brands care about CX, what Oracle does to help brands and consumers, and what the different CX capabilities are in the market. Julie’s session included a one-hour hands-on lab that had students role play in groups of two and use the knowledge they had just gained in the session to solve an actual customer problem. Barnabas Woon, manager of Diploma in Computer Engineering School of Engineering in Temasek Polytechnic, said, “Our students from the diploma in Computer Engineering at Temasek Polytechnic gained invaluable insight into the various roles and career prospects available in a technology company like Oracle.” Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

As a part of their institution’s membership with Oracle Academy, 44 students from Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore recently visited the Oracle Singapore office to hear from a number of experts on...

BRIDGE is a flagship conference of the ICT Academy in India that aims to bridge the industry-academia gap. BRIDGE is a confluence of educators, researchers, corporate, solution providers, NGOs and policymakers to find possible solutions and answers to some of the most challenging, critical and relevant questions being addressed in the journey towards transforming India. The conference serves as a platform in providing a strategic view on the trends that shape the educational ecosystem. Commencing in 2011, the BRIDGE conference has received an overwhelming response from all stakeholders of the knowledge ecosystem. Having reached multiple cities in India, it has emerged as the largest industry-institutional interactional event of Asia, with 40 editions completed to date. The most recent ICT Academy BRIDGE conference, with the theme of “Augmenting Skills, Accelerating Growth,” brought together government policymakers, industry experts and academic leaders to set an agenda for leaders to help people upskill and future-proof themselves. The conferences serve as a platform where visionaries lay their blueprint for the right skills mix where existing and upcoming workforce would augment rather than compete with technology. The conferences provide opportunities for the stakeholders to explore the exciting convergence of exponential technologies, connect with new people and ideas, and co-create a better India together. In 2019 so far, three events have been held in the cities of Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, with a total attendance of more than 560.  Oracle Academy is pleased to support the events as part of our long-standing and award-winning partnership with the ICT Academy in working toward the advancement of computing education across India. This support included participation by Oracle expert speakers who shared their knowledge and perspectives on key trends in education and technology: Sharath Babu, Director, Product Development, Oracle India, spoke of the challenges for academia in delivering quality education and constantly working to align itself with changing industry trends to produce industry-relevant talent. “The timely augmentation of the skills of the students will increase the industrial growth accelerators of productivity, scalability, and innovative tenacity,” he said. In Bengaluru, Lakshmi Venkatakrishnan, Software Development Director, Oracle India, presented on a similar theme, sharing that “Policymakers, academicians, institutes, and corporations should think about what can be done for the talent pool to hone up their skills accordingly. Even entrepreneurs should upgrade their technical skills, as there is a technological upgrade every 3 to 5 years.” He noted, “To acquire skills, you can avail the benefit of Oracle Academy that has been partnering with ICT Academy for a long time.” A further three conferences will be held in the coming months in Pune, Delhi, and Chennai. Details can be found via the BRIDGE website. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its Asia Pacific membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.    

BRIDGE is a flagship conference of the ICT Academy in India that aims to bridge the industry-academia gap. BRIDGE is a confluence of educators, researchers, corporate, solution providers, NGOs and...

Oracle Academy recently supported the 3rd conference of Interdisciplinary ICT and E2 Practise 2019 (IIPC 2019) in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, which provided contributions on research and sustainable ICT innovations from various disciplines including engineering, information technology, trade, finance, social science and education. The IIPC 2019 event was presented by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) with Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) and Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS) and PIT Synergy as co-organizers. Attendees included over 70 faculty/educators as well as deans and heads of computer science departments from key higher education institutions in Malaysia. Presentations were offered from researchers across a wide range of fields, including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Bioinformatics & Biomedical Engineering, Computer Architecture & Technology, Computer Games, Computer Graphics & Virtual Reality, Computer Networks, and many more.   Representatives from Oracle were invited to be keynote speakers. Muhammad Shuja, Principal Cloud Solution Engineer, Oracle Malaysia, shared information on Oracle Cloud and Autonomous Database. Dr. Shazarin Binti Ahmad Zainuddin, Chairman of Technology & Communication, Politeknik Ungku Omar, Ipoh Perak, Malaysia, said, “We are pleased to have contribution from Oracle to provide a keynote speaker at this international event, to share Oracle’s expertise and experience on current technology trends and innovations, especially towards an IR4.0 environment in Malaysia.” The event was closed by YBhg Dr. Mohammad Naim Bin Yaakub, Chairperson, Education Office and Community College, Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy recently supported the 3rd conference of Interdisciplinary ICT and E2 Practise 2019 (IIPC 2019) in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, which provided contributions on research and sustainable ICT...

Faculty and students from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, in Bangkok recently attended a knowledge builder event by Oracle as part of their membership with Oracle Academy. Boonchai Poonthan, Lead Solutions Architect, Oracle Thailand, provided a session entitled “Data Driven Digital Transformation” to help the students appreciate the role of data in transforming industry. Successful digital transformation builds on the modernization of the underlying data infrastructure combined with a clear strategy for data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Data is a key asset in any organization and is the ‘rocket fuel’ for digital transformation. A solid data strategy will enable companies to modernize applications and gain insights into their data and help transform them to be the enterprise of the future, Poonthan noted. Associate Prof. Dr. Walailak Attirawong, from the institute’s Faculty of Science, said at the conclusion of the event: “I'd like to thank Oracle Academy for giving our students a very interesting topic, to show us not only Oracle in-depth but the changes that will occur in business and affect our curriculum. [The speaker] also gave us advance perspectives for better preparation to accommodate the change, especially with respect to data science and data analytics that are very important to us all.” Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its APAC membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.  

Faculty and students from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, in Bangkok recently attended a knowledge builder event by Oracle as part of their membership with Oracle Academy. Boonchai...

Oracle Academy, in collaboration with Collegiate Pathways, hosted hands-on learning workshops for high school girls in Florida by supporting the Tech Sassy Girlz conference in October 2019. This annual event, held in Central Florida, helps to bridge the learning gap for minority female high school students by providing relevant, thought-provoking, programming workshops to encourage life-long learning and future career endeavors in computer science and related technology fields. This is the sixth year Oracle Academy has sponsored the Tech Sassy Girlz conference, and this year’s event was recognized by the City of Orlando – Mayor Buddy Dyer declared October 11 “Tech Sassy Girlz Day.” The event has continued to gain popularity, this year reaching registration capacity of 400 with a waiting list of 100 prior to the day of the conference. Dr. Laine Powell, executive director of the organization, said, “The growth we are experiencing couldn't be without your support…thank you!” This year, with the help of Oracle ABLE volunteers, Raina Yancey, principal technical support engineer at Oracle, presented a hands-on workshop that guided students through various programming formats designed to engage the Finch robot through programmed commands. “ABLE volunteers taught the Tech Sassy Girlz how to program Finch robots with Greenfoot. The girls LOVED that they could use Greenfoot not only to create their own video games, but also to control a robot! It was a treat to see the smiles on their faces. Oracle Academy is helping us to inspire students in our community with enriching STEM curriculum that is completely free!” said Yancey. The Oracle ABLE team of volunteers continues to partner with Oracle Academy to support underrepresented students in learning and understanding current technologies before they graduate from high school. "Having opportunities for girls/women in particular to get into technology is a passion of mine,” said Leona Davis, Oracle principal technical support engineer. “I focused in on some of the peer to peer conversations during the day. Of the statements I heard, my favorite was from a Liberty MS student who said, ‘I never knew there were so many girls like me who liked this stuff!’ ” “Bringing Oracle Academy to young students to spark their curiosity makes my heart happy. After we finished the Greenfoot workshop for Tech Sassy Girlz, I heard the students commenting that they were going straight home to make a video game to play. That made my day! I feel we are making an impact on our community thanks to Oracle,” said Gabriella Nolivos, Oracle technical analyst. Oracle ABLE volunteers in Orlando proudly shared Oracle Academy workshop experiences with other ABLE communities at Oracle. Twitter posts from the event can be found on the @OVolunteers, @ABLEVolunteers, and @OracleAcademy accounts. Thank you to our dedicated Oracle ABLE volunteers: Raina Yancey, Funmi Ojo-Osagie, Leona Davis, Gabriella Nolivos, Edwin Wiggins, Marissa Mari Richards, Valerie Milligan, Ken Falana, Anita Bardeen, Ayana Beckford, Zyad Bawatneh, Regina Armaly, and Jasmine Walkerv, plus Dr. Laine Powell, Executive Director, Tech Sassy Girlz.

Oracle Academy, in collaboration with Collegiate Pathways, hosted hands-on learning workshops for high school girls in Florida by supporting the Tech Sassy Girlz conference in October 2019. This...

Through a recent agreement with the Unit of Higher Secondary Education Industrial Technology and Services (UEMSTIS), Oracle Academy has incorporated more than 400 institutions into its program in México to continue to advance computing education in the region. The Unit of Higher Secondary Education Industrial Technology and Services is a unit attached to the Undersecretary of Higher Secondary Education (SEMS), under the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) that offers upper middle level technology education. On August 15, 2019, Oracle Academy México and UEMSTIS signed a collaboration agreement that will benefit 456 schools throughout the country. With the signing of this agreement, 168 Centers for Industrial Technological and Services Studies (CETIS) and 288 Centers for Industrial Technological and Services Baccalaureate (CBTIS) will benefit from and will have access to the full Oracle Academy program curriculum material, classroom resources and technology, and educator training. Oracle Academy has worked with UEMSTIS since 2015 through our participation in Virtual Educa, one of the most important events about innovation in education in the region, celebrated in Guadalajara. The two organizations began collaboration work, with two campuses initially registered as a test. The response from educators to the program and its resources was so positive that more schools began to enroll, until the number reached more than 200 in two years. During this time, Oracle Academy provided more than 20 trainings in teaching Java and database to more than 400 teachers throughout the country. The signing of this agreement is the culmination of this successful collaboration and participation in various events and trainings together. Moving forward, 456 educational institutions in México will implemented Oracle Academy courses over the next three years with the objective of supporting nearly 40,000 students and 5,500 teachers. We invite you to watch our video with UEMSTIS (formerly DGETI) and learn about the experience of 60 UEMSTIS teachers who finished four Oracle Academy courses and who had the opportunity to visit the Oracle Development Center in Guadalajara. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GKIoymtYZ8 Oracle Academy México continues to work with UEMSTIS to bring the Oracle Academy curriculum to teachers and students across the country, and in turn serve as a strategic ally to expand education in computer science and technology for the development and future of México.

Through a recent agreement with the Unit of Higher Secondary Education Industrial Technology and Services (UEMSTIS), Oracle Academy has incorporated more than 400 institutions into its program in...

Oracle Academy was delighted to participate in the 2019 Java Community Conference held in Taiwan in October. The event was attended by more than 450 participants, including developers, startups, tech companies and academics. The Java Community Conference is organized by the Taiwan Java User Group and centered around the Java programming language and related technologies. The conference offers a space for Java programmers to meet and discuss developments in Java, and provides a networking environment for meeting like-minded professionals. Oracle Academy delivered a session on how the Oracle Academy program is changing lives around the globe with computing education. Other presenters from Oracle included Sharat Chander, Director, Java Product Management & Developer Relations; Amitpal Dhillon, Regional Director for Oracle Labs, Asia-Pacific and Japan; and Ivan Tu, MySQL APAC Principal Sales Consultant. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy was delighted to participate in the 2019 Java Community Conference held in Taiwan in October. The event was attended by more than 450 participants, including developers, startups, tech...

Oracle Academy continues to add to efforts and collaborations throughout Latin America through the signing of collaborative agreements, thus enhancing the impact and scope of the program. In the Dominican Republic within the Caribbean region, the Digital Republic program has the objective of promoting inclusion of information and communication technologies in productive educational, governmental and citizen services processes. To help in these efforts, Oracle Academy signed a series of agreements benefiting and impacting more than 790 educational institutions, including more than 3,500 teachers and staff and more than 50,000 students in this country. These agreements included a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Presidency of the Dominican Republic, Community Technology Centers (CTC) of the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCYT) of the Dominican Republic. Key actions already have been carried out around the execution of this agreement. During the week of July 29 to August 2, 2019, 37 facilitators of the Community Technology Centers (CTC) in the Dominican Republic met at the Training Center (CEFIJUFA) to receive training in the academic curricula of the Oracle Academy Java Foundations and Java Programming courses. For five consecutive days, the facilitators received training in Oracle Academy tools and education strategies to teach programming concepts. As of August, the CTC will incorporate the Oracle Academy program offerings in its education offerings at 42 CTC centers to impact a total of 100 participants per month. Additionally in the Dominican Republic, in the municipality of Boca Chica in the province of Santo Domingo, students learn programming concepts through the Eclipse development environment. As of March 2019, students took the Java programming course through Eclipse with the help of facilitator Yovanny Rodriguez. In this course, participants discovered that the Java programming language opens up endless opportunities for program development. The facilitator inspired them to pursue university studies in software development, so they enrolled in the Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA) under Software Development Technician courses. In addition, in August 2019, we had the opportunity to meet Wagner Gonzalez and Josué Fontana, participants at CTC Boca Chica, who shared with us their learning experiences in Java. The goal of Wagner and Josué is to finish their studies at the ITLA and the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), to become licensed in computer science, and then to create an application for payment transactions and market it. The Oracle Academy program continues to advance in the Dominican Republic. In November 2020, we will begin the execution of Java Fundamentals training for 18 additional institutions that are part of the MINERD. As Oracle’s global, philanthropic educational program, Oracle Academy advances computing education around the world to increase knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. The program helps millions of students become college and career ready and helps reduce the gap between available jobs and students prepared for careers in computer science.

Oracle Academy continues to add to efforts and collaborations throughout Latin America through the signing of collaborative agreements, thus enhancing the impact and scope of the program. In the...

I was delighted to attend the second EduTech Africa Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on October 9 -10, 2019. This event brought together educators, MOE representatives, and educational NGOs from all over the African regions. The conference had the endorsement of the Department of Basic Education of South Africa. Oracle Academy was pleased to have a booth at the event to showcase our free educational classroom resources to the many attendees, who were interested in our program benefits and curriculum. We were able to demonstrate to local educators that the Oracle Academy curriculum in Java Fundamentals and Database Design and Programming with SQL are aligned to the South African Qualifications Agency. Our Oracle Academy Senior Director for Member Education and Curriculum Development Willie McCabe attended to deliver a presentation on “The Unbelievable Benefits of Cloud Computing in Education,” which was of great interest to the collective audience of educators and teachers.  Willie’s presentation also demonstrated how the Oracle Academy teaching resources can support learning and teaching in a cloud environment.  

I was delighted to attend the second EduTech Africa Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on October 9 -10, 2019. This event brought together educators, MOE representatives, and educational...

On October 7-8, 2019, Oracle Academy supported the 2019 Utah STEMfest at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. Utah STEMfest offered students grades 6-10 the opportunity to experience fun hands-on activities in all areas of STEM, including seeing the inner workings of an electronic car, planting their own plants, and creating animations with Alice, a block-based, object-oriented programming environment based on Alice in Wonderland. Nearly 800 students visited the Oracle Academy booth to learn the basics of coding using Alice. Volunteers from the Oracle Lehi, Utah, office assisted students with Alice tutorials available through the new Oracle Academy Education Bytes. After students completed the tutorials, they received cards with a QR code that gave them instructions on how to download Alice at home for hands-on practice. Oracle Volunteers loved the opportunity to help students in their local community.  According to Judy Pierce, Senior Technical Support Engineer, “STEMFest is so much fun and such an awesome event for Oracle to support.  I know the kids were really excited about learning the Alice program, especially being able to download and practice at home! I hope to continue to see Oracle at these type of events; they really do make a difference!” Parents also appreciated the real-world, practical learning that students experienced at the Oracle Academy booth. A parent relayed the following: “This STEMFest is really great, but not a lot would impact my kids in the long term,” she said. “Except for Oracle’s booth: You guys are giving my kids something that they can take home with them and that really will help them prepare for their futures.” Oracle Academy is proud and honored to support STEM events for youth to help get them interested and engaged in computer science.    

On October 7-8, 2019, Oracle Academy supported the 2019 Utah STEMfest at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. Utah STEMfest offered students grades 6-10 the opportunity to experience fun...

On October 10, 2019, Oracle Academy closed the SEMINFO (Computer Week) and Sempescom (Research and Computing Week) events at Tiradentes University, in Aracaju, Southeast Brazil, with an engaging Oracle Academy Day event. The Oracle Academy Day had an extensive and activity-packed schedule. In the afternoon, a Robotics and Java Programming Workshop was led by Fabiana Valente, Oracle Academy Country Manager, and Patricia Villa Nova, Oracle Brazil, followed by a Hands-On with Oracle Cloud, led by Caio Bizaroli, Oracle Cloud Solutions Architect. Bizaroli noted of the event, “We want to bring some technology knowledge to the Northeast region and show the vast territory of opportunities that the IT industry can generate for new professionals’ future." In the evening, about 250 students had the opportunity to attend a series of lectures on "The Future of Work", which covered different aspects of how technology can help students obtain professional qualifications. The opening session was led by Richard Delgado, Director, Oracle Academy Latin America, followed by a lecture on “How to Potentiate Your Career” by Fabiana Valente. Victor Armbrust, Oracle Cloud Adoption and Consumption Manager, closed the event with a spectacular talk on “Emerging Technologies and IT Career Management.” Tiradentes University is an Institutional member of the Oracle Academy program. At the end of the event, students who had passed the Oracle Academy Java Foundations course were awarded certificates as the first class at the institution to have taken the course. I’d like to thank the university for the opportunity to hold this Oracle Academy Day. Events like this one, where we have the opportunity to be close to the students, make us very happy, because they meet Oracle’s mission of “change the world by empowering people through innovation.”  

On October 10, 2019, Oracle Academy closed the SEMINFO (Computer Week) and Sempescom (Research and Computing Week) events at Tiradentes University, in Aracaju, Southeast Brazil, with an engaging...

  For the fifth year running, Oracle Academy supported Oracle Code 4 Kids, hosted by Oracle Code One, which this year took place September 15, 2019, at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, just prior to Oracle Code One for developers and Oracle Open World. Designed to inspire the next generation of developers, Oracle Code 4 Kids offers youth ages 10 to 16 a day of unmatched technological fun. Kids animated with Alice, learned the language of Python, created Minecraft mods with Forge, built and programmed an mBot with Scratch, and more. They also had the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Eric Brown, Executive Director of the Alice Project at Carnegie Mellon University. Fun, hands-on breakout sessions from which kids could choose included: Super Secret Spy Messages – A fun Python programming workshop in which kids built a simple cipher based on Caesar cipher concepts. Build Simple Games with JavaScript and HTML – Participants learned how to build web-browser-based games with JavaScript and HTML in an interactive session that covered the basics. Minecraft Modding with Forge – Kids learned to build Minecraft mods with Forge, spawn ender dragons from an egg, get an alert when a creeper is spawned, make explosive snowballs, and much more. Coding and Concepts with Java Puzzle Ball – Using Java Puzzle Ball, kids learned how to write object-oriented code, a staple of computer science education and the foundation of key programming concepts. Learning Programming with George – In this session, participants learned George Andante, a framework for learning programming. Kids created games, art, robotic instructions, or digital tools in a session oriented toward math, physics, chemistry, and language. Squishy Circuits – This beginner-level session let kids who had no previous experience in circuitry learn the basics of circuits through Play-Doh and clay, including the differences between insulative and conductive, parallel and series circuits, and different electrical components. Gotta Catch ‘Em All! Raspberry Pi and Java Pokémon Training – In this session, the Pokémon have escaped the laboratory and are running amok. Using a miniature Raspberry Pi computer, a 3D printed pokeball, and Java, kids could catch all the escaped Pokémon. Building and Programming a Robot with Scratch – This session involved building an mBot robot and constructing fun programs with Scratch, an easy-to-learn visual programming language, to make the robot flash lights, play sounds, and move. Exploring Java with BlueJ – Kids were introduced to Java and its implementation of object-oriented programming concepts through BlueJ, which offers visualization and the ability to create objects and interact with them. Solving Math with Java – Attendees learned certain variable types, including integers, doubles, and more, plus basic operations in Java, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus—coming away with basic Java programming knowledge and an understanding of how a computer interprets code. Kids Coding Minecraft with ScraM – Kids used ScraM to make their own minigames, stories, and more in Minecraft. ScraM is built with Java and works like Java, so kids learn real skills while having fun, easily dragging and dropping code blocks in the graphical designer to control program flow or modify the Minecraft world. Animating with Alice – Kids had fun using Alice, an innovative, block-based, object-oriented programming environment that makes it easy to create animations, build interactive narratives, or program simple games in 3D to build immersive stories and worlds based on Alice in Wonderland. Introduction to Python – Participants got started learning Python, one of the easiest high-level programming languages to learn, with basic syntax, control statements, and the standard library. Introduction to Arduino – The Arduino Starter Kit gave beginners the opportunity to learn both the software and hardware aspects of Arduino: electronics such as LEDs and sensors, and programming in C++ language. Quantum Computing Workshop for Kids: Exploring Quantum Concepts While Playing a Game – This session offered an intro to quantum computing using a modified open source block-mining game, Minetest, with students using the web-based IBM Q Experience to create quantum circuits and applications. Programming the BBC micro:bit – Students got experience using the BBC micro:bit, a handheld programmable microcomputer that can be used for all sorts of cool creations, from robots to musical instruments. “The energy of the venue before the big Oracle Code One event was dwarfed by the excitement and impressive skills displayed by all of the students who attended the Oracle Code 4 Kids event,” said keynote speaker Eric Brown, Director of The Alice Project at Carnegie Mellon University. “It was fitting that the students were working in the same rooms as the upcoming professional workshops, because they definitely showed they are the future engineers who will one day be running the show.” To increase diversity and technology opportunities in computing, free registration codes were provided to many attendees, and all paid registration proceeds were donated to SBE and the Greene Scholars Program. Oracle Academy is proud to help inspire the next generation of tech innovators through programs like Oracle Code 4 Kids. Interested in holding a fun coding program in your area? Teachers, parents, and others can access free Oracle Academy Workshop in a Box materials.  

  For the fifth year running, Oracle Academy supported Oracle Code 4 Kids, hosted by Oracle Code One, which this year took place September 15, 2019, at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, just prior to...

SPŠE Ječná was founded in the 19th century as the first vocational school in the territory of the Bohemian part of Austrian-Hungarian Empire. In 1949, the school was renamed to the Secondary School of Electrical Engineering in Prague  (SPŠE Ječná). Seventy years later, more than 550 students ages 15-21 are enrolled in four-year courses in Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Some 250 of the students attend Oracle Academy technology courses, taught by nine of SPŠE Ječná’s teachers. The school was the first Czech school to join Oracle Academy and today it delivers the full range of database and programming courses. “Right from the first day, all IT and Electrical Engineering students learn Oracle Academy Java Fundamentals, and in year two they take Java Programming,” says Mr. Ondrej Mandik, the school principal. “To move to the third year, they must have passed the Oracle Academy Java Programming exam.”  Mandik learned how to teach Oracle Academy courses in 2005, starting with Database Design and Programming with SQL. Today, he and eight other faculty continue to teach that course, the Java curriculum mentioned above, and the recently introduced course Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java. Now, he is responsible not only for implementing Oracle Academy courses at SPŠE Ječná, but in schools throughout the Czech Republic. In 2019, Mandik became an official Oracle Academy instructor for the country, and he has created a program to train staff at 30 other vocational schools. But, before doing so, there was a need to map the Oracle Academy curriculum offerings to the structure of Czech secondary school teaching. Mapping Curriculum to Fit the National Framework It took Mandik and his colleagues two years to get to the point where they could train other teachers in Oracle Academy courses. The challenge was that in Czech Republic, unlike in many other countries, there is no national curriculum to which Oracle Academy courses could be mapped. There is, instead, a national educational framework. What this meant is that to introduce new teaching methods and courses, a school’s principal would need to rebuild the curriculum within national framework guidelines. With a strong belief in the value of Oracle Academy courses, Mandik and two other teachers spent many months studying the issue, working closely with Oracle Academy and the Ministry of Education. In 2017, they issued a 30-page guide for integrating Oracle Academy courses into education plans for vocational schools in Czech Republic. That proposal was presented during Oracle Days in Oracle’s Prague and Brno offices. The result: 30 schools enthusiastically signed up to join Oracle Academy. Onboarding as Oracle Academy Instructors To train several hundred teachers across the country, Mandik and Mrs. Alena Reichlova were onboarded as official Oracle Academy instructors. They then liaised with school principals, advising them on reworking the curricula to accommodate the new technology courses. Those courses will be delivered through an online virtual room with individual sessions for those with advanced skills. “We find out what they are currently teaching and how best to help them improve,” says Mandik. “We deliver Oracle Academy best practice slides, explaining why they have been placed in that particular sequence, and why they are invaluable to effective computer science instruction.” He firmly believes that using Oracle Academy curricula to teach database systems and programming saves teachers time, keeps them always up to date, and motivates students with relevance to the real world of work. Leaving Improvements to the Experts “One of the greatest benefits of Oracle Academy is that somebody else—not us—regularly updates and improves the course materials. That saves us so much time and means that the courses always reflect the latest innovations,” comments Reichlova. She also notes that, as with medicine, change is so frequent in computer science that it’s not always easy to find updated information. “As an Oracle Academy member, I can access the latest announcements and developments through the virtual learning environment and never feel left behind,” she states. “This is one of the great advantages of being an Oracle Academy member institution.” Mandik also is delighted that all the materials come in English. “We don’t want a local language version, because although we teach in the Czech language, once students start work there’s no chance of anyone translating materials, so we don’t do it either,” he points out. “We are a secondary technical vocational school preparing people for real life, where knowledge of English is necessary for communication and work within the global labor market.” College and Career Ready Mandik believes that the Czech Republic needs more scientists and engineers, people who innovate and create opportunities for future generations. Five years ago, 70% of SPŠE Ječná graduates went on to university; today it is 50%. In Central Europe, there is an annual shortfall of 3,000 developers, which translates to rapid employment for young people with Oracle Academy courses on their CVs. The school principal is happy when his students find jobs, but he cautions against the lure of a good salary as opposed to continuing education that can yield longer-term benefits. “We are happy to fill the skills gap with graduates, but also are keen on seeing them go to university and help improve the level of computer science overall,” he says. “Luckily for us, Oracle Academy courses allow us to meet both requirements.”    

SPŠE Ječná was founded in the 19th century as the first vocational school in the territory of the Bohemian part of Austrian-Hungarian Empire. In 1949, the school was renamed to the Secondary School of...

The <Code with WIE> coding competition organized by IEEE (Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineering) Women in Engineering (WIE) Group in Sri Lanka recently concluded, with the grand finale conducted on August 31, 2019, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. IEEE WIE collaborated with Oracle Academy to execute the <Code with WIE> program, with the objectives of empowering females to thrive in the technology field, encourage them to take part in coding projects, and to provide opportunities for them to lead technology projects, gain experience, and increase diversity in groups. The competition took place over three months. 100 university students from around the country were invited to form teams of 2-5 members and develop an idea to a level of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Each team was offered a professional industry mentor to interact with and with whom to share ideas. The competition organising team was comprised of  Dilrukshi Gamage, Vice Chair WIE; Abarna Kirupananda, Students Activities Chair; and volunteers from Open University, IIT, Sabaragamuwa University, and the University of Moratuwa.  Over the three-month period of the competition, 15 teams from over seven universities presented their innovations to the judges. At the grand finale, team “TreatMe,” a four-member team from the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, was awarded the winner of the competition. The team created an application for kids diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD) with the aim of being able to identify and control ADHD in children at a young age. The initial test run of this application was done at the University of Ragama, Sri Lanka, with the guidance of doctors who treat patients diagnosed with ADHD. “Being part of IEEE is a nice experience as we work on empowering girls to aspire to an IT or engineering career in order to have a diverse workforce. This year’s <Code with WIE> created a good platform for them to boost their passion for coding and kick-start product development,” said Kirupananda. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.  

The <Code with WIE> coding competition organized by IEEE (Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineering) Women in Engineering (WIE) Group in Sri Lanka recently concluded, with the grand finale...

In July 2019, the Oracle office in São Paulo, Brazil, welcomed a small crowd of about 50 high school students and 10 teachers at an awards ceremony for the winners of the 5th Programming Marathon at the Paula Souza Center. ETEC Guaianazes, led by Professor Prof. Érico de Souza Veriscimo, was the winner of the competition, with three winning teams: Deus_Seja_Louvado (1st Place), NoisYTech (2nd) and Neverland (3rd). Oracle Academy provided awards and the support for the marathon for the second year, and Oracle provided the cloud access to host student projects in real time. The programming marathon drew the participation of 33 schools, bringing together a total of 806 students divided into 285 teams. The projects were supervised by 53 teachers and were evaluated by 6 judges. On the Award day, the top 15 school winners were welcomed to the Oracle office and had the opportunity to hear from Oracle employees: Fabiana Valente, Oracle Academy program manager, Lucas Corsi, consultant, startups & ISVs, and cloud specialist Diogo Shibata talked about the Oracle Academy educational program and the interest Oracle takes in helping students learn tech skills Marco Righetti, director of technology and innovation, discussed Industry 4.0 Renato Eric Miranda, business strategy leader, spoke about cloud careers Leonardo de Barros, senior engineer, talked about gains in artificial intelligence Elder Moraes, evangelist, explained why Java has been fantastic for his career Tiago de Souza, coordinator of the computer training projects at CPS, spoke about the marathon and the partnership with Oracle Academy. After the awards ceremony, the students were able to talk informally with company executives. Award winners were:   1st place: Deus_Seja_Louvado team Prof. Érico de Souza Veriscimo Alexandre Henrique Gabino de Souza Giulia Ventura Ratti Igor Silva Nascimento   2nd place: NoisYTech team Prof. Érico de Souza Veriscimo Gabriel Lopes Ferreira Ramos Gabriel Oliveira Aguiar e Silva Rafael Lopes Ferreira Ramos   3rd place: Neverland team Prof. Érico de Souza Veriscimo Alexandre Ferreira de Lima Lucas Del Puerto Garcia Rafaela Bezerra Martins

In July 2019, the Oracle office in São Paulo, Brazil, welcomed a small crowd of about 50 high school students and 10 teachers at an awards ceremony for the winners of the 5th Programming Marathon at...

Oracle Academy, in collaboration with Indonesian Association of Higher Education in Informatics and Computing (APTIKOM), recently held an event for educators in Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia: Bridging Industry-Academia Gap in Achieving Industry 4.0 Vision. Members of Oracle Academy were provided updates on the Oracle Academy program and an overview of technology trends so they could stay current with industry advances and growth. The engaging event was attended by university educators including deans and heads of computer science departments from 60 institutions in the region. One of Oracle’s Principal Solutions Consultant, Mohamad Rizal Arryadi, was the keynote speaker of this event. He discussed how imperative it is for technology educators to keep up with emerging technologies and to encourage their students to explore not only technology foundations, but also use cases of how technology is applied in life. The session also discussed how disruptive technologies may revolutionize the education sector, as lifelong learning is now a fundamental approach in the digital era. Mr. Solikin, Executive Director of Central APTIKOM, spoke of the importance of educators having human resource skills and competencies and a preparedness to adapt to the demands of higher education. He noted that informatics and computer education curricula must be in accordance with current and future industrial needs. For this reason, tertiary institutions must embrace partnerships with industry; these partnerships are currently an element of the accreditation assessment of APT 3.0 and APS 4.0 in Indonesia. Dr. Ayi Purbasari, Secretary General of APTIKOM, West Java region, said, “We are delighted that Oracle Academy held this event, giving opportunities to universities in West Java to take part in learning computer science through Oracle Academy. In our outcome-based curriculum, or Outcome Based Education (OBE), the focus is on achieving for our students. For this reason, it is very necessary that there is collaboration between universities and vendors such as Oracle so students get knowledge that refers to international standards. We encourage universities of APTIKOM in West Java to take advantage of the benefit offered by Oracle Academy. There will be a lot of added value and benefits for the institutions, especially for students.” The event closed with a presentation by Oracle Academy Country Manager for Indonesia and Malaysia, Nurul Huda, who shared how Oracle Academy supports students with learning and understanding of current technologies via Oracle Academy learning pathways through to Oracle certification to help students get hands-on practice in the latest technology and become career ready. Mira Suryani, a computer science educator at Padjadjaran University (UNPAD), said, “Oracle Academy Faculty Day 2019 is an incredible event. Shared experiences from great speakers about the importance of lifelong learning by using new technology for both educators and students, opened our eyes about the need to face up to industry 4.0. We need an effort that is equally flexible to keep up with technology, so the goal of narrowing or eliminating the gap between academia and industry can be achieved. UNPAD has been a member of Oracle Academy for four years, and is ready to add more curriculum, especially related to machine learning, into computer science and other study programs.”  Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy, in collaboration with Indonesian Association of Higher Education in Informatics and Computing (APTIKOM), recently held an event for educators in Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia: Brid...

The Sixth Annual ACM-W Conference in Rome, WomENcourage, was formally opened by the Minister for Equal Opportunities and Families, Elena Bonetti, and over September 16-18, 2019, Oracle Academy was pleased to support women in computing through our sponsorship of and participation in this event. Oracle Academy Program Manager Roberta Battagli, (pictured) was there to share information on our educational resources in Java, database, artificial intelligence and machine learning. WomENcourage brings together women in the computing profession and related technical fields to exchange knowledge and experience and provide special support for women who are pursuing their academic degrees and starting their careers in computing. Through a program packed with insightful topics and engaging educational and networking activities, womENcourage provides a unique experience of the collective energy, drive, and excellence that professional women share to support each other. The international audience of more than 400 students and educators were excited to hear not only about Oracle Academy free resources, but also to hear an inspiring keynote speech   delivered by Oracle Innovation Business Solution Team Leader Gabriele Provinciali on Proxima IoT and Microservices in a programmable Smart City. The Proxima City project is a cloud-connected and intelligent city model, based on Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Oracle Cloud resources and LEGO bricks, which provides an integrated experience to citizens, administrations and industries. Proxima City includes a number of Edge Services components coded in different languages and environments (C, Java, JavaScript, Python) such as Smart Trash, Smart Lighting, Energy Monitoring, Smart Parking, and Smart Safety. The Edge Services are connected, via IoT and a serverless architecture, to Cloud Services (Chatbot, Dashboards, Stream Analytics) allowing data-at-rest and data-in-motion analysis and value-added services provided to citizens. The Proxima City model can be used as a Software Development Kit to generate events from the physical world and process events both in the Edge environment and the Cloud environment, allowing design and testing of a new generation of user-centric services. Students were keen to put their Smart skills to work learning and understanding where to apply for Oracle internships as well as graduate roles, and understanding the benefits of their institution’s membership in Oracle Academy.

The Sixth Annual ACM-W Conference in Rome, WomENcourage, was formally opened by the Minister for Equal Opportunities and Families, Elena Bonetti, and over September 16-18, 2019, Oracle Academy was pleased...

Oracle Academy Sponsors Enterface’19 Summer Workshop in Ankara To encourage collaboration in research and development, this summer Oracle Academy took part in eNTERFACE’19 summer workshop, hosted by the Computer Engineering Department of Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, from July 8 - August 2, 2019.  The eNTERFACE summer workshops, organized by the SIMILAR European Network of Excellence, are a new type of workshop that aims at establishing a tradition of collaborative, localized research and development work by gathering, in a single place, a group of senior project leaders, researchers, and undergraduate students, working together on a pre-specified list of challenges for four weeks. At this event, participants were organized into teams to address specific projects related to multimodal interfaces, working on free software. The eNTERFACE’19 15th Summer Workshop on Multimodal Interfaces brought together around 50 researchers and PhD and Master’s degree candidate students from universities all around the world, including Middle East Technical University (Turkey), Université de Mons (Belgium), the University of Edinburgh (UK), and Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam, and University of Twente (all in the Netherlands). As part of the event, Oracle Academy held an informative session, “Oracle Academy: Resources for Education and Research” to provide participants with a deep dive into Oracle Academy’s innovation-focused education resources for teaching and non-profit academic research. This included information on our technology resources, curriculum, courseware, student workshops, educator training, and Oracle industry certification and exam preparation materials for higher education institutions and their educators and students. This was an exciting opportunity for us to connect with academics, researchers, and graduate level students from different countries in Europe. Knowledge Builder Events Support Teachers in Istanbul To help teachers in Turkey prepare for the school year, this summer Oracle Academy delivered Knowledge Builder events on emerging technologies. Recognizing the importance of supporting teachers in keeping up to date on the latest technology trends and developments, Oracle Solution Engineering Director Nuri Comert volunteered to deliver an Oracle Academy Knowledge Builder event on “Emerging Technologies: IoT, Cloud Computing, Big Data and AI” for 20 STEM teachers at Tink – Technology & Humanity Colleges – on June 25, 2019, in Istanbul. The teachers also had the opportunity to attend an online session driven by Oracle Academy Program Manager for Turkey, Sena Aydogan, to explore Oracle Academy program resources and benefits. Technology & Humanity Colleges is Turkey’s first technology college aiming to train technologically literate entrepreneurs to effectively integrate technology into their lives and their future business. As an Institutional member of Oracle Academy, Technology & Humanity Colleges is utilizing our wealth of free resources, including technology, curriculum and courseware, student workshops, educator training, and Oracle industry certification and exam preparation materials.  

Oracle Academy Sponsors Enterface’19 Summer Workshop in Ankara To encourage collaboration in research and development, this summer Oracle Academy took part in eNTERFACE’19 summer workshop, hosted by...

During July 2019, Oracle Academy supported Oracle Groundbreakers and Oracle User Group (OUG) evangelists in India who organized a roadshow called the ‘Oracle Groundbreakers Yatra’. The Yatra (which means tour) travelled across the country, hosting 10 events across 10 major cities over 16 days. The tour brought together the broader Oracle community within the country, providing attendees with information and awareness of the latest Oracle technologies and improving their level of knowledge. Oracle Academy joined the Yatra as an opportunity to create a platform for students and faculty to meet industry experts and helped the OUG to find the venues at our member colleges. Around 30 students from three to four Oracle Academy member institutions in each city where the Yatra traveled were able to join the sessions by international experts on such varied topics such as Oracle Cloud, DevOps, Oracle Autonomous Database, Data Warehousing, and Oracle APEX. They were able to acquire knowledge direct from Oracle experts and get a deep dive into different skills areas. Feedback from the attending students was positive, and included the following comments: “The whole program was well-managed by the members. Everything happened in perfect time. I really gained good knowledge.” “A good environment which polished my skills. Overall, a good event.” “I learned so many new things about Oracle services and tools which I wasn’t aware of. I’d like to attend more such programs.” “It was a good experience to explore different services provided by Oracle. Skills development will add value to my knowledge.”  

During July 2019, Oracle Academy supported Oracle Groundbreakers and Oracle User Group (OUG) evangelists in India who organized a roadshow called the ‘Oracle Groundbreakers Yatra’. The Yatra (which...

To help support computer science educators and provide them with access to inspiring, hands-on resources to teach computer science, Oracle Academy was pleased to be a Gold Sponsor of the 2019 Computer Science Teachers Association Annual Conference. The conference took place in Phoenix, July 8-10. As we have for the past several years, Oracle Academy provided 29 teacher scholarships to first-time CSTA conference attendees so they had the opportunity to attend this exciting premier conference for computer science teachers. Scholarship winners were: Anthony Am, Loren Ayresman, Krista Baker, John Burdick, Kirstina Frazier, Rebecca Gutosky, Evonne Hackett, Mary Catherine Hastie, Brandy Hicks (Justice), Thomas Klett, Ginger LaCross, Kevin Micks, Jenny Miles, Jessica Rodriguez, Jayashree Ravi, Steven Stoffregen, Batavia Sumlin, Regina Ward, Amy White “The Oracle Academy scholarship provided me the opportunity to attend the CSTA conference, which blew my mind!” says Loren Ayresman. “As a new computer science teacher, I now see that the future is wide open for my students!” At the conference, Oracle Academy conducted a workshop led by Lisa Palombo, Oracle Academy Senior Curriculum Developer, on Oracle Academy Education Bytes―short, flexible learning modules that teach new concepts and enhance existing knowledge and skills, problem solving, creativity, and learning retention. The workshop gave attendees the chance to explore the wide range of Education Bytes, which can be used alone or to enhance Oracle Academy curriculum, and provide self-directed, diverse learning experiences at all skill levels in database, Java, data science and much more. The Oracle Academy booth in the exhibit hall offered the opportunity to meet and speak with the Oracle Academy team experts, plus representatives from the Carnegie Mellon Alice team. The Oracle Academy team also sponsored a fun photo booth so teachers could get together and capture their time at the conference. We look forward to seeing you next year at CSTA 2020!

To help support computer science educators and provide them with access to inspiring, hands-on resources to teach computer science, Oracle Academy was pleased to be a Gold Sponsor of the 2019 Computer...

This year Oracle Academy was one of the sponsors of the event InfoEducatie, Galaciuc, Vrancea, which took place August 2-8, 2019. At the event, the students met the Finch robot and could participate in a three-hour contest that involved teams of two-three students collaborating to write code to activate the robot. Students had two hours available to blind code, and at the end they presented to a jury what they intended to do with the code written for the robot, and what actually happened! The demonstrated their results by showing the Finch robot in action based on their code. More than 40 students took part in this fun, hands-on event. Here are some comments from the students and their teachers: “Finch robot has reached InfoEducatie event at Galaciuc! It was a great pleasure to introduce him and to play with the students participating in the competition. It was really a challenge and an adventure at the same time,” said Mrs. Miana Arisanu, teacher at Colegiul National Mircea cel Batran, Rm. Valcea. “We all learned by playing in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We had fun when Finch danced, or when he drew some curved lines like he drew a flower. Thank you for giving me an outstanding memory. I hope many of the participants will continue the adventure!” “We took part in a wonderful experience, filled with curiosity, dedication and joy. We believe that the Finch robot is a fascinating helpful ‘instrument’ when it comes to active learning, creativity and team spirit,” said Angelina Panescu, a student who participated in the event. “We cannot wait to complete a new challenge with the amazing robot, Finch!” “A unique experience was the workshop with five students from the Republic of Moldova who were also present at the camp for a math competition. Although they were not programming at school, they were receptive and were happy to see their first lines of code translate into the movements of a robot,” said Mrs. Antonia Haller, teacher at Colegiul National Mircea Cel Batran, Rm. Valcea. “I did not intend to spend almost three hours in the company of children from the Republic of Moldova, curious to find out what Finch can do, so I had proposed an hour-long workshop!” “I joined my colleagues Miana Arisanu and Antonia Haller, to present to the participants at the InfoEducatie event, as I had successfully participated with my students. We have participated in the Adoptabot contest organized by Brunel University London since 2015, a team competition which involves the realization and implementation of a beautiful story in which the Finch robot is the main character. The technologies that can be used in robot programming are different; students can choose the one that is easier, depending on their age or personal experience,” said Mrs. Adriana Cheres, teacher at Liceul Teoretic “Nicolae Balcescu”, Cluj-Napoca. Oracle Academy was pleased to be a sponsor of this fun, exciting event that introduced students to hands-on coding. Learn more about our workshops available in many languages, including Programming the Finch Robot.  

This year Oracle Academy was one of the sponsors of the event InfoEducatie, Galaciuc, Vrancea, which took place August 2-8, 2019. At the event, the students met the Finch robot and could participate in...

Building educator content knowledge is a key component to advancing computing technology education today. Summer 2019 found the Oracle Academy North America team working with local and state Computer Science Teacher Association chapter partners to systemically bring free educator professional development for the purpose of helping educators to reach their computing technology education goals. Below are just a few examples of our joint collaboration: New Mexico Computer Science Educators Professional Development Week (NM) The week of June 3, 2019, Oracle Academy provided its Database Design and Programming with SQL course to New Mexico educators from all over the state. The five-day event was part of the NM Computer Science Educators Professional Development week held at the College of Engineering, University of New Mexico. Paige Prescott, Co-Founder of Computer Science Alliance NM, says, “There is a critical need for professional development for teachers in CS, and there are too few opportunities for this type of learning in NM. Our goal was to offer high-quality professional development that showcases the best practices and curriculum resources available.” The Oracle Academy curriculum is aligned to the New Mexico Public Education Department College and Career Readiness Bureau CTE Information Technology Pathway. Oracle Academy instructor Christine Campbell notes, “Training the teachers enrolled in the Oracle Academy Database Design and Programming with SQL course was a great experience. Because the teachers plan to use the Oracle Academy curriculum in their own classrooms to teach students, they were very engaged and excited to learn the topic. It was a rewarding experience all the way around.” CSTA Arizona (CSTA AZ) Computer Science Educators Profession Development Week The week of June 17, 2019, Oracle Academy provided a Java Fundamentals course to Arizona teachers from all over the state. The five-day event was part of the CSTA AZ Computer Science Educators Professional Development week held at the College of Engineering, Arizona State University. “With the AZ K12 CS Standards released in October 2018 and a new K12 CS endorsement for teachers launched just a month earlier in May, the timing was perfect to offer a week of high-quality CS professional development for our K12 teachers,” says Janice Mak, CSTA AZ President. Oracle Academy resources are aligned to the Arizona Department of Education Career Technical Education Software and App Design program. We value our relationships with our local and state Computer Science Teacher Association chapter partners and welcome opportunities to continue to bring our free courses and training to educators.

Building educator content knowledge is a key component to advancing computing technology education today. Summer 2019 found the Oracle Academy North America team working with local and state Computer...

In July 2019, Houston Independent School District (HISD) teachers gathered at Worthington High School prepared to spend a week advancing their Java knowledge! With varying degrees of experience with Java content, the teachers were able to come together to elevate their knowledge and enjoy learning about new Java resources, including classroom curriculum and hands-on labs, they could use the in the classroom to teach students. HISD has been a member of the Oracle Academy program since 2017; effectively utilizing the classroom teaching and learning resources aligned to computer science education. We look forward to our continued partnership with HISD as we strive together to advance computer science education for faculty and students.

In July 2019, Houston Independent School District (HISD) teachers gathered at Worthington High School prepared to spend a week advancing their Java knowledge! With varying degrees of experience with...

As part of Oracle Academy’s support for the Malaysian government initiative ‘Premiere Pride Challenge 2019,’ Oracle Academy recently delivered Train the Trainer events for senior educators/PhDs and associate professors in computer science from various selected universities and polytechnic schools in Malaysia. This initiative to connect industry with educational institutions was jointly established by the Malaysian Ministry of Education and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the government agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia. The Train the Trainer classes from Oracle Academy included Database Design and Programming with SQL, Java Programming, and Java Fundamentals, and provided the educators with skills and knowledge to teach the Oracle Academy curriculum to students in their respective institutions. The training was led by Rizqy Ardiansyah, a professional trainer from Oracle Academy. According to feedback, the course was well received by attendees. Dr. Adamu Abubakar Ibrahim, a Nigerian educator who teaches at Islamic International University Malaysia (IIUM), said, “MDEC and Oracle Academy did a tremendous job in providing academic staff of Malaysia institutions of higher learning the opportunity to engage with Oracle Academy resources for teaching and learning. It was my best training ever. Using Oracle Academy iLearning is incredible; it is the platform that combines a group of courses into one learning event. The provision of student-teacher integrated learning curriculum and materials makes it easier for preparation and assessment of teaching and learning. Another interesting part of iLearning is the interactive learning tools,” he said. “The instructor, Rizqi, is excellent. He made me truly enjoy learning more about Java and database, and motivated me to upgrade to Oracle Certification from OCP to OCM. Definitely I will enroll my students in Oracle Academy iLearning, and prepare them for Oracle certification.” “I attended Database Design and Programming with SQL training,” said Dr. Norhazaliana Binti Affendi from Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, Jitra, Kedah. “It was good and interesting, and increased my knowledge. It provided me with hands-on experience in drawing an ERD diagram using software, converting it into a physical diagram, running a query statement and much more. Thank you to MDEC and Oracle Academy for organizing such wonderful event.” Satrya Fajri Pratama, PhD, Senior Lecturer from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), said, “The Java Fundamentals and Java Programming training is really beneficial and insightful, to say the least. It covers the necessary materials for those who are just recently introduced to Java Programming language, and is even a decent refreshment for those working in Java, industry practitioners and academia alike. The instructor Rizqi was very knowledgeable, and it is very evident that Java is his cup of tea/coffee.” Dr. Ramesh Kumar Ayyasamy, Assistant Professor from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), said, “I attended Database Design and Programming with SQL for five days. This training was very informative. It really made me work out with several examples and come to know new data analysing functions and techniques, the best of SQL practices. I will conduct training to enrich my student knowledge by transferring the skills and tips I learned.” To engage students in computer science, educators need rigorous, robust academic curriculum that sparks curiosity and imagination while teaching critical knowledge and skills. These dedicated teachers now are prepared to bring their Java and Database skills and knowledge to their institutions and create classes for their students using the Oracle Academy iLearning tool.   Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

As part of Oracle Academy’s support for the Malaysian government initiative ‘Premiere Pride Challenge 2019,’ Oracle Academy recently delivered Train the Trainer events for senior educators/PhDs and...

IT Students from Institut Teknologi Kalimantan in Indonesia recently visited the Oracle office in Jakarta, Indonesia, to obtain a deeper insight into the IT industry, the latest technologies, and tech career options. The students flew from Kalimantan Island to Jakarta to visit the Oracle office and meet directly with the Oracle experts. The event’s keynote speaker, Mohamad Rizal Arryadi, CPIM, CSCP, a Principal Consultant of Oracle ASEAN, provided a presentation focused on the latest technology trends and innovations entering the market. These disruptive technologies are bringing new challenges to industry, and the education sector must be able to adapt with curriculum that meets these demands. Rizal shared steps that students need to take to embrace technological developments and advancements in the industry, such as quickly learning the essential technologies, getting career certified, learning through experience to contextualize their student learning, and employing their creativity. Nurul Huda, Country Manager for Oracle Academy Indonesia and Malaysia, shared how Oracle Academy supports students in learning and understanding current technologies, and how they can attain professional certificates on Database and Java before they graduate from school to prepare for further education or careers. This engaging event was closed with a lively question and answer discussion on topics raised by the students, and honed their interest in working in the IT industry. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

IT Students from Institut Teknologi Kalimantan in Indonesia recently visited the Oracle office in Jakarta, Indonesia, to obtain a deeper insight into the IT industry, the latest technologies, and tech...

In June 2019, students from the Vienna International School (VIS) attended a Java workshop at the Oracle office in Vienna, Austria. These grade 10 students are part of a coding class at VIS that combines the Oracle Academy Java Foundations course with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Design subject. Max Jerg and Michael Lessiak of Oracle organized the student activities, starting out with an introduction to Oracle and its collaboration with CERN. The students then split into groups to work on various Java coding challenges that had been prepared for them.  The students had short breaks throughout the morning to take part in a table football tournament (locally known as “Wuzzler”). The table was modified as an example of physical computing for the students, with two iPads and sensors set up and programmed to keep score for the tournament. Students were awarded prizes for their individual group’s performances in the coding challenges, and the results of the Wuzzler competition! The main prize was a Sphero SPRK+ STEAM Educational Robot. Once again, this was a well put-together workshop for the VIS students: Fun, challenging and reinforcing the programming concepts the students learned over the year with Oracle Academy curriculum. A few days after the trip, the students completed their Java Foundations year, and VIS Director Peter Murphy presented them with Oracle Academy course completion certificates. We congratulate the students and thank the Oracle office for hosting them.

In June 2019, students from the Vienna International School (VIS) attended a Java workshop at the Oracle office in Vienna, Austria. These grade 10 students are part of a coding class at VIS that...

Oracle Academy proudly sponsored the Fifth Machine Learning in High Energy Physics Summer School. This year it took place at DESY in Hamburg, Germany, from July 1-10, 2019. It was organized by The Yandex School of Data Analysis, Laboratory of Methods for Big Data Analysis, of National Research University Higher School of Economics, Hamburg University and DESY. The summer school covered the emerging hot topic of data analysis and research emerging from high energy physics (HEP), also known as “neural networks” or “multivariate analysis” “classisification/clusterization” techniques, among other names. These techniques in turn are part of the machine learning field. Machine learning is used to tackle issues such as online data filtering and reconstruction to data analysis offline. This renowned program is aimed at PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, but also open to Masters students. The students were introduced both in a practical and theoretical manner to the new field of HEP.  Topics discussed included hyperparameters and decision trees as well as deep learning. In parallel, a data science competition was held to provide the students with real-life applications of machine learning. As part of the Oracle Academy support of the summer school, speaker Sanjay Basu, Oracle Principal Solution Architect, OCI Development, who has been working in the machine learning field since 2013, delivered a fascinating lecture on “Using Bayesian Framework to Identify Risks in Project Management.” We were delighted he took time out of his schedule to represent Oracle Academy and inspire these enthusiastic students.   

Oracle Academy proudly sponsored the Fifth Machine Learning in High Energy Physics Summer School. This year it took place at DESY in Hamburg, Germany, from July 1-10, 2019. It was organized by The...

Oracle Academy recently facilitated Oracle Certification Exams for students at a public vocational secondary school, SMKN 4 Padalarang, in West Java Province, Indonesia. Twenty-eight students from the school sat the Oracle Certified Junior Associate (OCJA) Java Foundations exam at the computer lab in SMKN 4 Padalarang, which was proctored by Oracle University representatives. As a member of Oracle Academy since 2012, the SMKN 4 Padalarang vocational school has been implementing Oracle Academy course curriculum over the past three years, with teachers using the free Oracle Academy content to teach Java Fundamentals, Java Foundations, Database Foundations, and Java Programming, especially for students majoring in Software Engineering. The school plans to continue to teach the Oracle Academy curriculum, as it is aligned to the Oracle Certifications offered through Oracle University. It also plans to hold Oracle Certification Exams yearly just prior to student graduation to provide students with a useful credential when applying for internships, summer jobs, and their first job after leaving post-secondary education. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy recently facilitated Oracle Certification Exams for students at a public vocational secondary school, SMKN 4 Padalarang, in West Java Province, Indonesia. Twenty-eight students from the...

In an Executive Order released earlier this year, the State of Florida committed to focusing efforts on CTE and computer science education. The order dedicates the funding necessary to up-skill teachers and to help schools meet the state requirements for computer science offerings in its schools. In response to this, districts across the state are actively seeking professional development and curriculum resources for their schools. Broward County Public Schools is currently on-boarding their 80+ middle and high school institutions to Oracle Academy. Broward County is the second largest county in the state and the sixth largest in the country. In July, Oracle Academy Marketing Manager Danielle Ferretti traveled to Fort Lauderdale to help Bruce Regittko, Oracle Academy Instructor, deliver a Java Foundations training to 21 of the district’s K12 teachers. The district plans this to be the first of many efforts in up-skilling its educators. Ultimately, the goal is not only to increase the number of students that take part in CS courses, but to increase the number that follow through to and pass the AP CS A exam. The district is excited to utilize Oracle Academy’s free resources as a large part of that effort. During the training, three Oracle employees from the local office stopped by to talk to the teachers about how their efforts are so important to the future workforce. Oracle Regional VP of Sales, Paulo Manzato, credited his own grade school teacher with inspiring him to learn more about technology and believes that he is where he is today because of it. His colleagues, Ericka Silvestri and Perside Foster, are both from different functional areas within the company but both utilize their CS skills in their day-to-day career lives. It was a great demonstration to teachers that a foundation in computer science can pave so many different career pathways for students. It was a fun and engaging conversation and a great way to remind teachers why they are such an important part of the mission to prepare students for future career success. Content submitted by Danielle Ferretti.

In an Executive Order released earlier this year, the State of Florida committed to focusing efforts on CTE and computer science education. The order dedicates the funding necessary to...

As Oracle Academy Regional Director for Asia Pacific, I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ‘Closing the Digital Skills Gap’ Forum in Singapore. This two-day event gathered representatives from 16 APEC economies to explore policy options that can strengthen digital skills and the digital economy within the region. In response to APEC’s policy goals on human capital development, Project DARE – Data Analytics Raising Employment – was created to address the current shortage of employees skilled in data science and analytics. This lack of skilled employees has resulted in billions of dollars in lost revenue annually for the region. Many companies and organizations across various sectors, from healthcare to financial services and retail, are unable to fill positions requiring these skills. While the digital economy is rapidly evolving, education systems are not adapting at the same pace. A recent survey conducted by APEC showed that more than 50% of respondents admit that curricula at many academic institutions do not sufficiently bring digital skills into classrooms. At the forum, participants progressed a roadmap to support upskilling and reskilling programs carried out by employers, governments, and educational institutions across APEC. The roadmap details a set of industry-driven recommended actions to strengthen data science and analytics competencies, or DSA. The Project DARE framework seeks to inform the work of universities, companies and associations across the region, including how to better enable educators to incorporate DSA into classrooms. Sixty-two percent of a Digital Skills Gap Survey respondents indicated that one of the barriers to students and future employees developing career-relevant digital skills is that educators are not empowered to incorporate DSA into classrooms, including at elementary and secondary levels. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. We are very pleased to be able to participate in this forum and contribute to the ongoing discussion of educator empowerment with the right industry-relevant computing curriculum, and to the development of the roadmap that APEC economies can use to better advance and enable their digital economies and workforce. To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

As Oracle Academy Regional Director for Asia Pacific, I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ‘Closing the Digital Skills Gap’ Forum in Singapore....

Even though nearly 55,000 students per year enroll in information technology studies in Vietnam, the government acknowledges a shortage of skilled IT professionals in the workforce. To help address this issue, the BUILD-IT Alliance is public-private ecosystem in Vietnam that supports educational quality and development at six Vietnamese engineering and technology universities. Along with USAID and Arizona State University, Oracle Academy is a partner in the BUILD-IT Alliance and supports these Vietnamese universities in the ongoing development of industry-relevant computing courses that prepare students for careers. On July 19, 2019, Oracle Academy worked with the BUILD-IT team to organize a Faculty Day in Ho Chi Minh City. The event was attended by 18 faculty members from eight universities in and around the area, and most of attendees were new to the Oracle Academy program. Oracle Academy Country Manager for Vietnam, Michelle Gao, along with principal instructor Jian Li, facilitated this event. They introduced Oracle Academy’s new offerings and led the educators through a ‘drill down’ so they could fully understand the Oracle Academy learning environment and free teaching resources. The highlight of Faculty Day was a presentation by a pioneering educator at Can Tho University, Ms. Bui Dang Ha Phuong. She shared in detail how she implemented Oracle Academy’s iLearning resources into her coursework, and how the tools fit into her existing course structure and rejuvenated the learning experience for students. Ms. Phuong exemplifies the energy that ambitious faculty can bring to curriculum innovation.  Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member. If you’d like to learn more about the BUILD-IT Alliance, watch our video.

Even though nearly 55,000 students per year enroll in information technology studies in Vietnam, the government acknowledges a shortage of skilled IT professionals in the workforce. To help address...

To help educators better teach computer science and position students for the future, Oracle Academy held a Faculty Day event in Makassar City, Indonesia, on July 18, 2019. The event was attended by 100 computer science educators, including deans and heads of computer science departments from 50 institutions in South Sulawesi Province. Many current and new Oracle Academy members came to the event to hear about the newest Oracle Academy offerings and the latest technological developments in the industry.  Oracle Academy assists these institutions and faculty by providing computing education curriculum to support industry-relevant skills for their students prior to entering the workplace. These frontline educators play a key role in inspiring the next generation to become career ready and the tech leaders of the future within their country. The keynote speaker of this event was Mohamad Rizal Arryadi, a principal consultant of Oracle ASEAN SCM, APAC-APPS. He spoke about the fourth industry revolution that “Industry 4.0” is enabling ― and how the education sector must be able to adapt with a curriculum framework that teacher students career-relevant skills to meet future industry needs. Oracle Academy Country Manager for Indonesia and Malaysia, Nurul Huda, who facilitated the event, was in attendance to help faculty understand how the Oracle Academy program can support them and their students to keep up with technology advances. “The curriculum framework presented at the Oracle Academy Faculty Day in Makassar city has helped us to understand comprehensive computer science curriculum that is in line with current and future industrial needs. We as computer science educators are certainly very grateful and helped by this event. Hopefully, we can implement the Oracle Academy curriculum to help our students prepare for their successful futures,” said Muh. Sakir, Technology Community Activist, Makassar, and Informatics Engineering Lecturer at Fajar Makassar University. “Oracle Academy provides opportunities, especially for our students, to learn according to the latest technological trends that I believe will become their capital in the future after graduating from school,” said Achlis Djafar, Head of Software Engineering Study Program of SMK/Secondary Vocational School Kartika XX-1, Makassar. Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computing education courses for their students. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

To help educators better teach computer science and position students for the future, Oracle Academy held a Faculty Day event in Makassar City, Indonesia, on July 18, 2019. The event was attended by...

Oracle Academy was pleased to present 14 young innovators with awards of US$5,000 at the recent 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) event, May 16-17, 2019, in Phoenix. The award winners embedded computer science into their projects in the system software category. The Intel ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Through a global network of local, regional, and national science fairs, millions of students are encouraged to explore their passion for developing innovations that improve the way we work and live. Award finalists were selected by expert Oracle volunteer judges: Lead judge: Bruce Regittko Judges: Bernard Schober, Heather Foidart, Jason Midkiff, Julia Hull, Kate Fisher, Ravi Sharma, Sid Prasad, Syed Huda, Zeke Bishop, Mike Waddoups We thank these experts for sharing their time. Sharma noted, “The brilliance of these young students in crafting solutions for the anticipated problems and opportunities of their generation lies in the simplicity of their innovations. It is simply a mind blowing experience to see how these youth are able to utilize the technologies at hand to craft amazing solutions to the most crucial challenges of their generation.” Oracle Academy Winners: Award of $5,000 each for 9 outstanding projects in the systems software category.   Cary Xiao Tuscaloosa, AL School: Alabama School of Mathematics and Science Teacher: Grey Gaillard   Harshal Bharatia Plano, TX School: Vines High School Teacher: Emily Sharma   Brandon Fan Blacksburg, VA School: Blacksburg High School Teacher: Katharine Davis   Gianni Plaza-Pizarro San Juan, PR School: The San Juan Math, Science and Technology Center Teacher: Ivangs Rivera-Aponte   Ian Langleben, Dawson College, and Liana Martins-Medina, Marianopolis College Montreal, Quebec, Canada Teacher: Wilson Wong   Raymond Suo, Louisville, KY, and Allen Wu, Fargo, ND School: DuPont Manual High School Naomi Kenyatta, New York, NY School: Horace Mann School Teacher: Glenn Zwanzig   Sama Ayoub and Khadija Elmagarmid Doha, Qatar School: Qatar Academy Senior School Teacher: Jason Maraku   Tinotenda Zimhunga and Rufaro Mutogo Harare, Zimbabwe School: Chisipite Senior School Teacher: Paul Grotto   Saad Mankarious Assuit, Egypt School: Assuit Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics High School Teacher: Ramadan Hussien Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News, said, “The more than 1,800 finalists at Intel ISEF 2019 are the stewards of our future. Their innovations are poised to solve our world’s most intractable challenges.” Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more 80 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for more than US$5 million in awards and scholarships at the Intel ISEF. Congratulations to our outstanding Oracle Academy award winners!

Oracle Academy was pleased to present 14 young innovators with awards of US$5,000 at the recent 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) event, May 16-17, 2019, in Phoenix....

Recently, Oracle Academy was recognized with its fourteenth award for outstanding contributions to the Greek educational system and corporate citizenship. The most recent awards included: Gold Education Leaders Award 2019 – Digital Education Gold Impact Business IT Excellence (BITE) Award 2019 – Social Contribution/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) With these two awards, Oracle Academy in Greece has earned a total of 14 awards over three years in four different award contests. It also marks the third year in a row that Oracle Academy has been awarded the Gold Impact BITE Award for CSR, and the third year in a row that it was recognized at the Education Leaders Awards in the Digital Education Category, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze awards. The Gold Impact BITE (Business IT Excellence) Award for Corporate Citizenship Initiatives recognized Oracle Academy as the leader in CSR activities in the ICT sector in Greece. The Impact BITE Awards are the most prestigious awards of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in Greece, and are organized by leading B2B publishing company Boussias Communications in cooperation with the E-Business Research Center of Athens University of Economics and Business. The annual awards have been held for the past eight years and are acknowledged by all major ICT organizations in the country. The Education Leaders Award recognized Oracle Academy’s contributions to the Greek educational system. These awards honor educational organizations that systematically invest and innovate so the human capital of Greece may bring to society wisdom, knowledge, skills, talent, and inspiration, leading to innovation and progress. More than 350 educational organizations and companies from Greece and Cyprus participated in the awards. On behalf of Oracle Academy, both awards were accepted by and made possible by the hard work of Eleni Tsipa, Oracle Academy Program Manager for Greece, Cyprus, Malta, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. Thank you, Eleni! Watch videos from the two awards ceremonies.    

Recently, Oracle Academy was recognized with its fourteenth award for outstanding contributions to the Greek educational system and corporate citizenship. The most recent awards included: Gold Education...

BRG Schoren/Dornbirn Secondary School in Austria has been an active member of Oracle Academy for many years, offering programming classes at both lower secondary level and advanced programming skills at upper secondary level. Every school year, the BRG Schoren 6ITM class, which focuses on software development, completes the Oracle Academy Java Foundations course and offers each student the opportunity to sit for the final exam for the course to achieve the Oracle Academy Course Certificate in Java Foundations. In 2019, a number of the school’s students were successful in passing the Oracle Academy exam. Visit this link to see more details of this year’s students who each proudly earned a Java Foundations certificate. The course used a blended learning model: a mix of original Oracle Academy online curriculum and resources aligned with hands-on and face-to-face learning modules in computer science education. The online training resources were in English, as well as the midterm and final exams. This special IT branch of the school optimally combines the advantages of general education topics with a strong IT focus, including eLearning, a notebook class, and freely selected individual instruction in software development or media design. For many of the IT Schoren graduates, this focus prepares them optimally for easy entry into their chosen career paths or for further university level study of information technology. Well done and congratulations to all 6ITM students, as well as to their teacher, Mr. Wüschner (Media educator and Computer Science teacher, Federal Coordinator Vorarlberg for eEducation and eLearning). We look forward to further success stories from this institution and these students!

BRG Schoren/Dornbirn Secondary School in Austria has been an active member of Oracle Academy for many years, offering programming classes at both lower secondary level and advanced programming skills...

As part of our mission to promote diversity in computing, Oracle Academy hosted for the fourth consecutive year the Girls in ICT Day across Latin America. This year the event was held simultaneously in several countries in Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. The events each featured Oracle and Oracle Women Lead speakers to inspire girls to learn more about and consider careers in information technology and related computing fields. More than 560 young women participated in inspiring Oracle tech leader talks, design thinking workshops, coding exercises, and programming a Finch robot, all organized by Oracle Academy. On behalf of Oracle Academy, I would like to thank each of the more than 60 volunteers who, with dedication, commitment and an inspiring spirit of excellence and service, supported this important event around all corners of Latin America. A huge thank you to our Oracle volunteers! Watch our new videos celebrating the events and see how Oracle Academy courses and educators have helped young women become tech experts who now are sharing their knowledge with other young women: English: https://youtu.be/DPIgEADS6b0 Spanish: https://youtu.be/K4W7k7YjBc8 Portuguese: https://youtu.be/CIMQk8Wa0F8 Some event country highlights: Brazil Oracle Brazil hosted 90 girls from several institutions, including Senac, PUC-SP, CPS schools of Lins, Guaianazes, Praia Grande, Band-Tec, and Projeto Meninas Negras, for a day full of inspiration and technology. The event started with a panel on leadership featuring Oracle experts Elisa Kobayashi, Architecture Technology Director; Mara Carvalho, Alliances and Channels Manager; Marcelle Paiva, Marketing Director; and Daniele Botaro, LAD Diversity and Inclusion leader, as session mediator. Additionally, Isabelle Christina, Leader, Cloud and Digital, and Vitoria Silva, Video Developer and Designer, led a panel on how to succeed in the industry. The students also had the opportunity to participate in a programming workshop using Finch, a robot specifically designed to teach young students the basics of computer programming and robotics. Oracle Brazil Managing Director Rodrigo Galvõ closed the event by delivering a motivational message on Oracle vision and values. Mexico With the aim of inspiring and motivating more young women to consider computing careers and join the tech industry, Oracle Academy invited 30 female students from the Technological University of Nezahualcoyotl and the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico to the Oracle Mexico office to participate in Girls in ICT Day events. With several inspiring talks from Oracle leaders, the participants enjoyed a day full of knowledge and new experiences. Samantha Moguel, Senior Account Manager; Olga Patiño, Senior Sales Director; Liliana Vargas, Oracle Academy LAD Business Manager; Elena de la Torre, Corporate Citizenship Manager; and Julieta Arias, LAD Endomarketing, volunteered their expertise to help make the event a success. Colombia On April 23 in Colombia, Oracle Academy hosted 35 girls from Hernando Durán Dussan School.  The event included a panel of Oracle leaders and representatives of the education industry discussing technology topics. During the afternoon, the girls learned more about life at Oracle with a group of 37 volunteer mentors. Finally, the participants had the opportunity to experience the recently opened Oracle Innovation Labs, where they participated in a workshop on creating technology solutions for environmental problems in the City of Bogota. The teams worked on issues related to water, clean energy, waste, mobility, and air quality, and were supported by a group of 16 volunteer facilitators. On May 3 in Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, 170 girls from public schools of the ITM University attended the Girls in ICT celebration. The activities were supported by Sapiencia, Ruta N, and the San Bata Group, with the support of Oracle Academy Country Manager Marcela Escobar. Peru Oracle Academy in Peru celebrated Girls in ICT Day on April 25 with 80 students from USIL. Oracle volunteers Chiarella Bencan, Solution Engineering Senior Manager, opened the event with a talk on the role of women in technology, and then Juan Pablo Guizado, Enterprise Architect for Public Sector, took the girls on a journey exploring the latest emerging technologies. Finally, the students participated in a design thinking workshop led by Luzmila Toledo, Staff Solution Engineer; Veronica Rosas, Oracle Academy Country Manager; Andrea Alvarez, Senior Solution Engineer; and Maria Gabriela Casado, Marketing Specialist. Costa Rica In Costa Rica, the Girls in ICT event took place at the Miravalle School in Cartago, with young women from five additional schools around the country also participating there. The agenda included a Java programming workshop facilitated by master teacher Evelyn Ramirez, and a design thinking activity lead by Miravalle’s Principal, Ihosvanny Seguí. In this workshop, the girls had the opportunity to identify and propose solutions to increase the participation of women in tech and the IT industry. Oracle volunteer Ana Laura Medrano, Chief Solution Engineer, delivered a motivational talk on her life as an computer science engineer, including her challenges and her accomplishments as a successful professional. “Women must empower themselves to exceed their expectations and have a positive attitude to the challenges that arise,” she said as one of her closing remarks to the more than 100 young women attending the event. Puerto Rico In Puerto Rico, Oracle Academy organized activities around the role of women and challenges in technology. The event was hosted at the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo and the Maria Cadilla de Martínez School. During the event, Oracle Academy volunteers spoke about women in technology, and a panel of Oracle employees shared their experiences in the industry and on the job, covering their time as students as well as the challenges they have faced as women in the technology industry. Oracle volunteer Manoletts Morales, Principal Solution Engineer, shared a demo and presentation of the evolution of applications through the years, and closed the event with a Java programming workshop using Alice. Support from volunteers Aurora Roque, Customer Care Representative; Carolina Rivera, Customer Success Manager; and Johana Bohorquez, Sales Representative, was key to the success of the event on the island. Again, thank you to all our Oracle volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise to help make our Oracle Academy Girls in ICT events across Latin America such as success! We appreciate you supporting the Oracle Academy mission to increase diversity in technology fields by sharing your knowledge and experience with these young women.

As part of our mission to promote diversity in computing, Oracle Academy hosted for the fourth consecutive year the Girls in ICT Day across Latin America. This year the event was held...

In June 2019, more than 80 students from Mapúa University in Makati City, Philippines, attended an Oracle Academy Technology Talk to learn more about data warehouse and business intelligence. Listening to the talk by Oracle Solution Engineer Jase Tiojanco, who works in the Oracle Cloud Platform Group and specializes in analytics and data management, Mapúans learned how the challenges of data growth and complexity are driving businesses to embrace digital transformation and data science as key determinants in their ability to innovate. The students also learned about autonomous innovation and data analytics and were provided a demonstration of the Oracle Autonomous Database. “I learned so much about Oracle products in data warehousing that will greatly help not just businesses, but also my students in their future professions. At this stage, they are well aware of the innovations from Oracle that can help them land a career as an IT professional,” said Julio Macrohon, a faculty member at Mapúa University. “With Oracle Academy's help, academia and industry link to create a harmonious transition for students to be better prepared for the needs of businesses.” Oracle Academy organizes special learning sessions for its member institutions. Also joining the students in the Oracle Academy Technology Talk was Dr. William Torres, one of the fathers of the Philippine Internet and a full-time faculty member of Mapúa’s School of Information Technology. Mapúa University is a top Asian university with a three-star overall rating by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). It fosters its tradition of excellence in engineering and sciences, architecture and design, information technology, business and management, media studies, and social sciences education. The university is the first school in Southeast Asia to obtain accreditation from the United States-based ABET (www.abet.org) and has the most number (14) of accredited engineering and computing programs in a single campus in the Philippines. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

In June 2019, more than 80 students from Mapúa University in Makati City, Philippines, attended an Oracle Academy Technology Talk to learn more about data warehouse and business...

On June 17, 2019, Oracle Academy joined with other key tech industry partners to formally kick off the Malaysian government’s ‘MY Digital Tech Talent’ initiative. The initiative was jointly established by the Ministry of Education and MDEC, the government agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia, entrusted to lead the nation's digital economy forward. The event recognized 11 universities and five polytechnic institutions that have been awarded Premier Digital Tech University status for 2019 - 2021. ‘MY Digital Tech Talent’ was established to connect industry with educational institutions. Under the initiative, participating industry partners provide the selected institutions with a range of services, including curriculum assets and training for teachers on a range of technology subjects that they then can incorporate into their respective courses and programs. This will help their students acquire key knowledge and relevant skills to be ready for industry jobs upon graduation. As part of the initiative, Oracle Academy is delivering Train the Trainer events for educators in Java Programming and Database Design and Programming with SQL, plus self-learning study on Big Data and Machine Learning with Artificial Intelligence in Java. Each educator who completes the training will then be able to teach Oracle Academy course curriculum to students at their institutions. “MDEC is a strong proponent of public-private partnerships, and this premier digital tech initiative is a great example of how such alliances can powerfully impact the growth of Malaysia’s digital economy,” said Surina Shukri, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC. The launch event was held on June 17 at the Auditorium Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Oracle Academy was represented by Oracle Malaysia Managing Director Mohamed Fitri Abdullah, who was invited to join the stage with Dr. Maszlee Malik, Minister of Education, to formally acknowledge our participation in the initiative. Other tech industry partners include Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, Intel, JobStreet, SaS and Runcloud. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

On June 17, 2019, Oracle Academy joined with other key tech industry partners to formally kick off the Malaysian government’s ‘MY Digital Tech Talent’ initiative. The initiative was...

Students from the North Metropolitan Technical & Further Education (TAFE) college in Perth, Western Australia, were treated to an afternoon with two Oracle guest presenters who shared insights into key technologies that students are covering in their various information technology courses at North Metropolitan TAFE. Mike Drok, Cloud Platform Architect, and Peter Winn, Cloud Platform Strategist, both from the Oracle team in Perth, volunteered their time to share their knowledge and experience with the students and lecturers. The Oracle guest speakers covered a range of current technology topics, including machine learning, cloud architecture and blockchain. Following the industry talk, the consultants gave valuable feedback for lecturers to help shape the direction of their courses.  “In keeping with North Metro TAFE's objective of trying to make students "job-ready", the consultants provided a very informative session, giving examples of how new technology is being applied to business. Students particularly liked the case study demonstration of insights derived from HR data using the Oracle Analytics Cloud tool,” said Ivone Bennett, Programming Lecturer at North Metro TAFE Northbridge Campus. “They also discussed transitions in their own careers, and the types of roles available in IT. Thank you to Oracle Academy for supporting this kind of initiative.” North Metropolitan TAFE offers campus locations in the heart of Perth’s cultural district, where students learn through practical training from industry experts, in state-of-the-art facilities. The college has strong partnerships with industry that ensure courses remain current to provide their students with job-ready skills. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Students from the North Metropolitan Technical & Further Education (TAFE) college in Perth, Western Australia, were treated to an afternoon with two Oracle guest presenters who shared insights into...

April was a busy time for Oracle Iasi, in particular for one department where Gabriel Amarandei is the Manager, Customer Support, Database Administration. Why? Our Oracle colleagues took the time to share their experience and expertise by presenting to 250 students at two different events sponsored by Oracle Academy, discussing with them the importance of what they can learn from the Oracle Academy program and how this can help them for future IT careers. The two events, Zilele Studentului Electronist, Iasi, and IT Marathon, both took place in early April 2019. The events were organized by the student association from the Technical University Gheorghe Asachi, Iasi. Oracle experts Amarandei, Daniel Hurmuz, and Gabriel Ungureanu generously delivered presentations about Oracle as a company and the varied career opportunities in Romania for experts in Oracle Database architecture, performance and optimization. On April 16, Oracle Iasi hosted 30 high school students from Colegiul National Iasi at the request of their teacher, Gabriela Conea, an Oracle Academy member. We were delighted to have newly hired Oracle engineer Ciprian Ghimici speak to the students about why he choose a job at Oracle. Our Oracle Volunteers shared with students their passion for performance, intense study, and technology. “I want to thank you on behalf of my students and myself for the openness and friendship with which you hosted us for almost two hours yesterday. I know how important every minute is for you and that's why we appreciate so much time you have allotted to us so generously,” said Gabriela Conea. “Most of the students entered for the first time an IT company and were very impressed by the friendly atmosphere that you created, but especially about the messages regarding the performance, the intense study, the possibility of professional and personal growth in our country. All of us understood that growing yourselves enables growing others.” Following these events, the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Engineering Technical University, Gheorghe Asachi, Iasi, invited our colleagues to present to the students at their Sesiunea de Comunicari Stiintifice Studentesti (SCSS) 2019 on May 17, 2019. Additionally, the team presented at the Universitatea A.I. Cuza, Iasi, where they completed the official course by mentoring at a workshop for the students covering Oracle index usage and optimization. We give heartfelt thanks to our Oracle Volunteers who took considerable time to share their expertise with these students to continue to grow the future of technology in Romania. The students had the opportunity to learn from the best as they continue on their paths of becoming the tech innovators and leaders of tomorrow.    

April was a busy time for Oracle Iasi, in particular for one department where Gabriel Amarandei is the Manager, Customer Support, Database Administration. Why? Our Oracle colleagues took the time to...

Founded in 1993 as a non-profit private university in Istanbul, Koc University is one of the leading universities in Turkey today, distinguished by notable contributions to education, knowledge, and service both domestically and beyond. Recently, Oracle Academy supported passionate volunteer students of the IEEE Koc University Student Branch to initiate a social project for disadvantaged students (aged 12-14) from Anafartalar Secondary School in Istanbul. The project aimed to support younger students in learning basic concepts behind coding and empower them with tech skills so they can be more than just consumers of technology. IEEE Koc University students delivered 80 minutes of Java Coding workshops to 40 young students as a club activity using Oracle Academy’s Workshop in a Box resources. They used Alice, an innovative block-based programming environment. The sessions continued for 10 weeks, from February through May 2019. During the sessions, university students mentored younger students to create animations, build interactive narratives, and program simple games in 3D using Alice. The university students volunteered their time to organize a campus visit to Koc University on May 16 for young students who completed these workshops, to inspire them to pursue a career in a STEM field. We are proud that these students have taken the initiative on their own to teach their younger colleagues using Oracle Academy resources. We were delighted to support the IEEE Koc University Student Branch, whose mission is to strengthen the research, creation, development, sharing and application processes of engineering in electricity, electronics, information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and related professions. If you are interested in conducting a similar workshop, please check out our five Workshops in a Box. They’re fun for students and easy to conduct!  

Founded in 1993 as a non-profit private university in Istanbul, Koc University is one of the leading universities in Turkey today, distinguished by notable contributions to education, knowledge,...

To help educators teach industry-relevant STEM skills, on May 7, Oracle Academy partnered with the NGO Initiative for Information Technology Capacity Building (I4ITCB) and the Nigeria Computer Society to hold a one-day program for 72 educators from 18 tertiary institutions. The I4ITCB works to improve pedagogy among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educators in the Southeastern part of Nigeria.  Oracle Academy had an opportunity to let the teachers know about the free Oracle Academy program benefits available to them, including classroom teaching resources, Java and database curriculum, and software licenses for teaching and research use―all at no cost. The educators were engaged in a curriculum mapping exercise to identify the gaps in their academic curriculum where Oracle Academy courses could be used as a bridge. This valuable exercise also identified new topics that should be introduced into the national curriculum using Oracle Academy resources. Oracle Academy is pleased to be a part of this first stage of this laudable project to embed industry-led curriculum into the teaching of computer science to ensure students gain valuable technology skills that help them become career ready. Learn more: https://techeconomy.ng/2019/05/13/i4itcb-oracle-academy-and-ncs-host-seminar-for-stem-lecturers-in-south-east-nigeria/ In early April, Oracle Academy hosted an Oracle Academy Day in Oyo State to highlight curriculum and help improve the teaching of STEM subjects, including computer science. Oracle Academy in partnership with Lead City University created an insightful session for educators, “Exploring Oracle Academy's Free Learning and Teaching Resources on Computer Science and Industry-Relevant Technologies.” The audience comprised 51 faculty members from the all the institutions of higher learning and select secondary schools in Oyo State, 12 institutions in all. The session provided an opportunity for participants to hear from the Oracle Academy program manager for Africa, Sefunmi Fadahunsi, about the free benefits, curriculum and resources the Oracle Academy program offers to institutions and educators. The discussions gave participants an understanding of how Oracle Academy continues to develop programs to meet the evolving needs of students and faculty. Discussions centered on how Oracle Academy can work with members to map out their curriculum to facilitate the delivery of learning and Oracle Academy curriculum content in the academic sector. Technical experts from Oracle also delivered sessions to the teachers on current industry trends, and how to touch on these in the classroom. The day ended with a buzzing energy in the room as the educators were excited about the teaching possibilities, and some schools immediately joined and registered as Institutional members of Oracle Academy. Not yet an Institutional member of Oracle Academy? Learn more and join.

To help educators teach industry-relevant STEM skills, on May 7, Oracle Academy partnered with the NGO Initiative for Information Technology Capacity Building (I4ITCB) and the Nigeria Computer Society...

To provide students with information on career paths using computing as well as the latest technology, on April 5 and 25, 2019, in Lagos, Nigeria, Oracle Academy hosted Knowledge Builder sessions with STEM university students. Oracle employees generously volunteered their time and expertise to provide the students with quality discussions on technology career paths and industry relevant skills, and practical sessions on artificial intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, and learning and Data Visualization Cloud Services. At the April 5 session, Oracle Technology Consultants Bukola Ogunleye and Martins Elugbaju held a session with more than 30 students and 10 educators on artificial intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning, using Oracle Academy’s curriculum on Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning in Java. On April 25, computer science students of Oracle Academy Institutional member Bowen University visited the Oracle Lagos Office. It was a great opportunity to expose students to the Oracle Academy program student offerings, presented by Sefunmi Fadahunsi, Oracle Academy Program Manager. Tunde Senowo of the Oracle Technology team presented a demonstration on Data Visualization Cloud Services, using the 2019 Nigerian presidential election results as a case study, to 40 students and their teacher. The Oracle Nigeria Country Manager, Adebayo Sanni, also dropped by to offer advice to the students. He emphasized that technology is the future and the students should embrace computer science education fully. The visit featured discussions around innovation, collaboration, and the gateway into new Oracle technologies. On May 11-13, as part of its commitment to supporting computer science education, Oracle Academy sponsored the participated in the Annual International Education EXPO: Back to School Ethiopia, hosted in Addis Ababa. Oracle Academy staff presented its free program benefits to participants and engaged with many participating schools. At the conference, a student hackathon promoted the practical use of technology and encouraged development of the innovative and technical skills of participating students. Around 50 students from 10 universities in Ethiopia took part in the hackathon, which challenged participants to use Java programming to build web and mobile applications. (pictured below) Following the event, faculty members had the opportunity to join Oracle Academy as members so they would be able to access free curriculum and other Oracle Academy no-cost learning resources and tools.      

To provide students with information on career paths using computing as well as the latest technology, on April 5 and 25, 2019, in Lagos, Nigeria, Oracle Academy hosted Knowledge Builder sessions with...

Oracle Academy recently facilitated a student-focused event at FAST (Foundation for Advanced Science & Technology) National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), Karachi campus, in Pakistan. Students and faculty from the computer science and management sciences departments attended the event. NUCES is a premiere university of Pakistan, renowned for its quality and impact of its students on local industries, including software development. Experts from Oracle Pakistan presented to the students, including Shariq Rehman, Managing Director of Oracle Pakistan, who is an alumnus of FAST-NUCES. Shariq commenced his session by discussing the rapid pace at which the world is evolving and explaining how Oracle is successfully adapting to all of these innovations. He discussed some important emerging technologies, namely: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), and Blockchain. He also highlighted how Oracle supports learning initiatives by providing free access to educational materials and Oracle technologies through the Oracle Academy program. The later part of the session was devoted to career counseling. Shariq imparted useful career advice, sharing his experiences and observations from the time he was a student to his current career. The event received an overwhelming positive response from the students. “Mr. Rehman’s session was very informational and interesting for the students. They were especially interested in the introduction of how Oracle platforms support cutting-edge technologies, and the case studies, and they were excited by the fact that some of those platforms were accessible to them through Oracle Academy membership,” said Dr. M. Rafi, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science. “Mr. Rehman’s status as an alumnus of FAST allowed him to create a good rapport with the students. His career counseling advice and tips on how they can prepare themselves were very popular. We are hopeful such sessions will continue in a regular manner and allow students and faculty alike to keep up with the cutting-edge tools made available by Oracle.” Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To learn more about Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, explore joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.  

Oracle Academy recently facilitated a student-focused event at FAST (Foundation for Advanced Science & Technology) National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), Karachi campus, in...

Last month in Taipei, more than 200 women working in tech and women-led startups joined together for the inaugural TECH(K)NOW Day in Asia. TECH(K)NOW Day was initiated in London in early 2017 and now occurs twice a year to provide a forum for women to learn new tech skills. At the event, more than 25 key community leaders in Taiwan gathered together to host 11 talks, 11 workshops, and 15 community tables. Oracle Academy joined together with Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) to set up a community table and meet up with tech community leaders from Girls in Tech, Women Who Code Taipei, Ladies that UX Taipei, Taipei Women in Tech, Pyladies, Women in IOT, WikiWomen, and many more. Oracle experts also participated as event keynote speakers. Vivian Liu, Cloud Solution Architect from Oracle Taiwan, described so-called innovation in digital transformation as a means to simplify our work and solve complicated problems in a more convenient way. She also elaborated on Oracle Autonomous Database, a cloud-based database that uses machine learning to eliminate the human labor associated with database tuning, security, backups, updates, and other routine management tasks traditionally performed by database administrators (DBAs). Oracle thrives on diversity. By building diverse and inclusive teams, we think more strategically and work more creatively. That’s why it’s crucial that we continuously leverage our powerful pool of female talent. OWL is an inclusive organization that believes men and women are stronger when they work together—a theme which is central to this year’s International Women’s Day mantra of #BalanceforBetter. Oracle Academy is pleased to collaborate with OWL on our shared goal of advancing computing globally to drive knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. Toward this goal, Oracle Academy offers educational institutions and educators free curricula, learning resources, software, cloud practice environments, training, support, and certification resources.  See https://techknowday.com/ and https://m.facebook.com/techknowday/ for more information about the event, and https://twitter.com/oraclewomenlead and https://blogs.oracle.com/women/ for more information on OWL.

Last month in Taipei, more than 200 women working in tech and women-led startups joined together for the inaugural TECH(K)NOW Day in Asia. TECH(K)NOW Day was initiated in London in early 2017 and now...

Following a request from faculty at Oracle Academy Institutional member the Economic Studies Academy in Bucharest (ASE), Oracle Academy, together with eProseed, an Oracle partner in Romania, organized six knowledge builder workshops for students. The events were held April 1-10, 2019, for 228 students, and focused on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Business Process Management (BPM) and Oracle Application Express (APEX). Leonard Coman, Senior SOA-BPM Consultant, eProseed, and Roxana Chiriacescu, Senior Advanced Support Engineer, Oracle, (pictured in photo) held several discussions on the above topics with the students of the Academia de Economic Studies. Their sessions comprised of a theoretical overview and a hands-on tutorial. During the theoretical session, the students received introductions on the Oracle Fusion Middleware Integration family (Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BPM Suite) and a description of the latest features of Oracle APEX 19.1. During these sessions, the students learned about: Basic concepts about and examples of SOA: what services are, how they help us, and how they can be the building blocks for future workflow integration.   Service Component Architecture (SCA) components: Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), Business Rule, Mediator and Human Task. The teaching team also touched on Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Representational State Transfer (REST), and File and Database Adapters.   The introduction to BPM glued together all the previous details so the students could understand scenarios from individual services that implement some specific functionalities to the types of complexities they might encounter in a business.   The team used Oracle APEX to create a user interface (UI) for the SOA-BPM projects to trigger the services and show students the output of all the integration done in the background, as well as demonstrate new features offered by Oracle APEX 19.1.   The students moved forward from basic installation and configuration details, to SOA-BPM modeling and design, to actually running the projects; the motto of the workshop was “What You Model Is What You Execute.” “This series of applicative presentations was held as part of the “Computer Systems Design” course in collaboration with Oracle Academy as part of the ‘Databases – Support for Business’ Master’s degree program. We particularly appreciate the involvement of the two speakers, Leonard Coman and Roxana Chiriacescu, and their interaction with the students and their willingness to answer questions and direct the students toward additional resources,” said Ion Lungu, ASE University Professor. The educators and hundreds of students who participated learned something new on the topics of focus, and now will have the opportunity to implement new ideas in their university projects.  

Following a request from faculty at Oracle Academy Institutional member the Economic Studies Academy in Bucharest (ASE), Oracle Academy, together with eProseed, an Oracle partner in Romania,...

On May 3, 2019, Oracle Academy, in collaboration with IT Garage Academy (an NGO), organized an Alice Hac(kid)hon Challenge in Ankara at Yunus Emre Vocational and Technical High School. More than 100 female students from disadvantaged backgrounds participated and were inspired to explore a STEM focus in their future education and career pathways. The workshops at this hackathon event introduce programming skills to younger students, engaging and challenging them using the fun Alice coding platform, and helping to build their science, engineering, and technology skills early. The aim is to inspire these students to become the innovators and technology leaders of tomorrow. The students’ teachers also have benefited from these programming workshops by having the opportunity to develop their Java skills and to use these educational tools in their classrooms.  During the event, the finalist students showed off the projects that they developed using Alice and 3D design programs. As a special guest, Rana Selcuk the wife of the Turkey Minister of National Education also attended to the event and viewed the student projects. The winning projects were celebrated in a small ceremony. During his keynote speech, Cem Satana, Senior Sales Director for Oracle Turkey, emphasized Oracle Academy’s commitment to advance computing education around the world to increase knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. Special thanks go to Oracle’s distributors in Turkey, Linkplus & Artim IT, for their valuable support of this project. With events like this, Oracle Academy proudly supports The 2023 Education Vision for Turkey, through which one of the priorities is to hold coding and 3D design activities for students to help them improve their digital skills, leading to successful careers using technology, and supporting future industry growth nationwide.  

On May 3, 2019, Oracle Academy, in collaboration with IT Garage Academy (an NGO), organized an Alice Hac(kid)hon Challenge in Ankara at Yunus Emre Vocational and Technical High School. More than 100...

It’s been a busy time for Oracle Academy partners in Kenya, which held several events to share a passion for programming with students. Public School Students Introduced to Programming using Oracle Technologies The Global Peace Foundation, in partnership with Oracle Academy and the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA), held a one-day coding event boot camp at CEMASTEA and Kenya Science. The objective was to promote a passion for ICT and innovation in students, while sharing the latest technologies with educators. The boot camp was attended by 97 students and 17 teachers from 10 public secondary schools in four different counties in Machakos, Nairobi, and Kajiado. Participating schools included: BuruBuru Girls’ School Machakos School Jamhuri High School Kariobangi North Girls’ School Rombo Secondary, Ole Kajiado Secondary Precious Blood Riruta, Moi Forces Academy Mary Leakey Girls’ School Maina Wanjigi Secondary School “I think it is time as a country that we recognize and understand the fourth industrial  revolution that is coming is anchored on technology and innovation,” said Mr. Njoroge, Director, CEMASTEA. “That is why it is important for students to learn these skills at an early age and apply them not only after school but also to solve problems at school, and in the community and the country at large.” Students were encouraged to keep learning, and Oracle Academy provided the teachers with curriculum and software for continued use in their classrooms. We thank our partners for joining us in our mission to increase diversity, knowledge and skills in computing fields. Oracle Academy Students Shine at Kenya Student Hackathon Using Oracle Cloud At the end of March 2019, students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology beat 100 students from 18 universities to pick up top awards at the Oracle Academy Student Hackathon 1.0, held at Strathmore University in Nairobi. ​Competing against other developers, Phillip Oyier, Mercy Jillo, Keith Kinyua Machina, and Kennedy Kamande Wangari won the top spot in various categories of the two-day event, sponsored by iLab Africa, Moringa School, and Oracle Academy. The high stress content environment tested the students’ self-expression, unfolding creativity and innovation through mastering of technology, effective collaboration, and teamwork skills. The students focused on four thematic areas including: Internet of Things Application Programming Data Science Information Security They spent 48 hours collaboratively identifying problems facing their community in a real world set-up, and then developed innovative solutions to solve the problems identified. Before the event, all students from universities and colleges were invited to take part in various activities that took place in February, and participants were then subjected to a pre-qualification stage. This required them to describe projects or problems they had tackled and solved before. Congratulations to our innovative hackathon winners! Read more in these media articles: http://dailyactive.info/index.php/2019/03/27/congrats-4-students-feted-at-oracle-student-hackathon-challenge/ http://discover.jkuat.ac.ke/jkuat-students-top-at-the-2019-oracle-student-hackathon/ https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ureport/article/2001318494/jkuat-team-shines-at-the-2019-oracle-student-hackathon-in-strathmore  

It’s been a busy time for Oracle Academy partners in Kenya, which held several events to share a passion for programming with students. Public School Students Introduced to Programming using Oracle...

Oracle Academy proudly sponsored and partnered with VisionAid at the Inclusive STEM Hackathon 2019 in Bangalore, India. The hackathon is a 24-hour event where blind and visually impaired developers, industry professionals, and computer science students come together to work on exciting and challenging problems. The aim of the hackathon is to sensitize engineers from IT companies and change the wider mindset on the functioning and efficiency of persons with blindness and low vision. Working together on the project also provides the participants with disabilities an opportunity to learn from experienced IT professionals. The event brought together nearly 75 blind and sighted participants from across the country for the coding event, which included several other activities such as panel discussions and breakout sessions for interaction between participants and representatives from universities and corporations. The hackathon was divided into two tracks, including a mentorship track for students who were new to the field paired with corporate professionals who were willing to mentor these students. As part of supporting the hackathon, Oracle offered a keynote speaker, Divya Singh, Senior Director of Application Program Management. Her address touched on Oracle welcoming talented employees with disabilities as a diverse and inclusive organization. She spoke about job opportunities in the IT industry, and Oracle specifically, for visually impaired students looking for a career in IT, and the ways to prepare for it. She also shared her experience of working with visually impaired students as a volunteer teacher for blind schools and talked about several real-life inspirational role models who had been able to overcome disability and adverse circumstances and rise to great heights. She urged and inspired the participants to reach high. We were pleased she took time out of her schedule to represent Oracle and inspire these students.  VisionAid is a non-profit organization providing rehabilitation services in underserved areas in India. We at Oracle Academy are pleased to partner with them to increase diversity in computing throughout the country.

Oracle Academy proudly sponsored and partnered with VisionAid at the Inclusive STEM Hackathon 2019 in Bangalore, India. The hackathon is a 24-hour event where blind and visually impaired developers,...

To provide education on the latest technology to Oracle Academy Institutional member school students, on March 16 and March 20, Oracle Academy hosted Oracle Academy Virtual Student Day, Latin America. Over the course of four hours using a completely virtual, cloud-based platform, Oracle experts delivered sessions to the more than 2,200 online participants on topics ranging from the Oracle Autonomous Database, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, NonSQL databases, big data, and more. For the first time, two separate sessions were held―one in Spanish and another in Portuguese―to encourage participation of all students across the region, and to maximize the knowledge transfer. The event received more than 4,000 registrations from students in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Students were able to attend the sessions live or choose to access them later. “The results of the event were amazing. The students are very motivated after their participation in the event and very excited to download their participation certificates from Oracle Academy. We appreciate what Oracle does to support training of more students, with the aim to help them get better job opportunities in the future,” says Jose Abreu, Computer Sciences Department Coordinator at Instituto Tecnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC), Dominican Republic, an Oracle Academy Institutional member. The response from the students widely exceeded our expectations, and the student feedback around of content and format of the event was great. This success motivates the entire Oracle Academy team and our volunteer speakers to continue to deliver these types of events across the region.  

To provide education on the latest technology to Oracle Academy Institutional member school students, on March 16 and March 20, Oracle Academy hosted Oracle Academy Virtual Student Day, Latin America. O...

To encourage student innovation in robotics, for the third year Oracle Academy has been pleased to be one of the sponsors of the FIRST Tech Challenge, Romania, organized by Natie Prin Educatie Association. The final championship round of the challenge was held in Bucharest on March 22-24, 2019, at Sala Polivalenta. The event brought together hundreds of students from different high schools across Romania. This was an open doors event that welcomed an estimated 9,000-plus students during those three days. The students worked in teams of 10-15 members, and during a five-month timespan, built a robot using a robotics kit, a 3D printer, and a set of tools provided by the Natie Prin Educatie Association, an NGO. The teams competed in demos, qualifying regionals, and finally in the National Robotics Championship (Bucharest) and World Robotics Championship (USA). The Romanian teams that qualified to attend the World Robotics Championship in the USA are: Xeo, Colegiul National – Horea, Closca si Crisan, Alba-Iulia WhattsUp, Colegiul National – Dinicu Golescu, Campulung-Muscel Quantum Robotics, Liceul Teoretic International de Informatica – Bucuresti RobotX_HD, Colegiul National de Informatică – Traian Lalescu, Hunedoara Natie Prin Educatie Association has been an Oracle Academy partner since December 2018, and teaches Oracle Academy curriculum to its student members. FIRST Tech Challenge Romania, organized by the Natie Prin Educatie Association, is an important robotics and STEM education program for high school students in Romania. Currently, the program works with 1,500 students from 49 cities in the country, plus 300 teacher-mentors and 200 volunteers. We at Oracle Academy are pleased to continue our work encouraging students to innovate and become the STEM and computer science leaders of the future.      

To encourage student innovation in robotics, for the third year Oracle Academy has been pleased to be one of the sponsors of the FIRST Tech Challenge, Romania, organized by Natie Prin...

Oracle Academy and Oracle Academy Country Manager Roberta Battagli were delighted to once again host educators at Oracle Academy Day in Rome on March 29, 2019. The Oracle Academy Day event is all about getting to know our members and update them on new benefits from the program, and for us to hear about the impact Oracle Academy and the Scuola Lavoro program has had on their students. 80 Faculty / teachers attended the event and had the wonderful opportunity to hear from students at IT IS Armellini about the importance of teamwork and their smart campus project that involves five local schools: ITIS Galileo Galilei ITIS Enrico Fermi IS Federico Caffè ITIS Stanislao Cannizzaro Students developed projects, which included ideas such as digital access for students to lockers, health monitoring, and even digital bins that self emptied!  Attendees also were able to witness Maria Costanzo's Lego Proxima City, a true showcase of Oracle’s cloud technology that acted as the inspiration for the Digital Campus project. Students from Pacinotti-Archimede Institute presented a feasibility study of astronomical data collected by the observatory located in the municipality of Vallinfreda and managed by Nazionale delle Assicurazione (INA). The feasibility study showed the need to create a database that would permanently store files related to the astronomical observations acquired by the telescope. This year we were pleased to have William McCabe, (pictured) our Curriculum Development Director, at the event in person to present in detail the Oracle Academy curricula offerings to the educators. He spoke about our full Java and database curriculum pathways, new offerings such as Oracle Academy Education Bytes, and pathways to professional certifications for career readiness. The Oracle Academy Day provided a great starting point for discussion, innovation, collaboration, and the gateway into new Oracle technologies, while giving a voice to the educators of today and creators of tomorrow.  

Oracle Academy and Oracle Academy Country Manager Roberta Battagli were delighted to once again host educators at Oracle Academy Day in Rome on March 29, 2019. The Oracle Academy Day event is all...

Over two days, Oracle Academy in Romania collaborated with more than 25 Oracle colleagues volunteering their time as Oracle Volunteers to run Knowledge Builder events. At these events, these Oracle experts had the opportunity to display their passion for computing and information technology to 126 high school and university students. At the offices of Oracle Romania, they highlighted for the students what the world of IT work is like in a multinational company. Students visited nine different Oracle departments, where they were received by our colleagues who showed them the importance of what they are doing every day, and the links between departments, and also discussed how they started in their careers and gained experience. Sorin Mindrutescu, (pictured) Oracle Romania Country Leader, explained to the high school students the importance of having self-confidence and striving to become better each day. He noted it was important to focus and prepare themselves for a career doing what they love to do every day. The agenda covered different presentations about Oracle in general and in Romania, and how Oracle Academy supports students in accessing and understanding current technologies, and how they can potentially become certified in database and Java before they leave school to prepare them for further education and careers. The Oracle recruitment department showed them how to prepare an effective CV and advised them on how to practice for interviews so they can be confident in their future in the IT domain. All of the students were very impressed by the multitude of helpful information they received. Because they received a more full image of what a career in the IT sector could mean for them, many became more interested in learning about computer science and information technology in their courses. The schools that participated included many Oracle Academy Institutional members, including: Univ.Româno-Americană / Facultatea de Informatică Managerială Academia de Studii Economice Bucuresti/CSIE Universitatea din Bucuresti/Facultatea de Matematica si Informatica Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucuresti Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Instititional member.    

Over two days, Oracle Academy in Romania collaborated with more than 25 Oracle colleagues volunteering their time as Oracle Volunteers to run Knowledge Builder events. At these events, these Oracle...

Yet again, Oracle in Italy was a partner in the Security Summit conference, an event organized by Clusit, the Italian Association for IT Security. Now in its 11th year, the summit has took place March 12-14, 2019. Security is one of the key reasons organizations move to the cloud. Cyber​​security in the cloud, artificial intelligence, and blockchain were the main themes of the event.  Oracle actively contributes to this event, with its experts and partners offering participants in-depth study and operational ideas that allows businesses to make the most of cloud adoption as they pivot into their digital transformation journeys. The cloud is open to continuous innovation, enabling companies to take advantage of emerging technologies that will characterize business models in the coming years. This year, Oracle Academy attended the event to support the Tesi Award, which encourages graduating students to complete projects around the topic of IT Security. The Tesi Award prize this year was presented to student Andrea Possemato from Dipartimento di Informatica, Università degli Studi di Milano, for his thesis “Clickjacking on Android: The Final Countdown.” The award was presented by Roberta Battagli, (pictured) Oracle program manager for Italy, as part of the March 14th session called “Innovating information security.” Learn more at http://www.datamanager.it/2019/03/tutti-i-rischi-cyber-al-security-summit-milano-2019/ (in Italian).

Yet again, Oracle in Italy was a partner in the Security Summit conference, an event organized by Clusit, the Italian Association for IT Security. Now in its 11th year, the summit has took place March...

Oracle Academy and Oracle Greece have won yet another award, a Bronze award in the category “Technology for the Public Good―Digital Education & Skills,” during the Hellenic Responsible Business Awards 2019 ceremony on February 21. The awards were sponsored by Marketing Week magazine and Boussias Communications. The award was presented to Eleni Tsipa, public relations and corporate citizenship specialist for Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Northern Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo (GCMM) cluster, Oracle Hellas. The award was made possible by Eleni’s work in Greece to offer Oracle Academy’s free computing curriculum and resources to institutions and educators. The awards respond to the Greek business community’s need to showcase successful cooperation models that transform the face of the modern, sustainable entrepreneurship aiming at the common good. Dimitris Mavros, managing director of MRB Hellas, noted that corporate social responsibility is important “for better new business, because all stakeholders are happy, because there is a better climate within the company, because reputation is better, because you can influence the market you are in, and because you are different from the competitors…”. The president of the awards jury and President of the Economic and Social Committee of Greece and General Secretary of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE), Giorgos Vernikos, stressed that “responsible companies should have a catalytic role in the direction of interconnection, economy, society and the environment, as, through these awards, they set a bright example for a society that is currently doubting everything.” Learn more about the awards at http://www.responsiblebusiness.gr/ (in Greek). Previously, Oracle Academy was recognized for its outstanding contributions to the Greek educational system and corporate citizenship with three of the country’s top awards: Gold Impact Bite Award 2018 for Corporate Citizenship Initiatives Silver Education Leaders Award 2018 for Digital Education Bronze Education Leaders Awards 2018 for Innovation in Education Additionally, and since 2015, Oracle Academy has received more than 10 awards for its contributions to the Greek educational system through the Education Leaders Awards, the Bravo Sustainability Awards, and the BITE Awards. Learn more about our award-winning Oracle Academy program at academy.oracle.com.  

Oracle Academy and Oracle Greece have won yet another award, a Bronze award in the category “Technology for the Public Good―Digital Education & Skills,” during the Hellenic Responsible Business Awards...

The first ever Oracle Open World Asia (OOW) was hosted in Singapore March 26-27, 2019. The event showcased Oracle’s success stories, technology innovation, and future developments that help businesses meet the evolving needs of their customers, engage their workforce, and protect against security threats. Oracle Academy attended OOW with an exhibition stand and a speaking slot to share how Oracle Academy has been helping the education sector advance computer science education across the globe with free classroom curricula and resources, including numerous outstanding achievements in the Asia Pacific region. Visitors from across the region had a chance to hear of the latest offerings of the Oracle Global educational philanthropic program and how educators and students are being supported in their computer science education endeavors.  Oracle Academy has been growing its reach across this diverse and vibrant region for over a decade, and now includes more than 5,000 regional education institutions in its membership. These institutions, and their educators, gain access to industry-leading software and tools, as well as proven academic curriculum and resources at no cost, to help build the best computer science courses for their students. The presence of Oracle Academy at OOW also helped attendees understand the important and unique value of Oracle’s long-term investment in computer science education in their region. To learn more about and access Oracle Academy’s free computing education curriculum and resources, join Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

The first ever Oracle Open World Asia(OOW) was hosted in Singapore March 26-27, 2019. The event showcased Oracle’s success stories, technology innovation, and future developments that help businesses...

In March 2019, Oracle Academy in the Philippines hosted 28 academics from 18 higher education institutions from across the country to attend an information session on how Oracle can help educators bring artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and data analytics into their computer science courses and curriculums. The event also served as a valuable opportunity for attendees to network and connect with other teachers in the computer science domain.   Mina Lim, Oracle Philippines Managing Director, began the program with opening remarks, emphasizing the value and demand for computer science skills. She described how educators can take advantage of the free Oracle Academy classroom resources for teaching computer science, available to them as members of Oracle Academy. The audience then heard from the lead of Oracle Big Data Analytic Sales Consulting, ASEAN region, Janet Uy, who presented on Oracle artificial intelligence, machine learning, and analytics, and how to prepare students, teachers, and practitioners for the AI future. A third speaker, Anton Ancheta, Senior Director at Oracle NetSuite, talked about his experience in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) space and on work opportunities for students with exposure to NetSuite in their classroom curriculum. Used by more than 40,000 organizations, divisions, and subsidiaries around the world, NetSuite is a unified business management solution that provides one-stop access to ERP, eCommerce, customer relationship management (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) tools. Educators teaching business courses use NetSuite to teach students modern business operations and financial processes in the cloud. All sessions were interactive and informative, with active audience involvement and Q&A opportunities. We thank our Oracle Volunteer colleagues for taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise with these educators. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

In March 2019, Oracle Academy in the Philippines hosted 28 academics from 18 higher education institutions from across the country to attend an information session on how Oracle can help educators...

The ICT Academy BRIDGE Conference, with the theme “Fostering India for Industry 4.0,” brings together industry experts, academic leaders and government policy makers to address the challenges faced by India in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. BRIDGE is the flagship conference of ICT Academy, which started in 2011 and has so far involved more than 20,000 participants, 580 speakers, and 15 million online viewers. The event has offered 37 editions and has been conducted in 12 major cities across India; it is the largest industry institute interaction event of Asia.   ICT Academy celebrated 10 years this year, and Oracle Academy was pleased to be the first industry partner with which the organization signed an agreement (MoU) in their first year of operation. The partnership has continued with success over the years, and Oracle Academy is proud to have supported the ICT Academy vision and contributed to its growing influence across the country. Oracle Academy sponsored the BRIDGE events held this year across six cities: Hyderabad, Vizag, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, and Pune. Each of the events were attended by more than 300 to 1000-plus delegates, 50-plus industry partners, and more than 20 speakers. At each of the events, a speaker from Oracle presented a session on various topics related to Industry 4.0, such as how Oracle is helping manufacturers embrace Industry 4.0, the future of jobs, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Through this ongoing partnership with ICT Academy, Oracle Academy has supported more than 1,000 higher education institutions across India with access to the Oracle Academy program, providing educators at these member institutions with no-cost software, curriculum, hosted technology, faculty training, and certification resources. Faculty can flexibly insert Oracle Academy’s teaching resources into their computer science, statistics, and business programs, ensuring that students gain industry-relevant technical skills before graduation. “Participation in the BRIDGE conferences is an excellent way to complement the important work of the ICT Academy and help educators across higher education learn more about how Oracle Academy can work with them to provide the best computer science education curriculum and resources for their students,” said Suji Gopalan, Oracle Academy Country Manager, India. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

The ICT Academy BRIDGE Conference, with the theme “Fostering India for Industry 4.0,” brings together industry experts, academic leaders and government policy makers to address the challenges faced by...

This month Oracle Academy in Pakistan was proud to support one of its key member Universities in Islamabad, Quaid-i-Azam University, with a targeted session for its faculty, senior academics, and post-grad students on “Oracle Business Analytics in the Cloud.” Assad Saeed, Oracle Enterprise Architect, conducted the presentation at the university’s department of computer sciences, in coordination with Oracle Academy Country Manager for Pakistan, Sajeel Shahzad. The session provided in-depth information regarding Oracle’s broad spectrum of tools for deriving and sharing data insights, and gave an insight into how machine learning can support decision-making processes in businesses. “The examples of Oracle-based solutions deployed in different multinational organizations elevated the motivation of our students for further knowledge and experience in Oracle products,” said Dr. Khalid Saleem of the university’s department of computer sciences. “Mr. Assad’s skills for interactive discussion on the topic kept the students attentive and involved. We are hopeful that the students will extend their expertise in Oracle with further help of Oracle Academy, which is an excellent platform for keeping up to date on the latest innovations introduced to the IT world by Oracle.” Oracle Academy is pleased to continue to advance and support computer science learning of students throughout Pakistan. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

This month Oracle Academy in Pakistan was proud to support one of its key member Universities in Islamabad, Quaid-i-Azam University, with a targeted session for its faculty, senior academics, and...

Academics in Taiwan from 117 universities recently gathered at the Information Service Association of Chinese Colleges (ISAC) conference that focused on new technology in school administration, campus trends, and advanced computer science education. More than 150 educators from universities and vocational/technical colleges attended as a part of the consortium of tertiary institutions of Taiwan. The ISAC has a long history of inter-institutional collaboration in the development and application of IT in the higher education community, contributing to education and the development of IT in Taiwan. Oracle Academy Country Manager in Taiwan, Francine Yang, attended the conference and presented how Oracle Academy has been supporting educators and students in Taiwan with data science curriculum, with a focus on building a bridge between instructor-centric learning and student-directed discovery.  She discussed the Oracle Academy Education Bytes offering, modular lessons that support personalized learning both in and out of the classroom. Education Bytes are short-format, flexible learning modules that offer instructional materials on database, programming and data science concepts and skills. Education Bytes support varying learning modalities with different content in three formats: Hands-On Labs, Projects and Challenges, and Videos and Presentations. The latest offerings put Oracle Academy at the forefront of public-private partnerships in education with a variety of enhanced, flexible formats that help educators teach computer science, bring emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into the classroom, and inspire students with lessons from successful innovators and entrepreneurs. Also featured at the conference was the Department of Information Management, College of Management, Chung-Hua University, Taiwan, R.O.C. The university has been an Oracle Academy member since 2005. It has adopted Oracle Academy curriculum into its schools, offering students the opportunity to gain Oracle database management system (DBMS) knowledge and techniques within the formal college curriculum. Students who complete the courses are then well prepared to take Oracle certification examinations for Oracle professional certificates, which position them to successfully start their professional careers. Dr. Lee, Chi-Chung, chairman of the Professional Master Program of Advanced Database Management, said, “As of 2018, more than 3,000 students attending the university have taken the Oracle database management courses. We really appreciate Oracle Academy helping us reach this remarkable achievement. We believe that students with Oracle DBMS certifications indeed have real advantage in their career development.”   Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Academics in Taiwan from 117 universities recently gathered at the Information Service Association of Chinese Colleges (ISAC) conference that focused on new technology in school administration,...

With the goal of helping to increase the number of girls focused on STEM courses and women working in tech, Oracle Academy proudly supported STEMCON 2019, “The Future Digital Workforce: Implications and Opportunities in STEM,” in Da Nang, Vietnam, March 14-15, 2019. The event, which is hosted by Arizona State University (ASU) annually, welcomed nearly 400 participants from government, industry, and academia at the conference. The conference featured six multi-presentation technical sessions and six panels representing leaders from industry and academia. As Oracle Academy Asia Pacific Regional Director, I contributed as a panelist on a key topic of the conference: “Broadening Participation in STEM: Closing the Gender Gap.” I discussed several of the key interventions Oracle Academy has supported to broaden the number of women working in information technology fields and girls focusing on STEM courses across the region. I noted that industry recognizes the benefits to the bottom line of having a diverse workforce, and it needs academia to help remove barriers and set an example by encouraging women into the STEM domain. Oracle Academy Country Manager Michelle Gao also attended the conference, which included an industry partner meeting for sharing achievements through the Oracle Academy and ASU collaboration in the USAID Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) Alliance in Vietnam. The project currently is supporting and enriching computer science education at six Vietnamese universities. Oracle Academy provides software, curriculum, hosted technology, faculty training, and certification resources to these educational institutions. Faculty can flexibly insert Oracle Academy’s teaching resources into their computer science, statistics, and business programs, ensuring that students gain industry-relevant technical skills before graduation. The annual ASU BUILD-IT partner meeting provided an opportunity for industry, academic and government partners to gather and review prior year achievements, coming year targeted goals and milestones, and connect, communicate, and collaborate. Working with our partners, we look forward to continuing to advance computing and STEM focused education in Vietnam. Learn more about the BUILD-IT project and watch a video on its impact here.

With the goal of helping to increase the number of girls focused on STEM courses and women working in tech, Oracle Academy proudly supported STEMCON 2019, “The Future Digital Workforce:...

  Offered free for classroom use by Oracle Academy, Primavera is a project management software suite that provides robust and easy-to-use on-premise applications, providing construction management and civil engineering students with practice prioritizing, planning, managing, and delivering successful projects, programs, and portfolios. More than 100 educators registered to attend a free Oracle Academy webcast on March 27, 2019, to learn more about how to help students build confidence and career readiness with solid project management skills in Oracle Primavera. The webcast, Primavera Practice in the Classroom, provided: Information on Oracle Primavera software, and best practice techniques to teach students to use the software to meet expectations of future employers in construction and engineering. A detailed overview of eight labs that give students the opportunity to create a realistic project schedule and then add to it as they deepen their understanding of the software. The labs help students practice: Creating and saving a project schedule and customizing schedule looks and layouts Activity coding to organize activities into Work Breakdown Structures, loading of resources and costs, a real-world analysis of resource over-allocation, and possible update scenarios Methods of filtering activities, including creating a customized Six-Week Lookahead filter, and a final schedule analysis A discussion of how to tie the labs to the lecture portion of a course, and methods of grading. A Q & A session. The webcast was presented by experienced Primavera teacher and presenter John Buttelwerth, who has taught Primavera for more than 35 years. In addition to classroom teaching, John has taught scheduling software to 2,000-plus project managers throughout the country. In less than two years, more than 15 colleges and universities have adopted his P6 Real World Scheduling book as a text. Oracle Primavera is used globally by premier construction and civil engineering firms. This webinar provides best practices techniques for teachers hesitant to add hands-on Primavera practice to their curriculum and is an exciting first step in learning more and boosting confidence—as well as students’ future resumes. If you didn’t have a chance to attend the webcast, you still can learn how to teach your students with hands-on experience in Oracle Primavera to meet expectations of future employers. Simply sign up and watch the recorded webcast here.

  Offered free for classroom use by Oracle Academy, Primavera is a project management software suite that provides robust and easy-to-use on-premise applications, providing construction management and...

In the first week of March 2019, a Java Programming course was held at the Oracle offices in Rome, Italy. The course was hosted by Oracle Academy and Professor Michelangelo Lamonica of Enrico Mattei of Casamicciola Terme, Naples. Thirty teachers from industrial technical institutes came together to practice and learn advanced Java coding skills. The hands-on activities, which encouraged the educators to “learn by doing,” ranged from analysis of pre-compiled Java code (aimed at better understanding the Java Virtual Machine) to skills using the main structures of dynamic data, aimed at the design and implementation of complex team applications. The session highlighted practices connected to programming on concurrent resources and problems connected to programming of distributed applications. The group actively engaged in morning and afternoon sessions over five days, participating in a range of activities covering different knowledge and skills transfer. The sessions also gave the faculty from the various institution the opportunity to exchange personal ideas and visions for teaching computer science. This professional development course allowed the group to acquire essential skills to be shared and taught both in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities for their students. Find professional education events near you.

In the first week of March 2019, a Java Programming course was held at the Oracle offices in Rome, Italy. The course was hosted by Oracle Academy and Professor Michelangelo Lamonica of Enrico...

Knowledge Builder Event Held in Oman Oracle Academy conducted a Knowledge Builder event for students in the information technology department of the Higher College of Technology (HCT), an Oracle Academy Institutional member in Muscat, Oman. The event was held in collaboration with Oracle colleague Thierry Khoury, (pictured) Cloud Platform Sales Consultant from the Solution Engineering Team, covering the Lower Gulf region. The three-day seminar was developed to provide the HCT students with details on core Oracle technologies, including database, Oracle Mobile Cloud, and artificial intelligence, ensuring that they are exposed to key areas of global technology development. The seminar was extremely informative, and over 20 students participated illustrating the importance of these topics to students and faculty.  Students had the opportunity to practice working with the latest Oracle innovative technologies through interactive, hands-on sessions led by Thierry. These sessions were developed to encourage the students to go through the full Oracle Academy curriculum and further their learning after the seminars. Oracle Academy Participates in Oracle Open World Dubai 2019 Oracle Academy staff were pleased to participate in Oracle Open World held February 11-12, 2019, an Oracle convention for business decision-makers, IT management, and line-of-business end users. Oracle Open World Dubai 2019 was the first ever edition of the event to be held in the Middle East. At our booth, Oracle Academy staff has the opportunity to showcase to interested educators and NGO staff the free curriculum and resources our program offers. We also had the chance to connect with decision-makers from finance, human resources, sales, marketing and service, supply chain, and information technology. This was a great event that allowed us to promote our free resources. Learn more at https://www.oracle.com/middleeast/openworld/.

Knowledge Builder Event Held in Oman Oracle Academy conducted a Knowledge Builder event for students in the information technology department of the Higher College of Technology (HCT), an Oracle...

Central and Eastern Europe is proving to be an attractive region for students from all over the globe to come and study. Two Oracle Academy member institutions from Croatia and Hungary, Catholic University of Croatia and Pázmány Péter Catholic University of Hungary, are among those exploring the opportunity and aiming to attract students. This academic year, the two institutions began developing a new dual-degree international study program in English at Catholic University of Croatia, the first in the ICT field. This two-year project is approved by the Croatian Ministry of Education and is funded primarily from European Social Fund.  Oracle is supporting the consortium, and our representative participated in the project team meeting on March 8, 2019. These Oracle Academy Institutional members will be implementing Oracle Academy curricula into the courses and other free Oracle products and services such as software, support, and cloud practice environments, in the new joint study program. Information about the meeting, including a list of all participants and photos, can be found (in Croatian language) on web pages of the Catholic University of Croatia: http://www.unicath.hr/sastanak-projektnog-tima-i-strucnjaka-hks-a-i-katolickog-sveucilista-pazmany-peter-iz-budimpeste. In the two years of the project life cycle, which officially began in this 2018/2019 academic year, the new study program needed to be developed, submitted for approval to accreditation agencies in both Croatia and Hungary, and ultimately approved by them before the first students could be enrolled in the academic year 2020/2021. More information about this project (mostly in Croatian language), including photos, can be found in the links below, published on the official web site of the Catholic University of Croatia: http://www.unicath.hr/odobren-projekt-razvoj-zdruzenog-diplomskog-studija-softverskog-inzenjerstva-hrvatskog-katolickog-sveucilista-i-katolickog-sveucilista-pazmany-peter-financiran-u-iznosu-17-milijuna-kuna-iz-europ http://www.unicath.hr/potpisan_ugovor_projekt_razvoj_ppazmany Oracle Academy Institutional members are able to take advantage of free computer science curriculum, software for the classroom, cloud practice environments, and much more. Not yet a member? It’s free to join! Join here.  

Central and Eastern Europe is proving to be an attractive region for students from all over the globe to come and study. Two Oracle Academy member institutions from Croatia and Hungary,...

With the goal of providing an overview of current Oracle database technology features, Oracle Academy offered a one-day event for Austrian educators on February 15, 2019. Britta Wolf, Oracle Academy Program Manager for DACH (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), welcomed 20 teachers from several Höhere Technische Lehranstalt (HTL) institutions at the Oracle Vienna DC Tower Office.    HTL institutions are an important part of Austrian STEM vocational education, offering courses in engineering, electronics, information technology, informatics, and more. All participants are long-term, active members of the Oracle Academy program. Presenters Marcus Doeringer and Georg Schmidt, both Oracle Cloud Platform Solution Engineers, provided insights into a range of innovative Oracle database topics, including multitenant architecture, in-memory option, and advanced data compression, and also orchestrated an interactive Oracle Autonomous Database hands-on session for the teachers. “I really enjoyed the event, it was very informative,” said one participant. “Very good appetizer about innovations in Oracle, especially the in-memory topic,” noted another. Another educator said, “Very informative event, excellent speakers, extremely professional planning and implementation in a pleasant, family atmosphere.” The participants’ feedback confirms this was an inspiring event. We sincerely thank everyone involved in making this event happen. Interested in events like this? Join Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

With the goal of providing an overview of current Oracle database technology features, Oracle Academy offered a one-day event for Austrian educators on February 15, 2019. Britta Wolf, Oracle Academy...

Oracle Academy has over 35 Institutional members in Korea. As part of our ongoing support of the education sector in Korea, the Academy participated in the QS Apple APAC conference in Seoul themed: Future Universities in the Asia Pacific, The Changing Face of Higher Education. The conference gathered a total of 475 academics from 209 institutions. Representatives of Oracle Academy included Hyokee Min, Business Planning Director, Oracle Korea; Kristin Ang, Oracle Academy Regional Operation Manager; and Michelle Gao, Oracle Academy Country Manager. At the conference, they showcased the Oracle Academy program and shared with educators from various countries across Asia Pacific how universities, colleges, and schools are using the program’s free education resources and curriculum to teach students computing at higher education or secondary education institutions. In addition to the conference, the Oracle Academy team conducted a workshop for a group of invited faculty from various institutions in Seoul. The workshop was headlined with presentations from Oracle Korea Managing Director Hyoung Lae Kim and Consulting Senior Director Myungjong Sim on the latest Oracle technologies and Oracle Cloud strategy. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

Oracle Academy has over 35 Institutional members in Korea. As part of our ongoing support of the education sector in Korea, the Academy participated in the QS Apple APAC conference in Seoul themed: Fut...

To provide students throughout the country with free world-class industry technologies and expertly developed learning resources, on February 1, 2019, the Ministry for Education and Employment in Malta, the University of Malta, and the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST) have signed a membership agreement with Oracle Academy. During his address, the Malta Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, stated that cooperating with Oracle Academy marks the government’s commitment to improve the quality of the country’s education system, taking it to the next level by providing students with the necessary computing skills to help them succeed across all fields and industries. Through this agreement, both Malta educators and students will have access to computing education resources to enrich their knowledge and advance innovation, diversity and skills development in technology arenas. More than 150 schools in the country and the 2 higher education institutions will benefit. In the last several years, Malta has been at the forefront among countries in Europe that have invested heavily in quality technology education and tools, including a tablet for each student, and 3D printers. Minister Bartolo noted that this agreement is a continuation towards a more holistic educational experience that prepares students for future employment. “Computer science skills are critical for the growth of the Maltese economy,” said Michael Balzan, Country Leader, Oracle Malta. "Collaborating through Oracle Academy with both the Ministry of Education and higher education institutions in Malta helps us support students and teachers in computer science to advance their IT skills and create new educational and career pathways.”  Today’s announcement continues Oracle’s 25-year legacy in education. At Oracle Academy, we believe everyone should have the skills and opportunities to achieve their dreams. We’re thrilled to team with Maltese institutions in a shared mission to advance computing education throughout Malta, and prepare students in the era of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, the Internet of Things, and beyond. Oracle Academy offers students and educational institutions a free and complete portfolio of software, curriculum, hosted technology, faculty trainings, support, and certification resources, while enabling students to acquire 21st century skills such as critical thinking, analysis, curiosity, communication and collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.  

To provide students throughout the country with free world-class industry technologies and expertly developed learning resources, on February 1, 2019, the Ministry for Education and Employment...

As a part of the partnership between Oracle Academy and the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka, 18 educators from institutions across Sri Lanka attended training in Database Design & Programming Using SQL.  The faculty will take their new skills acquired by studying and practicing the Oracle Academy curriculum back to their institutions and their students across various computer science courses. These faculty also previously had attended similar training in Java Fundamentals and Database Foundations provided by Oracle Academy earlier in 2018. The faculty were awarded certificates of completion from Mr. P.N. Illapperuma, Director of Education, Information & Communication Technology at the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, and Assistant Director Vasana Edirisuriya, both of whom have been key facilitators in bringing the Oracle Academy program to Sri Lanka’s schools and higher education colleges and universities. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Institutional member.

As a part of the partnership between Oracle Academy and the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka, 18 educators from institutions across Sri Lanka attended training in Database Design & Programming Using...

During a U.S. Presidential State visit by Barack Obama to Vietnam in 2016, Oracle Academy was recognized by President Barack Obama for its collaboration with USAID and Arizona State University to advance computer science education in Vietnamese universities. Oracle Academy is an integral partner in the Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) Alliance in Vietnam. This video shows how our collaboration is enriching computer science education at six Vietnamese universities. The BUILD-IT Alliance is a public-private ecosystem implemented by USAID and Arizona State University to prepare Vietnamese engineering graduates with work-ready skills. Through partnerships with Oracle Academy and Vietnamese universities, BUILD-IT partners are building high-quality and in-demand academic programs in Vietnamese computer science and STEM education fields. BUILD-IT’s partnerships and programs leverage their shared capacity to foster curricular innovation, quality assurance recognition, and leadership development in Vietnam’s leading technology and engineering universities. “This partnership with Oracle Academy demonstrates the impact of industry-government-academia coming together around a common interest to closely collaborate, leveraging people and resources to create local impact,” said Jeffrey S. Goss, Associate Vice Provost for Arizona State University. To support BUILD-IT’s partner universities, Oracle Academy provides a complete portfolio of software, curriculum, hosted technology, faculty training, and certification resources to these educational institutions. Faculty can flexibly insert Oracle Academy’s teaching resources into their computer science, statistics, and business programs, ensuring that students gain industry-relevant technical skills before graduation. Since 2016, Oracle Academy and BUILD-IT continue to support six leading universities to integrate Oracle Academy resources into their computer science curricula. As of February 2019, Oracle Academy and BUILD-IT have delivered six faculty training programs for 200 participants. Once the faculty complete the training, they are ready to insert Oracle Academy’s iLearning resources into their programs and provide their students with the skills they’ll need for their high tech careers. To update the faculties’ skills, Oracle Academy offers multi-day online and in person train-the-trainer programs in Java Programming, Database Design, Database Programming, and Application Development. To further support the education sector in Vietnam, Oracle Academy is sponsoring the upcoming STEMCON Conference in DaNang, which is an annual conference convening 300 leading stakeholders in Vietnamese technology education development. Oracle Academy will join STEMCON 2019 as a distinguished panelist and partner. Watch the new video on the BUILD-IT project.

During a U.S. Presidential State visit by Barack Obama to Vietnam in 2016, Oracle Academy was recognized by President Barack Obama for its collaboration with USAID and Arizona State University to...

It’s been a busy time in Croatia for Oracle Academy. We recently took part in two events in the country, engaging both students and educators in enhancing their technology knowledge and skills. Winter School of Informatics Held in Krapina for Students First, we participated in the Winter School of Informatics, Krapina, held in the northwestern region of Hrvatsko Zagorje. This is one of the largest K-12 programming events in the country, and ran from January 3-12, 2019, hosting more than 200 participants during the school winter break. Students from all around Croatia were invited to join the event by the Croatian Computer Science Association, the Krapina Informatics Club, and the Secondary School Krapina. Students attended programming workshops to prepare for upcoming programming contests that will culminate in March 2019 at the national programming competition finals, with selection of the team that will represent Croatia at the upcoming International Olympiad of Informatics. The Secondary School Krapina, an Oracle Academy member since 2015, hosted a program that included Java workshops on the Alice platform and database SQL. The Oracle Academy Country Manager for Croatia, Darko Jureković, attended the evetn’s opening ceremony, along with representatives of the government, the county, the city of Krapina, and the organizers. Jureković spoke to the group about trends in IT industry and their impact on the labor market in the region. He noted there is a shortage of IT professionals at both the national and international level. Events like this that attract large number of pupils from both primary and secondary schools are an important contribution to bridging that tech skills gap and rightfully deserve both recognition and support. We are thankful to the organizers, notably the principal of the Secondary School Krapina, Mr. Ivica Rozijan, and president of the Krapina Informatics Club, Mr. Stjepan Šalković, for their kind invitation to participate in this engaging event. Read more about this event (mostly in Croatian language) and view photos using the links below, provided by the event organizers as well as the local government and media:   http://krik-kr.hr/galerije-slika/127-zimska-skola-2019 https://www.facebook.com/krapinazsi2019/ http://www.kzz.hr/zimska-skola-otvorenje-2019 http://www.ss-krapina.skole.hr/?news_hk=1&news_id=2060&mshow=2792#mod_news Oracle Academy Joins Educator Webinars Organized by Ministry of Science and Education  Recently, the Croatia Ministry of Science and Education undertook major educational reform in the country. For the first time, informatics, covering computer science and information technologies, became a compulsory subject in grades 5 and 6 in primary schools as well as in secondary schools throughout the country. This new requirement will help ensure the country’s youth will have the opportunity to obtain knowledge and skills that can help them be the tech leaders and innovators of the future, obtain rewarding careers, and help Croatia continue to grow a skilled workforce.  To prepare teachers for this major change, the Ministry has been organizing professional development activities for some 1,300 teachers, including webinars that run on a platform provided by Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNet). These activities welcome industry experts to contribute and participate. In support of Oracle Academy’s partnership with the Ministry on computing initiatives since 2015, Oracle and other professionals prepared a series of 10 webinars covering topics ranging from Java programming to Big Data, Autonomous Database, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Blockchain. Presenters included experts from Oracle, major Oracle partners in Croatia, and professional associations such as the Croatian Associations of Java Users (HUJAK). The introductory webinar in this series was held on January 18, 2019, with a presentation by Oracle Academy Country Manager for Croatia, Darko Jureković, to nearly 500 teachers from across the country. The next webinar was held on January 24 on Java programming. Each webinar is announced by the Ministry on its website (in Croatian).

It’s been a busy time in Croatia for Oracle Academy. We recently took part in two events in the country, engaging both students and educators in enhancing their technology knowledge and skills. Winter...

Oracle Academy has signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of National Education, Technical and Vocational Training (MENET-FP) of Côte d'Ivoire to advance computing education throughout the Ivory Coast. The aim is to bring computing curriculum to 450 schools, reaching 450,000 students over the next three years. Côte d'Ivoire is committed to strengthening the link between the world of work and school through entrepreneurial education with a focus on information and communication technology (ICT) fields. The agreement, signed on February 5, 2019, will begin implementing Oracle Academy curriculum into schools throughout the country during the 2018-2019 school year. Madame Kandia Camara, the Minister of MENET-FP, said, “In this vast project, we have at our side Oracle Academy, which allows our children to dream in…science and technology in order to provoke in them the trigger to create a useful trend in STEAM.” Through the agreement, MENET-FP will help build a society where science and technology literacy helps students get hands-on skills with the goal of obtaining rewarding careers. It aims to promote the teaching of computer science and technology in all schools in Côte d'Ivoire, and encourage more young people, especially girls, to pursue STEM-related careers. “ICT plays a significant role in our everyday lives. Through today’s agreement, Oracle Academy can help empower our youth, as well as provide a platform for our future leaders to be equipped with both the technological and critical skills that can enable social and economic growth of our country,” noted Annick Sakho, Country Managing Director, Oracle Cote d’Ivoire. The Director of Technologies and Computer Systems (DTSI), Aboubacar Coulibaly, whose department is hosting the project, said, “This agreement will reach 450 public and private high schools throughout the national territory, and will train 360 teachers and more than 450,000 students on computer science and related subjects.”  Over three years, Oracle Academy will facilitate "Train-the-Trainer courses to prepare teachers and faculty members as instructors for the following Oracle Academy courses: Database Foundations Java Foundations Java Fundamentals Students will have the opportunity to acquire 21st century skills such as critical thinking, analysis, curiosity, communication and collaboration, and complex problem-solving. This partnership continues Oracle’s 25-year legacy in education. At Oracle Academy, we believe everyone should have the skills and opportunities to achieve their dreams. We’re thrilled to team with MENET-FP in a shared mission to advance computer science education throughout Cote d’Ivoire, and prepare students in the era of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, the Internet of Things, and beyond. http://www.education.gouv.ci/dtsi-signature-dun-accord-de-partenariat-entre-le-ministere-de-leducation-nationale-de-lenseignement-technique-et-de-la-formation-professionnelle-menet-fp-et-oracle-academy-pou/  

Oracle Academy has signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of National Education, Technical and Vocational Training (MENET-FP) of Côte d'Ivoire to advance computing education throughout the...

During the last semester of 2018, Oracle Academy Brazil, in collaboration with Oracle Volunteering and Corporate Citizenship, mentored more than 80 graduate students of SENAC – Servico Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial. Ten Oracle Volunteers supported six classes of students in delivering integrated projects centered on computer engineering and digital gaming. In addition to providing technical feedback and project quotes, the volunteers presented on specific topics such as artificial intelligence, and helped the students come up with solid, realistic IT solutions for their projects. The results were impressive! One Oracle Volunteer, Ricardo Kobara, Field Support Engineer, Global IT, stated, “SENAC students are really prepared to enter the labor market. The part that I enjoyed most was inspiring them to continue building their knowledge base, and giving them the confidence to transform their project ideas into real business cases.” Another mentor, Breno Comin, Alliances Consultant, agreed: “The overall experience of supporting these students on their practical projects was very interesting and engaging. Our goal was to guide the students, but we found that they already knew a lot about technology and could discuss concepts in a very detailed way. I had a great time!” The students were also excited to connect with these Oracle experts. Rafael Tejii Tengan, a computer engineering student, said, “I am sure that all my colleagues were very motivated to be mentored by employees of a technology company like Oracle. One of our mentors, Jacques Bretas, Sales Representative OD Prime for Oracle, helped us better structure our ideas, which was especially helpful given that we only had 3 to 4 months to complete this project. We could see how excited he was about the projects and results.” Professor Sergio Nascimento, Graduation Director of SENAC, said, “This was a great opportunity to give the students exposure to high-level professionals from the IT industry, creating a bridge between academia and industry. We would like to thank Oracle and the group of volunteers for supporting this program. The students loved the experience, and we hope to make it available to future classes, as well.” Oracle Academy celebrated the successful conclusion of this first cycle of the program by giving the students participation certificates, which they were happy to include in their resumes. We appreciate Oracle Volunteers collaborating with us on this important initiative, which provided full engagement and support to an Oracle Academy Institutional Member, increasing the quality of our relationship and helping us advance computer science globally. Interested in programs such as this through an Oracle Academy Institutional Membership? Learn more.

During the last semester of 2018, Oracle Academy Brazil, in collaboration with Oracle Volunteering and Corporate Citizenship, mentored more than 80 graduate students of SENAC – Servico Nacional de...

With the goal of providing a full overview of Oracle Academy Java and database curriculum, on January 13 – 14 we had the pleasure of hosting an Oracle Academy round-table with faculty from some or our key university Institutional Members in the new Oracle office in Amman, Jordan. The event was attended by faculty and deans from Jordanian universities, all long-term and active members of the Oracle Academy program, alongside representatives from our partners the Public Sector Directorate (PSD) of Jordan: Al Hussein Technical University American University of Madaba Applied Science Private University Hashemite University Irbid National University Princess Sumaya University for Technology Yarmouk University  Ola Ramadan, the Oracle Academy Program Manager for the Middle East and North Africa, delivered a briefing on the key membership benefits of the Oracle Academy program. We also were delighted to have with us Willie McCabe, Oracle Academy Global Director, Member Education and Curriculum Development, who spent time providing a detailed overview of Oracle Academy Java and database curriculum and demonstrating the key functions of Oracle Application Express (APEX).   For newer members, this review also provided an opportunity to demonstrate how to use the Oracle Academy iLearning system to deliver curriculum in the classroom, and how to set up accounts for their students.   In association with Raed Hajarat, Oracle Country Leader for Jordan, and his team, further sessions for the academics were delivered by the local business team. They covered technology topics including the Oracle Autonomous Database and trending innovative technologies, and conducted a hands-on workshop on big data and advanced analytics.   We thank Raed and our colleagues in Jordan for their continued support to ensure our members get the best use of their Oracle Academy memberships. Not an Oracle Academy Institutional Member yet? Learn more here and take advantage of all the benefits for your institution, yourself and your students.

With the goal of providing a full overview of Oracle Academy Java and database curriculum, on January 13 – 14 we had the pleasure of hosting an Oracle Academy round-table with faculty from some or our...

In July 2018, we welcomed about 40 students from ETEC de Guaianazes and Parameters College at the Paula Souza Center Programming Marathon Winners Awards. The Programming Marathon is an event aimed at students of the technical courses of the Center Paula Souza (Etecs), which offers programs for solving problems under pressure to help students learn and work in teams. The students need to solve in a given time the largest number of available questions, released at the beginning of the competition. They use computers, printed materials, a lot of will power, imagination, and creativity in their battle against the clock. The group that solves the greatest number of problems in the shortest possible time, using Java programming languages, wins. This was the third Programming Marathon held, with 137 teams totaling approximately 400 students from the ETIM and Technical Center Paula Souza participating. Making this marathon possible were 33 teachers working with the students in units, and a team of 12 judges. The winning teams were all from Guaianzes ETEC, and used Java programming in all their developed solutions. To welcome the student awardees, Oracle experts Leonardo Veri, technology and innovation consultant, Paulo Simões, solutions engineer, Pablo de Freitas, Innovation Lab leader, and Fabiana Valente, Oracle Academy Brazil country manager, hosted a conversation with the students about the digital revolution, technology trends, and IT careers. They also conducted a fun programming workshop for the students using the Finch robot. Teacher Carlos Eduardo Ribeiro, coordinator of information technology projects for CETEC Capacitations, said, “The rewards for winners of the the Programming Marathon between the ETECs of the Paula Souza Center could not be better. The winning team from Etec Guianazes (Guaianazes - SP) was awarded an unparalleled day at Oracle Brazil at its headquarters in São Paulo, full of technology, relaxation, hands-on fun, and a chat with professionals from different areas of Oracle , who welcomed us warmly. This type of event promotes the company as approachable for the students. It is very important to establish the concepts and the guidelines that we teach in the classroom in the real world, showing the students that we are on the right path. We use methodologies such as the marathon, hackathons and robotics to impel learning and promote the students’ involvement in the teaching and learning process, so they becoming active agents in building their knowledge and problem analysis skills.” He emphasized that the euphoric state of the students, which is contagious when they share their experiences with the school community, is “priceless”. Ribeiro appreciated the Oracle team hosting the students. Learn more here (in Portuguese).

In July 2018, we welcomed about 40 students from ETEC de Guaianazes and Parameters College at the Paula Souza Center Programming Marathon Winners Awards. The Programming Marathon is an event aimed at...

What more engaging way to introduce students to object-oriented programming than through the innovative Alice platform? More than 120 educators enrolled to attend a free webcast, Oracle Academy Presents: Get Your Students Started in Programming Using Alice, on January 9, 2018. Alice is an innovative block-based educational Java programming environment, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, that makes it easy to create 3D animations, build interactive narratives, or program simple games. Based on the Lewis Carroll characters from the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Alice motivates learning through creative exploration and teaches logical and computational thinking skills and fundamental principles of programming. It can be used to teach object-oriented programming to students of all ages. The webcast offered a live demo of Alice world, sample projects, and information about fun ways to use Alice to get students started in object-oriented programming, and directed attendees to free Oracle Academy resources using Alice. The webcast was presented by The Alice Project director and expert Eric Brown. Brown’s previous work includes co-founding ImpactGames to influence society and promote change through interactive media. Toward this end, ImpactGames developed PeaceMaker, a video game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to promote dialogue and understanding. Brown was listed among “100 Social Entrepreneurs Changing the World” in Newsweek Japan. He holds a Masters of Entertainment Technology degree from Carnegie Mellon University and received a BFA in painting with focused studies in education and computer graphics from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. The Oracle Academy workshop Getting Started with Java Using Alice teaches students with little or no programming experience basic Java concepts through development of 3-D animations in Alice 3.1. While it is suitable for all beginning learners, it can be especially engaging for girls. Students have fun creating animated stories and games using objects and characters from a rich gallery of 3-D models. The Alice platform currently is supported in 24 languages, including English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. If you didn’t have a chance to attend, access the webcast here. Learn more about the Oracle Academy workshop Getting Started with Java Using Alice.

What more engaging way to introduce students to object-oriented programming than through the innovative Alice platform? More than 120 educators enrolled to attend a free webcast, Oracle...

On December 6, 2018, Oracle Academy staff were pleased to be part of Oracle Cloud Day in Turkey. The event brought together more than 800 Oracle partners, customers, cloud visionaries, and other thought leaders in Istanbul. It was a great opportunity to display and explore the latest cloud technologies shaping the future of innovation and allowing participants to network with their peers in the industry. During the opening sessions, the Vice President for Oracle Turkey, Levant, Egypt and North Africa, Filiz Dogan, pointed out the key role that Oracle Academy plays in empowering students and teachers of today to support the innovators of tomorrow. In addition, she announced the launch of a special social project starting in January 2019 in collaboration with Oracle Academy, CoderDojo in Turkey, and Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL). CoderDojo is a volunteer-led, global movement of free coding clubs for young people. Within the scope of the project, Oracle Turkey will host a CoderDojo club at the Oracle office in Istanbul initially for six weeks. Each week, Oracle Volunteers will deliver a two-hour coding workshop to disadvantaged students ages 10-15 to help them learn coding and create their own games and videos using Alice, an innovative, block-based programming environment. Oracle Academy staff welcomed participants at our booth in the exhibition area. It was a fantastic opportunity to present Oracle Academy’s computing education resources, including the new course curriculum on artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as the modular Education Bytes to participants from many different parts of the industry, and inform them about our initiatives to support creating digitally skilled students and workers.

On December 6, 2018, Oracle Academy staff were pleased to be part of Oracle Cloud Day in Turkey. The event brought together more than 800 Oracle partners, customers, cloud visionaries, and...

To share information on Java with Italian educators, on December 3, 2018, at Oracle Italia’s new office in Rome, Oracle Academy held a training event and workshop. At the event, the Oracle Academy team shared best practices in teaching computing and conducted training for the Java Foundations course. Teachers who attended this engaging event are members of Oracle Academy Institutional member schools and learned how to teach object-oriented programming. The course, which took place over five days, provided the teachers with skills and knowledge to teach the Oracle Academy curriculum to students in the third or fourth year of study at technical institutes in the technological sector. The course was led by Prof. La Monica Michelangelo, currently a lecturer at The Enrico Mattei Technical Institute of Casamicciola Terme, an institution that has used Oracle Academy curriculum over the last four years within its teaching courses. The Oracle Academy curriculum is offered to all five years of their students at the institute. In addition, the Enrico Mattei Technical Institute currently is taking steps to involve secondary schools in the area in workshops and laboratories aimed at developing computational thinking and to tackle the gender gap in the ICT sector. This Oracle Academy Rome event was the precursor to an additional training event planned for interested educators in March in Oracle Java Programming. These dedicated teachers now are prepared to bring their Java skills and knowledge to their schools and create virtual classes for their students using the Oracle Academy iLearning tool. They are keen to support their students in learning and attaining Oracle Java Foundations certificates to help make them career ready. Learn more about Oracle Academy Java curriculum.    

To share information on Java with Italian educators, on December 3, 2018, at Oracle Italia’s new office in Rome, Oracle Academy held a training event and workshop. At the event, the Oracle...

In October 2018, Oracle Academy offered a webcast exploring NetSuite, led by Charlie Bame-Aldred, co-founder of The Hub of Analytics Education and executive professor of Accounting at Northeastern University, Boston. Used by more than 40,000 organizations, divisions, and subsidiaries around the world, NetSuite is a unified business management solution that provides one-stop access to enterprise resource planning (ERP), eCommerce, customer relationship management (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) tools. Educators teaching business courses use NetSuite to teach students modern business operations and financial processes in the cloud. The webcast was targeted to educators teaching business courses such as big data, auditing, or accounting or business analytics. With both NetSuite and NetSuite OneWorld solutions available to educators through Oracle Academy, NetSuite offers an easy alternative to installing and implementing on-premise business applications for teaching and classroom use. This significantly reduces the investment and time needed to incorporate modern business management tools into the classroom. In partnership with Oracle Academy, The Hub of Analytics Education provides educational business data hosted in the NetSuite cloud ERP. In the free webcast, educators teaching accounting and other business courses were able to learn how to use The Hub’s cloud-hosted big dataset in their courses—free. The Hub uses NetSuite to host data for a fictional company called Bibtor LLC. In the webcast, attendees learned more about: Accessing the Bibitor dataset and reading, running reports on, and exporting the data in NetSuite Using the data in conjunction with supplemental materials on The Hub to conduct analytics exercises in the classroom Guiding students in using data to draw conclusions about business operations or make business decisions. NetSuite helps educators prepare students for the business world by building the cloud-based SaaS skills that today’s employers seek. We thank Charlie Bame-Aldred for his work and expertise in leading this valuable webcast, and all the educators who attended. Watch the recorded webcast and learn more about our NetSuite solutions.

In October 2018, Oracle Academy offered a webcast exploring NetSuite, led by Charlie Bame-Aldred, co-founder of The Hub of Analytics Education and executive professor of Accounting at Northeastern...

Since September 2018, Oracle Academy has worked with students from La Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería y Ciencias Sociales y Administrativas (UPIICSA), part of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, in Mexico, in collaboration with Oracle Volunteers and Oracle Corporate Citizenship. This is the first mentoring project in the region for Institutional members of Oracle Academy. The objective of this project is to motivate students to continue their studies so by the end of the sessions, they have a broader picture of the labor market and access to better job opportunities in the technology industry. To achieve this, each student is assigned to an Oracle Volunteer mentor, who guides and shares his or her experience, expertise, and knowledge to help the student succeed in their computing studies and in the labor market. Currently in Mexico, 16 active Oracle Volunteers serve as mentors to 31 computer science engineering students from UPIICSA. Students attended an exciting kickoff meeting and then two mentoring sessions in their facilities, where Oracle Volunteers shared with them information and the necessary tools to have a successful job interview, create an effective resume, main points that a recruiter evaluates, and guidance on how to find their first job. Oracle experts also dedicated their time to prepare several talks on topics such as chatbots and cybersecurity, and provided an Oracle Cloud demo. In addition, the students also received a complete session to discover design thinking and how this can be used to achieve their dreams and objectives. Oracle Academy is constantly developing new approaches with the students and teachers of our strategic Institutional member partners and thus continues to transform education in computer science for institutions, educators and students in Latin America and the Caribbean. Thank you to all the Oracle Volunteers in our subsidiaries in our Oracle office in Mexico who make this project possible.

Since September 2018, Oracle Academy has worked with students from La Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería y Ciencias Sociales y Administrativas (UPIICSA), part of the Instituto...

Oracle Academy recently participated in the first Taiwan Leading Education Expo dedicated to school educators: EDTECH TAIWAN. This new event, which took place in December 2018 in Taipei, was organized by the Taipei Computer Association and Ministry of Science and Technology, and is now Taiwan’s signature education event. The Expo brought together more than 200 exhibitors and over 3,000 Taiwan educators and school leaders. The Expo will provide an annual platform for educators in Taiwan to discover the latest developments in educational resources and learning technology.    Oracle Academy Country Manager in Taiwan, Francine Yang, delivered a session on the Oracle Academy global philanthropic education program, describing how educators may use its free education resources and curriculum to teach students computing at higher education or secondary education institutions. She provided attendees with an opportunity to explore the Oracle Academy offerings that help institutions and educators advance computing science education for their students. We look forward to continuing to share information on Oracle Academy curriculum with institutions and educators in Taiwan. Not yet a member of Oracle Academy? To take advantage of free Oracle Academy computing education curriculum and resources, learn more about joining Oracle Academy as an Instititional member.

Oracle Academy recently participated in the first Taiwan Leading Education Expo dedicated to school educators: EDTECH TAIWAN. This new event, which took place in December 2018 in Taipei, was organized...