For the last 10 weeks, I’ve been taking the Introduction To Databases class online through Stanford, http://www.db-class.org. I’m just going to write an overview of my experience with the class. The class was taught by Professor Jennifer Widom. She did an excellent job of lecturing us on topics that covered Relational Databases, XML, Relational Algebra, SQL, Relational Design Theory, UML, Indexes, etc at a high level. Her process of video lectures and PowerPoint/PDF slides helped understand the information. She also provided Optional Exercises and resource textbooks to help you prepare for the weekly quizes/exercises and exams.

The QA Forum message board helped a lot to get through the class. It allowed students to socialize and interact on the course material. If you didn’t understand a topic discussed in the video lecture, a student would post a message and in minutes another student would comment or help explain the topic. This helped me solve homework problems I was having trouble finding a solution. Overall, this class was a great introduction to databases. It leaves me wanting to take another class to learn at a lower-level about databases. Plus, the Stanford online class was FREE.