Stanford opens some information technology courses to the world | ZDNet

I hope this is a leading indicator

As part of a dramatic effort to expand its IT offerings to a global audience, Stanford University will be offering three popular 101-level courses free online as part of a global virtual classroom.

The offerings include “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,” “Introduction to Databases” and “Introduction to Machine Learning,” all to be delivered between October and December. Study groups have been formed at reddit.

[…]

The “Introduction to Databases” course covers database design and the use of database management systems for applications. It includes extensive coverage of the relational model as well as NoSQL (Not Only SQL) databases. It also covers XML data including DTDs and XML Schema for validation, and the query and transformation languages XPath, XQuery, and XSLT. The course includes database design in UML, and relational design principles based on dependencies and normal forms. Course material is posted here.

Stanford opens some information technology courses to the world | ZDNet