How we adopted the Khan Academy experience and made our course for testers

Contour annually launches free programming courses for students in Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Izhevsk, Perm, and Kazan. Since 2013, we have grown to 7 cities and 13 universities, developed our online platform ulearn.me , where from February 2018 there are courses not only for C # developers, but also a course for testers.

It was about him that we talked with Katya Chaplinskaya, the development manager and the course organizer. Kate told what the chips are waiting for the cadets this year, how the training went and what the prospects for the course were.

Katya, literally in two words, tell me what this course is?

- This is the fifth course for beginners, which introduces students to the basics of testing. Traditionally at the end of February we recruit a group of about 30 students and young professionals. Such a small group makes it possible to pay attention to each cadet, and the teachers do not get tired, checking homework. According to past experience, we assume that 10-15% of students will not reach the end of the course, so the group will still shrink. Classes began on February 22, they will all be held at Maloprudnaya twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The course will end even before the May holidays, because in the middle of May the cadets have no time for class =)

What new have you come up with this time?

- This year we recorded the entire theoretical course on ulearn.me and opened it up for general access. It turned out 16 topics that our cadets will study at home, and dedicate classes in the office to practice.

This training format is called "inverted" or "learning the opposite." It is used by Khan Academy , their experience has inspired our company. This format frees teachers and students from the routine of lectures, replacing standard classroom lectures with video and mini-tasks at home. At the beginning of the course, students receive a first set of assignments and a link to theoretical material. A week later, they meet with the teacher to discuss the material studied, go through homework and get new assignments and a link. And so every week - new material, tasks and practice.

The “inverted learning” format several years ago was proposed by Pasha Egorov, the head of the education department, we gave only the theory in the form of links to articles, books or webinar recordings. A couple of years ago, we thought that it would be cool not to refer to third-party sources, but to record the entire video for the course itself.

And how did the work on the video go? As far as I know, recording a video lesson is not so easy.

- Yes, at first it was not easy. Several years ago, we recorded videos in a self-made studio in the office with the help of a program written by students, which is sometimes bashil. But the hardest thing was working on the camera. In 2016, we recorded only 4 topics for the entire video course, 2 mine, and one by one from Oli Musikhina and Nastya Ryonzhina, and this process took a lot of time and effort.

We were still burning with the idea of ​​recording all the topics of a theoretical course, and did not want to give up. Then we thought, what if to find a person who is confidently standing in front of the camera, the sort of face of the course? This face was Dima Yakin. At the beginning of May 2017 we started to work on a new course, it seemed to be a time wagon. But we did not take into account that a person who never taught testing was not immersed in working with a live audience, it is very difficult to tell our topics. You can not just take and record a video course with someone who did not lead it in reality! With Dima, we recorded several videos, but they were not easy for us.

Where did you find the teachers who are still in front of the camera?

- Eleven teachers were recruited, some of them would like to teach the course, but did not have experience. Then we decided to hold master classes in testing for the contour. So we kill two birds with one stone: we acquaint employees with the basics of testing and rehearse the course topics in front of a live audience. When a teacher is working on a topic in front of an audience, he can easily record a video lesson.

How are your classes now, is the difference already visible?

- The symbiosis of video on ulearn and practical training is a drive. It helps to get closer to the cadets, it is a pleasure. When cadets come to classes prepared, the practice is simply amazing. We can make out a lot of interesting tasks, share impressions. We got rid of the tedious chewing of the material at the blackboard, and got a lively dialogue, even a game. Cadets and teachers leave the classroom happy, sometimes linger to ask more and more questions and discuss the topic among themselves.

What other news are waiting for the cadets?

- Over the last two courses, we have perfected the sequence of classes. Now we have built it in the image of how it is done in ISTQB . This is a certification program testers, recognized worldwide. We have pronounced blocks: for example, testing tools and testing methods. We told about the approaches of the white and black box, ammunition tester. The topic “Test development process” appeared, where we described in detail how the tester thinks, how he prepares, and where he starts.

We pay much attention to practice. At the end of the course, the Big Practice will traditionally take place - these are three classes in which the guys will test the real application - the Diadoc promo website.

Why this course for students is understandable. Everyone wants to learn from Contour professionals. But he himself contour why?

- The course helps to find intelligent testers for an internship or immediately to the team. And it's not just about those who have completed the course. For example, this year we received a test task from a real professional. The girl who sent him was already at a very high level, and our course would not have suited her - she already knows all that. We try to invite such people for an interview, our parties, not to lose sight of them. Work on the course pumps the teachers themselves. While you are explaining the topic, you can look at it from different sides, see what you did not notice during work.

What are the prospects for the course plans will capture the world?

- We hope that the course at ulearn will become a base, a kind of franchise, for teachers in other cities of the Contour. Of course, we will further enrich it with notes for teachers, with methodological manuals, but it can already be considered a full-fledged course. Any tester of a company not even from Yekaterinburg can start teaching our course in their own city. And, of course, we are waiting for everyone in the coming year for a new course on Software Tester. Follow the news and you will not miss it!

Contour not only creates its online courses, but also supports external authors and developers. On ulearn.me there are already courses on programming, design, security, several short courses for experienced developers. If you have a cool idea for a new course - come to us !