High-demand means enhancements for tech center

High-demand
means enhancements for tech center
…………………………………………………………………

BY CAROL MCBRAYER
Special to the Rice News

Thanks to increasing
demand for high-end technical training, the Rice Technology
Education Center (RTEC) has added new courses and moved
to new classrooms on campus.

A unit of the
School of Continuing Studies, RTEC now trains information
technology professionals in software development, database
design, network and system administration, Web development
and other specialized applications such as AutoCAD for Designers.
Although the school has offered technical classes for more
than 15 years, its growth has come largely in the last two
years as IT professionals have begun to recognize the need
to stay current on the latest technologies.

“The explosion
of programming technologies coupled with the growing demand
for qualified IT professionals has prompted us to develop
continuing education courses that answer the needs of local
businesses and IT professionals,” said Siva Kumari,
assistant dean and director of programs for the School of
Continuing Studies.

For example,
RTEC’s Professional Software Development Series provides
state-of-the-art training for software developers and consultants
in the area of distributed, object-oriented and Web-based
technologies. Courses in the series include Java for Software
Developers, Enterprise Java with EJB, Servlets and JSP,
Web Development with ASP, Application Development with XML
and Application Development in .NET Using C#.
The expanded course schedule led the School of Continuing
Studies to move RTEC from two classrooms in Herman Brown
Hall to four classrooms in the Greenbriar Building in early
October. The RTEC office also has moved to the Greenbriar
Building, Room 103.

“We are
very interested in staying current and offering courses
that correspond to the changes in widely accepted technologies,”
Kumar said. “Each semester, we re-evaluate our program
and add or delete courses as needed. This process allows
us to maintain a nice combination of staple courses and
courses of current interest. The new space with more classrooms
provides us with a perfect setting to be agile.”

To help fill
the need for instructors, Kumari continually welcomes resumes
from IT instructors or professionals interested in teaching
RTEC courses. She can be reached at <skumari@rice.edu>
or (713) 348-4770.

Several courses
begin in late October, November and December. The RTEC schedule
can be found online at <www.scs.rice.edu/rtec>
or call (713) 348-5653 for a course catalog.

— Carol
McBrayer is the marketing director for the School of Continuing
Studies.