All the UML you need to know

Each semester, when I teach CS222, I give a one-class lecture on UML class and sequence diagrams. It always goes the same: I introduce some ideas, then give the students some time to draw some diagrams, and I critique them. It works well, except for the lecturing part. That part is boring, for me and for the students.

This year I am trying something different. I have created a Web site off my BSU space called "All the UML You Need to Know." Actually, I've only half-created it. We already discussed sequence diagrams in class earlier this semester, so I didn't take the time to write that section yet.

I sent out the link to my students earlier today. Tomorrow, we'll talk about class diagrams, and I will direct them to this site as a resource as they play with the ideas. It took about eight times as long to write as it does for me to talk through it, which is actually not as bad as I had feared. Hopefully this will save me time in the long run, but more importantly, it will give the students accurate notes about the parts of UML I expect them to know.