I've just started my first private mentoring gig, and I must say it's great fun :) However, it would be good to get any tips from anyone who's done this before.
As a bit of background, the student is a guy in my local area who's company I've consulted for for the last few years.
The format of the mentoring we've decided on so far is this:
- 1-2 hours a week of lecturing + hands-on use of .NET (meeting at my office or home).
- Written notes each week published to online intranet (Google Sites)
- Recorded audio of each session uploaded also
- Solution files uploaded to intranet too
- Homework assignments each week
- Longer term coursework includes ASP.NET Web solution + more meaty problem (write your own database server)
I'm covering the following subjects:
- Understanding the problem (conceptual modelling, UML, Use Cases)
- Unit Testing and Test Driven Development
- Good Principles of Sofware Development (cohesion, coupling, DRY, repeatability, OCP)
- Using Object Oriention to structure maintainable software
- Data Access techniques (pros and cons or ORM/DataSets etc)
- Data modelling and process modelling
- Leveraging C# (LINQ, delegates, Lambda, Generics)
- Introducing Design Patterns
We're on week 3 now, and we both feel it's going well. Would be cool to hear about anyone else who's doing this kind of thing.