The following criteria can be used to evaluate the quality of a good software course

• The quality of the handout

  • The handout must have good material quality

  • Care must be taken to guarantee the accuracy of the text

  • All examples must be tested beforehand

  • Illustrations should be used but must be clear and concise

  • Use a simple communicative dialog rather than a stiff technical one

• The completeness of objectives

  • The topics must be coherent with the course objective

  • No important topic should be left out

  • Include references and appendix to explain off-topic questions

• The knowledge level of the trainer

  • The trainer should have a good grasp of the software

  • The trainer should be certified and/or have a good working knowledge

• The applicability to real-world scenarios

  • Tools used must have real-world applicability

  • The technologies used must be widely accepted

  • All examples should be real-world cases as far as possible

• The quality of hands-on work

  • Each topic must explain practical concepts through hands-on labs

• The quality of exercises and review tests

  • Each topic must have a well thought out exercise

  • Each section or topic must have review tests to promote self-evaluation and participation