International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and The University of Arizona announced that they would be collaborating to add Web 2.0 technologies as a curriculum for a new class. This class will help prepare students create online communities such as social networks. This class will be offered through The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the Management Information Systems Department (MIS) at the University of Arizona.

“Our partnership with University of Arizona is designed to help draw more students into the exciting field of Management Information Systems while promoting the benefits of collaboration through the use of cutting-edge technologies,” stated Gina Poole, the VP of Innovation and University Relations at IBM®. “By gaining skills on Web 2.0 and online communities, students can help businesses and employers better market and sell themselves using powerful online mediums.”

This new course will help guide a new generation of students who have been active in using online communities.   I read a while back on TechCrunch that 85% of college students use Facebook.  This class could very much be a breeding ground for future Mark Zuckerbergs.

University of Arizona students and faculty will have access to IBM’s developerWorks which is a community in which users can read resources and guides that drive the world of Web 2.0 today.  An example includes “Create and edit Web resources with the Atom Publishing Protocol.“ 

This is not the first time that IBM® has contributed to a classroom environment in which students can gain hands-on experience in software technologies.  IBM® has also contributed an On-Demand Supply Chain Research Labor classroom at Michigan State University, Penn State University, and Arizona State University where students are taught how to build databases, use advanced features in Microsoft Excel, and build business processes using IBM® WebSphere.  I used the IBM® On-Demand Supply Chain Research Labor a couple of years ago at Michigan State and I can definetely say that the experience I have gained from using that lab is definetely valuable.

[Source: Arizona Daily Star]