Academy courses

Academy courses are things that are designed to teach you something new, or let you demonstrate your proficiency if you already know the material. They will be placed in the Training Office or the Academy, whichever you prefer to call it. Each course will have the following:

• a stated set of goals that the course teaches
• a reference guide (sort of a textbook if you prefer to call it that) with all the information you need to know for the course
• a final test to show you've learned the material (or already know it)
• an instructor that grades the tests and can help with any questions

If you want to help out, either place your name next to an existing course, or add a new course.

Courses

Gaming courses

• X-Wing Combat Tactics (ComTacs) (exists)
• TIE Fighter Combat Tactics
• X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Combat Tactics
• X-Wing Alliance Combat Tactics
• Mission building (exists)
• XvT MP Flying (see also Top Ace Program)

Star Wars courses

• Starfighter differences
• Important starships
• Lightsaber construction
• Making of a Star Wars and/or Rebel Squadrons trivia

Website courses

Not really website per se, but qualifies:

• Wiki

In recommended order:

• HTML
• CSS
• XHTML
• JavaScript (optional - not really used on the RS site)
• PHP
• MySQL
• Web programming (i.e. the use of all the above at once)

XHTML/CSS could be taught both at once, and HTML ignored, but the person would then be less equipped to deal with old-style HTML. Plus, regular HTML might be simpler to learn, and probably more people still know it better than XHTML.

Graphics:

• I don't really know much about graphics, but Terrak Jace may have some ideas.
• Web design (code aspect)

Programs courses

• IRC (all the commands useful to the RS, especially X commands)

Examples from other clubs

• Imperial Order - Imperial Development
• Emperor's Hammer - IWATS, DB: Shadow Academy, CD: Platform Revenge
• Dark Brotherhood - Shadow Academy

Emails

Excerpt from Licah's email to High Command:

Other academy courses - Well, this is like the DB's Shadow Academy or the
EH's IWATS.  I don't know if you know these, but they're basically
awesome, though annoying too.  It's basically a test, during which you try
to find all the answers you can in the reference material that accompanies
it.  Topics can be all over the map, though they should be RS-related, but
they can include things like Differences in Rebel Starfighters in the
SW:EU, Tactics for Attacking Capital Ships in XvT, AIM Basics #1, Advanced
Website Design, Basic Leadership.. you name it.  You learn (well,
presumably, although not as well as other methods of learning), you can do
these any time, and then you can brag about having completed the course,
with 100% grade or whatever.  The issues here are making courses that are
challenging, informative, and above all, FUN.  The reference guide has to
be top-rate, too.  Some of those EH or DB tests suck.  So, you need people
that are excellent at refining such tests to meet all the good criteria,
in order for this to be the most successful.  Furthermore, someone has to
grade all the tests by hand, which requires active people with a
considerable knowledge in the subject (can be easy or hard to find,
depending on the subject).
Needed: IO staff (to set up system), excellent writers/test designers,
graders