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The spotlight is on Frederico Muniz, Fatec de Registro, Brazil.

Fatec de Registro is a technical college located in the city of Registro, 200 km south east of São Paulo, close to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, with a population of some 60,000 people. The city was so named (Register in English) because it was the port from which the early Portuguese settlers registered the gold shipped from Brazil to Lisbon. Fatec de Registro is part of the Faculdade de Tecnologia (Fatec) network of technological colleges spanning 44 cities of São Paulo state. Fatecs are vocational education colleges focused on three areas: mechanical engineering, logistics, and information technology. Their objective is to prepare students for careers through hands-on learning and technical expertise.

Frederico Barbosa Muniz is the coordinator of Multi-Platform Software Development, a three-year course in the Applied Sciences department that teaches front end, back end and mobile web development. He holds a master's degree in Biomedical Informatics from the University of São Paulo, a specialist degree in Software Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná, an MBA in information technology management from United Metropolitan Colleges, and a bachelor’s degree in Data Processing technology from the University Center of Vale do Ribeira. In addition, Muniz has several qualifications in education, pedagogy, and professional development.

Muniz, a specialist in relational and non relational databases, programming languages, and web development, with many technical journal articles to his name, presides over technology vendor partnerships and shares his thoughts on Oracle Academy’s value to the multi-platform curriculum he has devised.

Oracle Academy: How did Fatec de Registro get involved with Oracle Academy?

Frederico Muniz: In the Fatec network of colleges, the philosophy is to bolster classroom theory with hands-on practice using platforms made available through our partners. I began using Oracle Academy three years ago as a major contribution to the multi-platform software syllabus that I designed. We also draw on academies and platforms offered by other companies. When students enter the job market, they will be faced with multi-cloud environments, and so our approach simply mirrors what they will encounter in industry.

Oracle Academy, the most frequently used, provides a fresh learning platform for database, programming, and cloud computing, complementing our own methodologies with leading industry toolsets aligned with technology market requirements.

Oracle Academy: Which curriculum and resources do you use?

Frederico Muniz: We use the Oracle Academy database curriculum, Java Programming, Oracle APEX for apps development, and Oracle Cloud for cloud computing. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) gives us anywhere-anytime access to it all. There are 200 students in the six-semester program, which has a progressive study path culminating in a final-semester project integrating everything they have learned.

Oracle Academy: Can you walk us through your use of the resources?

Frederico Muniz: We begin by introducing them to data modeling concepts, advanced SQL queries, database administration, and programming. They get hands-on in coding with Java, before delving into fundamental software development concepts such as data structure, algorithms, and robust application development. In fact, we tackle apps development right from the start, using Oracle APEX already in the first semester. We access Oracle APEX — and its AI Assistant — through the Oracle Academy Cloud Program, and it has become a real differentiator because students can build and test their own applications in real time. Working directly with the Oracle Cloud makes it easier to understand how these technologies are used in real IT projects. In our cloud computing course, we teach students to create database instances in the cloud, with Oracle Autonomous Database. That’s what Fatec is all about: equipping young people with real-world skills.

Oracle Academy: Perhaps you can describe what students accomplish with Oracle APEX.

Frederico Muniz: For me, the Oracle APEX curriculum fits perfectly with the Multi-Platform Software Development course, especially our front-end program. As I said, with no coding experience, last year’s crop worked on amazing projects that they later presented to Oracle at their offices in São Paulo. Let me highlight two of them, conceived to address agricultural and public health challenges. One of them, Lychee Cultivation Management System, is an application to enhance operational profitability for farmers of lychees, an abundant and popular fruit in Brazil. Oracle APEX was used as a system for tracking supplies like fertilizers and pesticides, scheduling optimal harvest times, and monitoring market prices and sales data.

The second example is about dengue mosquito monitoring and control. The aim is to empower communities in the fight against dengue fever, a major problem in Brazil. With APEX the students created an app that collects and reports data on mosquito breeding sites and population densities. If commercialized, it would be used in awareness campaigns, disseminating information on prevention and control measures. It incorporates heat mapping, supported by the APEX Interactive Maps plug-in, to visualize and plot spatial patterns of mosquito swarm centers and urban populations at risk. The geospatial data can be stored and managed using the built-in SQL query builder feature.

Both projects are AI-driven, using the APEX AI Assistant.

Oracle Academy: Impressive, those look like projects that could indeed be commercialized…

Frederico Muniz: Yes. The projects undergo a rigorous semiannual evaluation based on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) methodology, a scale that measures technological maturity from conception to commercial implementation. Developed by NASA, the scale ranges from TRL 1 (basic principles observed) to TRL 9 (system proven in a real-world environment) and is widely used in research and development to validate the readiness of innovations in fields such as IT, engineering, and manufacturing. Projects that reach TRL 6 are considered potential candidates for startup creation. Additionally, our Extracurricular Technical Qualification (QTE) Program encourages students to explore market trends while developing their solutions, including technologies offered by Oracle Academy.

Oracle Academy: You mentioned presentations to Oracle…

Frederico Muniz: Yes. In fact, six Oracle Academy based projects were evaluated by Oracle experts in São Paolo — the lychee and dengue projects and four others that showed creative use of Java and MySQL. Oracle technologists gave detailed feedback, recognition and encouragement — an enriching experience for those who rode the bus to Oracle's Brazilian headquarters.

Oracle Academy: That must have been motivating.

Frederico Muniz: It was marvelous — a wow! moment. It was great for them — and for us teachers — to have direct contact with the makers of the technology and to be recognized for a body of well executed work. On top of presenting Oracle Academy based projects, there have been other visits to São Paolo to take part in seminars, hackathons and mentoring. And guess what — in the case of Oracle APEX, the students themselves told everyone else back in Registro about their experience, spreading such positive propaganda to colleagues and families, that we have not ourselves had to market our multi-platform course at all!

May I also mention, because 2024 was a successful year, that three of our students went last year to Intel headquarters in Brazil to receive first prize in the Best Artificial Intelligence Project category of the Intel AI Global Impact Festival. Their project, “Characterization of Non-Conventional Food Plants Through Deep Learning Approaches,” uses AI to identify non-conventional food plants such as Yam, Ora-Pro-Nobis and Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis. We were also awarded in a hackathon.

Oracle Academy: Congratulations, that’s brilliant. What is the QTE Program you referenced?

Frederico Muniz: The QTE (Extracurricular Technical Qualification) Program is a motivational methodology focused on skill development and the professional advancement of students, using gamification as an engagement strategy. Conceived by me, with the support of the university administration, the program is exclusive to FATEC Registro and has as one of its pillars the encouragement of student participation in events, conferences, and competitions, as well as motivating them to pursue certifications on leading platforms such as Oracle Academy. As a unique feature, QTE also impacts final grades, recognizing students' effort and dedication in their pursuit of knowledge and specialization.

Oracle Academy: Sounds effective. Does Fatec de Registro also steer students towards professional certification?

Frederico Muniz: Yes. We have our own program guaranteeing one of the following certificates: front end developer, back end developer, and mobile developer. In addition, we encourage our students to take certification courses associated with all the platforms we teach. Our curriculum aligns with the skills needed for Oracle Certified Associate and Oracle Certified Professional, certifications of weight in the job market. Last year three students obtained the OCI certification; others are preparing for the database exams.

Oracle Academy: What would you say are the main benefits to students learning cross-platform technology through Oracle Academy?

Frederico Muniz: The benefits of using Oracle Academy resources are multiple, for both students and teachers. For students, access to Oracle Academy resources enables them to learn technologies that are widely used in the market, increasing their chances of employability at the end of the course. They can easily match theory to practice through dynamic and interactive resources. There is very positive feedback on our intranet portal, where students evaluate the different platforms.

For us as faculty, Oracle Academy offers a range of up-to-date, quality learning materials and tools that help simplify the management and tracking of student progress. This allows us to offer more effective teaching, with a curriculum aligned with the needs of the technology market. In terms of infrastructure, using Oracle Cloud makes it easy for us to manage computing resources, cut the cost of on-premises servers, and enables everyone to have access to the best in cloud technology.

Oracle Academy: Thank you. Lastly, what are your interests outside of the teaching and curriculum coordination sphere?

Frederico Muniz: I have a modest home studio where I compose in various styles, such as jazz, rock, and MPB (Brazilian popular music). Additionally, I have a strong interest in artificial intelligence and intend to deepen my studies in applying this technology to healthcare and education.

Thank you, Frederico Muniz, for your passion for Oracle Academy and for preparing your students to make a positive impact.