This page contains content from the 2008–09 academic year. For current information, visit the Harvard Extension School website at www.extension.harvard.edu.
A Conversation with the Director
Henry Leitner, PhD, is associate dean for information technology for continuing education and chief technology officer at the Harvard University Division of Continuing Education and has been teaching at the Extension School since 1981. He is also a senior lecturer on computer science, Harvard University.
Q: What do you think is unique about the IT programs at the Extension School?
A: For one, we’re very lucky to have outstanding faculty who teach classes that are not the usual, run-of-the-mill computer science or IT courses. In many cases we offer cutting-edge, state-of-the-art courses that you don’t find easily at other educational institutions.
Because of distance education, we are also able to offer Harvard College courses that would otherwise be completely inaccessible to us. For example, Harry Lewis—who is a tenured professor of computer science at Harvard University and was the dean of Harvard College—has been teaching for us for several years, both theoretical courses and a technical course for non-specialists called Bits, which is a core course at Harvard College; we wouldn't have access to it without the online aspect.
Q: Can you elaborate on what the courses are like in general?
A: Our courses are generally applied, but they aren’t just about learning a particular software package or particular programming language. To the extent we can, we try to offer courses that offer a broader view of a subject. So you might take a course on database management systems and along the way, yeah, you will learn MySQL or Oracle, but you’ll also likely learn theory and explore the bigger picture of the programming environment.
Q: What kind of computer facilities do students have access to on campus?
A: For students taking courses that require specialized hardware or software, the Extension School’s computing facility at 53 Church Street has everything they could possibly want to use, whether it’s GIS software or very expensive or esoteric multimedia software. For example, our course on 3-D animation and modeling uses an imaging package called Maya. Anyone who wants to become a modern animator, working for an organization like ILM or Disney, needs to get exposed to this sort of technology. Most individuals would be hard pressed to purchase such systems themselves because it's very expensive. But we keep our labs very well equipped—in some cases, better than the rest of Harvard.
Q: What are some other exciting things happening in the classroom?
A: A lot of individuals get a kick out of meeting other industry professionals—not just because of their interaction in the classroom, but also because, on an informal basis they are uncovering job markets, even through their instructors in some cases. A number of our faculty are industry professionals and I think it’s not unusual for them to inform their best students about employment opportunities.
Q: What have you seen students go on to do after graduating from your programs?
A: They go on to work just about everywhere, not just at computer companies—although, some have gone on to organizations such as IBM, and we even have a couple students who currently work at Microsoft and take classes online. These days, many local graduates are working at biotech companies, which have large IT departments, so there is a lot of opportunity there. Oh, and we have one graduate, Nathán Lebrón, who is now the IT director at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I actually visited him recently when my baseball team played a game in Cooperstown; he’s doing some really creative work over there.
We’ve also had students finish our program and then go on to advanced degree programs in software engineering or a more theoretical part of computer science at Harvard and other top schools. Our programs can certainly be a stepping stone to a lot of different paths.
Q: What advice would you give those who are considering the ALM in Information Technology or Certificate in Applied Sciences?
A: If you’re working full time, start by taking one course per semester because, depending on the class, the workload is considerable and I hate to see people get frustrated by the fact that there are only 24 hours in the day. Programming assignments don’t necessarily require an inordinate amount of work, but sometimes, when you get stuck debugging a problem, you end up spending much more time than you would if you were, say, writing an essay. So taking one course at a time is probably a good idea.
I would also say don’t choose courses that just meet the stated requirements, but look at your background and consider courses that are somewhat more advanced than the requirements. If you’re investing the time and financial resources, you want to get the most out of your academic experience as you can.