JQL Course Update #1

Jan 7 / Robert Hean
Waaay back in mid 2022 I created a course called "Master Jira Search & JQL". Since then over 5,000 people have taken it (which is amazing) and it's got a rating of 4.6/5. I've made some updates since then, but overall the course is... dated.
Fortunately the info about JQL is still valid, but the screens are VERY old, and some topics need to be adjusted.

So, I decided to completely rewrite the course and I'll be documenting my process and progress here.

Why do it?

Since the JQL info hasn't changed (for example all the functions are still the same) there is an argument that it doesn't need changing. After all, if the only difference is a button is in a different spot then what's the harm?

Honestly part of me wanted to go that route and just add a few extra lectures. Rewriting a course is basically as much work as building one from scratch (it's actually MORE complex in some cases as you have to review what you have and see what's missing vs. just making whole-cloth material).

That said, those "small" differences really add up. At best they distract users who wonder why things are difference. At worst it makes it incredibly hard to learn, so a rewrite is necessary.

This course also falls into a category of courses that will never go out of style (or at least usefulness).  Searching for things in Jira will never go away - it might change as AI becomes more advanced, but there is always going to be a need for finding things.

Planning

Once I made the decision to rewrite the whole thing I began planning. This started with a frantic search for the original course material.... and I got lucky! Past Rob made a SINGLE Google Slides doc that held ALL the slides, including images. Since 2023 I've moved into Canva, so it was a simple process of just downloading and uploading the .pptx into Canva and I was good to go.

I also took a look at the existing course and noted any quizzes or other non-lecture materials. Those will also need to be examined and updated, but the vast majority of the content is the 2+ hours of video.
My original slide deck from 2022

Video Setup

The original course was just voice-over on the original slide deck. This made recording VERY easy, however, I've since moved to having myself on-screen when I use slides. Fortunately this is an easy fix as all I need to do is change my OBS (Open Broadcast Studio, the platform I use to stream and record) settings.

Typically I've used a small talking head in the bottom right. This lets me still be on screen, however, I'm kinda small...
So instead I'll be making myself bigger! (at least on the slides, I'll still shrink down for the screen-sharing parts so I don't block too much). This took some fiddling in OBS, but I think looks better

Slides

Since this is a complete rewrite, I took a few hours and reviewed all 150+ of the original slides. This was necessary as I'm changing how I'm recording (e.g. things can't be on the right side), but also to update content. This is a bit annoying, but honestly it's a sign that I"m getting better as a creator and instructor. I clarified a number of them, split up most of them and added a bunch (50+ so far!).
While I'd like to think I got them all done, this will be an ongoing process. As I record, or review, the slides I'll be tweaking and adjusting them. I'm also constantly identifying new slides, or even complete lectures, to add (I'll share a list of those out later!).

Next Steps

Next up is recording! This will be fun, since I'm changing how I normally do it - the video takes up more space. It's a good challenge as the easier I can make recording the easier editing will be (typically the longest step).

I'm also continuing to add content to the course that is relevant, and swapping out older lectures (mainly the "Atlassian Intelligence" section as it's been replaced by Rovo).

I would love to know if there's anything specific you'd like to see in a Rovo course - drop me a line in the form below, and sign up to get updates on the rebuild!

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