Background
In a course titled “Application Development with Low-Code Platforms” at a technical university in Germany, the instructor wanted students to go beyond theory and build real applications. The course used several low/no-code tools, with NocoBase as the primary hands-on example.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Quick Start: Task Management in the First Session
On day one, students jumped straight into practice: following NocoBase’s getting-started tutorial to build a task management app. Within a single class, they learned the basics of data modeling and UI configuration, and experienced how quickly a low-code platform enables rapid prototyping.
Deep Dive: Re-implementing Salesforce Modules
In later sessions, students used NocoBase to re-implement core Salesforce modules:
- Contacts
- Leads
- Opportunities
- Customer Management
This exercise taught them how to design data structures and business logic in NocoBase, while comparing its feature depth, extensibility, and limitations against Salesforce. The course also included Appsmith and Microsoft Power Apps for a side-by-side comparison of strengths and trade-offs across platforms.
Project Work: A Low-Code Application Manager
For a three-week project phase, the instructor built a Low-Code Application Manager in NocoBase to support the class. Within this system, students could:
- Register the requirements their apps aim to solve
- Configure data sources (tables or collections)
- Manage app pages
- Design and implement business-logic patterns
On the instructor side, the system provided a consolidated view of all projects, plus grading and commenting workflows for feedback. It served both as a teaching management tool and a project knowledge base.
Experience and Feedback
The instructor reported positively on NocoBase in class:
- Stability: Ran smoothly across multiple sessions and projects.
- Architecture: Flexible data modeling and a plugin-based design made the coursework easy to extend.
“Overall, I’m very satisfied with the platform and appreciate its design and stability.” — Professor, Technical University in Germany
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