Instructor Guide: AWS Bootcamp (8-Week Delivery)

Overview

This guide provides a week-by-week delivery plan for the "AWS Bootcamp: From Novice to Architect" curriculum delivered over 8 weeks with one instructor-led session per week. Students complete self-study (reading, labs, quizzes) between sessions. The instructor session focuses on lecture, live demos, discussion, and guided lab walkthroughs.

Format: 1 session per week, 3 hours per session (24 hours instructor-led, ~80 hours self-study) Session structure: 60 min lecture/demo + 60 min guided lab + 30 min discussion/quiz review + 30 min Q&A Self-study per week: 8 to 12 hours (reading READMEs, completing labs, taking quizzes) Audience: Beginner to intermediate developers with basic programming knowledge, no prior AWS experience. Students who lack basic IT or programming knowledge should complete the IT Fundamentals: Pre-Bootcamp Primer before starting Week 1.

How the Blended Model Works

Each week follows this pattern:

Before each session: Students read the module READMEs assigned for that week. This frees the instructor session for discussion, demos, and deeper exploration rather than first-pass content delivery.

During the session: The instructor covers key concepts with live demos, walks through the most complex lab steps, facilitates discussion using the engagement slides, and answers questions from the pre-reading.

After each session: Students complete the labs and quizzes independently. The instructor provides support via a shared channel (Slack, Teams, or email).

Materials Per Module

Week-by-Week Schedule

Week 1: Cloud Foundations

Modules: 01 (Cloud Fundamentals), 02 (IAM and Security), 03 (Networking Basics) Phase: 1 (Cloud Foundations)

Self-Study Before Session (3 hours)

• Read Module 01 README: cloud computing, NIST characteristics, service models, AWS global infrastructure, shared responsibility model
• Read Module 02 README: IAM users, groups, roles, policies, policy evaluation, best practices
• Skim Module 03 README: VPC, subnets, gateways, route tables, security groups (detailed coverage in session)

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (8 hours)

• Complete Lab 01: AWS Account Setup (45 min)
• Complete Lab 02: IAM Users, Groups, Roles (60 min)
• Complete Lab 03: VPC Setup (75 min)
• Take Quiz 01, Quiz 02, Quiz 03 (45 min total)
• Take Phase 1 Exam (60 min, take-home, submit before Week 2)

Instructor Prep

• Ensure all students have AWS accounts activated before the session
• Prepare a demo VPC in your own account for the live walkthrough
• Share the Phase 1 Exam as a take-home assignment due before Week 2

Week 2: Core Services Part 1

Modules: 04 (Compute: EC2), 05 (Storage: S3), 06 (Databases: RDS and DynamoDB) Phase: 2 (Core Services)

Self-Study Before Session (3 hours)

• Read Module 04 README: EC2 instance types, AMIs, EBS, user data, Auto Scaling, pricing models
• Read Module 05 README: S3 buckets, storage classes, versioning, lifecycle, encryption, access control
• Read Module 06 README: RDS vs. DynamoDB, Multi-AZ, read replicas, primary keys, capacity modes

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (10 hours)

• Complete Lab 04: EC2 Instances (60 min)
• Complete Lab 05: S3 Storage (45 min)
• Complete Lab 06: Databases (60 min)
• Take Quiz 04, Quiz 05, Quiz 06 (45 min total)
• Review Module 07 and 08 READMEs for next week (2 hours)

Instructor Prep

• Have a pre-created RDS instance for the demo (creating one live takes 10+ minutes)
• Prepare sample DynamoDB data for the Query vs. Scan comparison

Week 3: Core Services Part 2

Modules: 07 (Load Balancing and DNS), 08 (Messaging and Integration) Phase: 2 (Core Services, completes this week)

Self-Study Before Session (2 hours)

• Read Module 07 README: ALB, NLB, target groups, health checks, Route 53, routing policies
• Read Module 08 README: SQS, SNS, EventBridge, fan-out pattern, dead-letter queues

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (8 hours)

• Complete Lab 07: ALB and Route 53 (60 min)
• Complete Lab 08: SQS, SNS, Fan-Out (45 min)
• Take Quiz 07, Quiz 08 (30 min total)
• Take Phase 2 Exam (60 min, take-home, submit before Week 4)
• Begin reading Module 09 README for next week (1 hour)

Week 4: Building Applications Part 1

Modules: 09 (Serverless: Lambda), 10 (Containers: ECS) Phase: 3 (Building Applications)

Self-Study Before Session (3 hours)

• Read Module 09 README: Lambda execution model, event sources, cold starts, API Gateway integration, Layers
• Read Module 10 README: containers vs. VMs, Docker, ECR, ECS concepts, Fargate vs. EC2, service auto scaling

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (10 hours)

• Complete Lab 09: Lambda and API Gateway (60 min)
• Complete Lab 10: ECS Fargate (60 min)
• Take Quiz 09, Quiz 10 (30 min total)
• Read Module 11 and 12 READMEs for next week (3 hours)

Instructor Prep

• Have Docker installed and a pre-built container image ready for the ECS demo
• Prepare a Lambda function that intentionally fails to demonstrate error handling and CloudWatch Logs

Week 5: Building Applications Part 2

Modules: 11 (Infrastructure as Code), 12 (CI/CD Pipelines) Phase: 3 (Building Applications, completes this week)

Self-Study Before Session (3 hours)

• Read Module 11 README: CloudFormation templates, intrinsic functions, parameters, change sets, SAM, CDK
• Read Module 12 README: CI/CD fundamentals, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, CodePipeline, deployment strategies

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (10 hours)

• Complete Lab 11: CloudFormation and SAM (60 min)
• Complete Lab 12: CI/CD Pipeline (60 min)
• Take Quiz 11, Quiz 12 (30 min total)
• Take Phase 3 Exam (60 min, take-home, submit before Week 6)
• Begin reading Modules 13-14 READMEs for next week (2 hours)

Week 6: Production Readiness

Modules: 13 (Security in Depth), 14 (Monitoring), 15 (Cost Optimization), 16 (Reliability and DR) Phase: 4 (Production Readiness)

💡Note: This is the densest week with 4 modules. Modules 15 and 16 have open-ended labs that students complete as self-study. The session focuses on Modules 13-14 (which have the most complex new concepts) and provides an overview of 15-16.

Self-Study Before Session (4 hours)

• Read Module 13 README: KMS, Secrets Manager, WAF, Shield, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Config, Security Hub
• Read Module 14 README: three pillars of observability, CloudWatch metrics/alarms/logs, X-Ray, four golden signals
• Skim Module 15 README: Cost Explorer, Budgets, Compute Optimizer, Savings Plans
• Skim Module 16 README: RTO/RPO, DR strategies, resilience patterns, AWS Backup

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (12 hours)

• Complete Lab 13: Security Services (75 min)
• Complete Lab 14: Monitoring (60 min)
• Complete Lab 15: Cost Optimization Audit (90 min, open-ended)
• Complete Lab 16: DR Strategy (90 min, open-ended)
• Take Quiz 13, Quiz 14, Quiz 15, Quiz 16 (60 min total)
• Take Phase 4 Exam (60 min, take-home, submit before Week 7)

Instructor Prep

• Enable GuardDuty in your demo account and generate sample findings before the session
• Create a CloudWatch dashboard with sample data for the live demo
• Prepare a one-page handout summarizing the four DR strategies with RTO/RPO/cost for the Module 16 overview

Week 7: Architecting

Modules: 17 (Well-Architected Framework), 18 (Architecture Patterns), 19 (Advanced Topics) Phase: 5 (Architecting)

Self-Study Before Session (4 hours)

• Read Module 17 README: six pillars, trade-offs, Well-Architected Tool, lenses
• Read Module 18 README: monolith vs. microservices, three-tier, serverless API, event-driven, CQRS, strangler fig
• Read Module 19 README: Organizations, CloudFront, ElastiCache, Step Functions, Athena, ADRs

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Self-Study After Session (12 hours)

• Complete Lab 17: Well-Architected Review (90 min, open-ended)
• Complete Lab 18: Architecture Design (90 min, open-ended)
• Complete Lab 19: Advanced Services (90 min, choose 2 of 3 exercises)
• Take Quiz 17, Quiz 18, Quiz 19 (45 min total)
• Begin capstone project: finalize architecture diagram, start IaC templates (3 hours)

Week 8: Capstone Project and Final Exam

Modules: 20 (Capstone Project) Phase: 5 (Architecting, completes this week)

Self-Study Before Session (15 hours)

• Complete capstone implementation: IaC templates, application code, CI/CD pipeline, monitoring
• Prepare the Well-Architected self-assessment
• Create the cost estimate using the AWS Pricing Calculator
• Prepare the 15-minute presentation with live demo
• Study for the Phase 5 Exam

Instructor Session (3 hours)

Class size adjustment: With 15-minute presentations, a 90-minute window fits 6 students. For larger classes, reduce to 10-minute presentations (9 students) or extend the session. Alternatively, split presentations across two days.

Instructor Prep

• Print the evaluation rubric for each student
• Test your own internet connection and projector setup for live demos
• Have a backup plan if a student's demo fails (screenshot walkthrough)
• Prepare certificates of completion (optional)

Assessment Schedule Summary

Grading Breakdown (Suggested)

Self-Study Expectations

💡Note: Students who need the IT Fundamentals primer should add 2 to 3 hours of self-study before Week 1 (reading, lab, and quiz in it-fundamentals/).

Tips for the 1-Session-Per-Week Format

1. Pre-reading is non-negotiable. The session assumes students have read the READMEs. Without pre-reading, the session becomes a first-pass lecture instead of a discussion and demo. Set this expectation in Week 1.

2. Focus sessions on what students cannot do alone. Live demos, guided walkthroughs of tricky lab steps, group discussions, and Q&A are high-value session activities. Reading and straightforward labs are better as self-study.

3. Week 6 is the hardest week. Four modules with 12 hours of self-study. Warn students in Week 5 and suggest they start the pre-reading early. Consider offering extra office hours during Week 6.

4. Capstone needs early start. Students should choose their project idea in Week 7 and begin architecture design immediately. The 15 hours of self-study in Week 8 is aggressive. Encourage students to start implementation during Week 7.

5. Use a shared channel for support. Students will get stuck on labs between sessions. A Slack channel, Teams group, or discussion forum where students can ask questions (and help each other) is essential for the self-study model.

6. Phase exams as take-home. With one session per week, administering exams in-session consumes too much of the limited face time. Make Phases 1-4 exams take-home with a deadline before the next session. Only Phase 5 is in-session (Week 8).

7. Review exam results at the start of each session. Spend 10 minutes reviewing common mistakes from the previous phase exam. This reinforces learning and identifies students who need extra support.

8. Clean up resources weekly. Remind students at the end of every session to delete lab resources. With a week between sessions, forgotten resources accumulate charges.

Pre-Bootcamp Checklist

Send this to students one week before the bootcamp starts:

• Create an AWS account at aws.amazon.com (activation can take up to 24 hours)
• Install a virtual MFA app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy)
• Install a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
• Install Git and create a GitHub account
• Install Python 3 (needed for Lambda functions starting in Module 09)
• Install Docker Desktop (needed for Module 10)
• Install the AWS CLI (optional; CloudShell is available in the browser)
• Read Module 01 README before the first session
• Verify basic programming knowledge (any language). If you are new to IT and programming, complete the IT Fundamentals: Pre-Bootcamp Primer first (2 to 3 hours of self-study).

Post-Bootcamp

After the final session:

1. Remind students to delete all AWS resources across all Regions to avoid charges
2. Share the resources.md files as a reference library for continued learning
3. Recommend the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification as the natural next step
4. Share the bootcamp GitHub repository for future reference
5. Collect feedback on the bootcamp for future improvements

AWS Bootcamp: From Novice to Architect Author: Samuel Ogunti License: CC BY-NC 4.0