SERDES DC to Daylight is not for experts. This class is for mere mortals who need to understand how to make designs that work right the first time and can be manufactured with a high yield.

The class start with the basics of stackups, return current planes, vias, etc.

There are fairly simple ways to model the elements of the design and get fast answers.

The simple ways inherently have large error bands. If you are developing one of a kind devices where the engineering time is more expensive than using high prices parts, that may be all you need.

If you are building a high volume where minimizing design cost, you will need to understand how you get highly accurate models to produce a highly accurate simulation of the finished product.

If you are building a one of a kind device at the higher end of the SERDES speed range, you will need to understand how you get highly accurate models to produce a highly accurate simulation of the finished product.
You may be able to minimize some effort, but with higher speed, smaller issues can cause devastating failures.

Simulation is mandatory in this design space. The two main methods are IBIS-AMI and COM. The class goes into these methods in reasonable detail.

The class has a number of pre-class videos to establish a common foundation for all students. It the video is too basic, you can fast forward. However I expect you to understand the basics prior to class. I will review it, but at mach 1 type of speed.

After the class there are homework labs. The labs are a professor in a box type of experience. I will give you a starting point and show yo how to run the tools. After that yhou need to invent your own experiment and see how things change. There are things that cause manufacturing holy wars that are not a big deal. However, there are things that designers miss that cause huge problems.

The videos under SERDES cover much of the material I teach in the new class. If you want to get the most out of the class, I recommend watch the videos prior to class.