public void getCourse(String courseID) throws Exception {
        String sql;
        PreparedStatement st;
        ResultSet rs;

        Connection db = ConnectionUtils.getConnection();
        
        String student_ID = UserLogin.id;
        
        // get the stud ent information
        sql = "select course.crs_ID, course.crs_name, student.student_ID, student.first_name, student.last_name"+
              "from course, student, section, enrollment"+
              "where course.crs_ID = section.crs_ID AND"+
              "section.section_ID = enrollment.section_ID and"+
              "enrollment.student_ID = student.student_ID and"+
              "student.last_name = ?";
        
        
        st = db.prepareStatement(sql);
        st.setString(1, student_ID);
        rs = st.executeQuery();
        if (!rs.next()) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("invalid Student ID");
        }
        ResultSetMetaData rsmd = rs.getMetaData();
        
        courses = new String[rsmd.getColumnCount()-1][2];
        
        setColumns(rsmd.getColumnCount());
        
        int i = 0;
        while(rs.next())
        {
            courses[i][0] = rs.getString(2);//course id
            courses[i][1] = rs.getString(3);//course name
            courses[i][2] = rs.getString(4);//student id
            courses[i][3] = rs.getString(5) + " "+ rs.getString(6);//name
            //courses[i][2] = rs.getString(5);
        }
        
        rs.close();
        st.close();
        db.close();
    }