Constructing a Workable Computer Information Science/Computer Science Curriculum: A Template for Developing a Cross-Discipline Model

Introduction According to recent published surveys, there is a constant demand for knowledgeable and computer literate undergraduates. Is it the obligation of academia to teach students both in the rigors of subjective and objective arenas of study? Should they be taught to not only use their heads, but also their hands? Should we as educators develop our curriculums to incorporate market driven subjects? These and other questions were the driving force in a recent case study of the curriculum of the Computer Information Systems department at Palm Beach Atlantic College. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] It is a fact that industry is hiring individuals that can install a network, maintain an Internet web site, enhance software applications, competently oversee the upgrading of entire systems and much more. All of these areas use varying amounts of training and Computer Science graduates must be competent in both if they are to succeed. This was reiterated recently in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the 2001-2 edition "Technological advancements will increase the employment of computer-related workers; as a result, the demand for managers to direct these workers also will increase." This is not to imply that schools must be market driven, but they must be market savvy to be competitive in current academic markets. An excellent resource on the changing demands for IS/IT in Europe is "Assessing the Supply and Demand for Scientists and Technologists in Europe", 2001, Pearson R, Jagger N, Connor H, Perryman S (IES) with de Grip A, Marey P, Corver F (ROA). A parallel paper "The Supply of Technology Workers in the United States", 1999, by Peter Freeman and William Aspray is a study of the changing needs for IS/IT workers in the U.S. Richard Felder (1995) talks of an "active learning" environment as being a combination of hearing and doing. Many in academia frown upon this approach. Maybe it smacks of a technical school? According to Felder's paper on "Active Leaning: Who Said It Was Easy?" Chemical Engineering Education (1995) 29 (1): 32-33, he commented that students learn more by doing than by listening. Mehic and Al-Soufi (1999) successfully developed a program that incorporated admirable academic standards and included "... cooperation with industry firms" in order that students could "... take advantage of opportunities, gain experience, and make an impact immediately" on industry. If the colleges under study were an indicator, Colleges are increasingly incorporating industry needs into their curriculum. The nature of the CIS/CS disciplines seem to demand that they also incorporate industry needs into their curriculum. At no time does this diminish the need to teach students logical thought, and subjective / objective analysis. This case study follows the path taken by the PBAC CIS department as decisions were made using these fundamental concepts. An 8-step curriculum solution template was developed (see Figure 1). In essence this was accomplished by: 1) Determining where the CIS department was as of the date of the study, including type and number of staff, student major and minor needs and expectations, and what forces drove it to this point (CIS Department at PBAC), 2) Determining what curriculum standards were currently acknowledged by major college CIS departments (including incorporating the major divisions of recognized Management Information Systems textbooks), and were apropos to a CIS department in a small college serving an international student body (Curriculum Standards Considered), 3) Pinpointing major areas of concern, that could be addressed in a reasonable time period, without major disruption to students currently in the program (The Problem), and 4) Putting into place a curriculum revision plan (Post-Study Solution) involving: a) The introduction of a system of pre-requisites, b) A multi-track plan of student study within curriculum guidelines, and c) A reasonable timeline of implementation. …