|
ACM and AIS Unveil Major Revisions to Information Systems Curriculum to Meet Changing Technology and Industry Practices
NEW YORK, May 20, 2010 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) --
In the face of
rapid and frequent changes confronting the global computing
field, ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery) and AIS
(the Association for Information Systems) have jointly
developed new curriculum guidelines for undergraduate degree
programs in Information Systems (IS) that for the first time
include both core and elective courses suited to specific
career tracks. The report, IS 2010, provides
recommendations to successfully implement and maintain an IS
program with the scope and flexibility to satisfy the varied
requirements of local employers and communities. The
guidelines can be adapted for schools of business, public
administration, and information science or informatics as
well as stand-alone schools of Information Systems. The
report is available to academic leaders, accrediting bodies,
college and university faculty, IS practitioners and
students in IS programs from ACM:
http://www.acm.org/education/curricula/IS%202010%20ACM%20final.pdf
and AIS: http://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol26/iss1/18/ .
"These guidelines are designed to enable students to
acquire the skills needed for success in a growing number of
career tracks," said Heikki Topi, co-chair of the Joint IS
2010 Curriculum Task Force. "Graduates who have an in-depth
understanding of the transformational opportunities that IT
capabilities can provide to their organizations are in a
stronger position compared to their peers without this
understanding, particularly when it is combined with a
strong set of technology capabilities. These guidelines
allow faculty to flexibly design IS curricula to meet career
track expectations for graduates," said Topi, who serves as
Associate Dean of Business for Graduate and Executive
Programs at Bentley University.
IS 2010 Curriculum Task Force co-chair Joseph S. Valacich
cited the guidelines' links to multiple disciplines that
will produce benefits beyond the business community. He
noted that many schools are increasing the emphasis on the
design of domain solutions that enhance organizational
performance. "IS as a discipline can make significant
contributions to a number of domains, including law, health,
and government enterprises," said Valacich, a professor in
the Department of Information Systems at Washington State
University. "As a result, IS professionals need both an
excellent understanding of their work domain as well as
appropriate technology knowledge for their organizational
role in that domain."
The IS 2010 curriculum guidelines were revised to address
the changes driving technology and industry practices since
the previous ACM/AIS curriculum report which was completed
in early 2000s. Among these changes are the globalization
of IS development processes; the ubiquitous use of Web
technologies; and the emergence of new architectural
elements including Web services, software-as-a-service, and
cloud computing. Other factors include integrated ERP
(enterprise resource planning) and other enterprise level
software systems; pervasive mobile computing; and governance
models that apply best practices to information technology,
all of which are reflected in the new guidelines.
The IS 2010 guidelines are intended as a way to engage
the IS community in a more comprehensive role and to address
a steep drop in student enrollment in this area of study.
While employment data confirms steady growth in IS career
opportunities, student interest in the field has not kept
pace with this trend. The new curriculum is designed to be
fully compatible with computing education community efforts
to attract more students to these dynamic career choices.
The IS 2010 curriculum is aimed at educating graduates
who are prepared to enter the workforce equipped with
IS-specific as well as foundational knowledge and skills,
and with domain fundamentals. The report describes the
seven core courses that must be covered in every IS program.
It also presents a model curriculum that includes examples
of elective courses, which represent the essential building
blocks of career tracks. Also included is a matrix of core
courses and sample electives mapped to a number of suggested
career tracks, including application developer, business
analyst, database administrator, IT architect, network
administrator, project manager, and Web content manager,
among others.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery
(http://www.acm.org/), is the world's largest educational
and scientific computing society, uniting computing
educators, researchers and professionals to inspire
dialogue, share resources and address the field's
challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's
collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the
highest standards, and recognition of technical
excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its
members by providing opportunities for life-long learning,
career development, and professional networking.
About AIS
The Association for Information Systems (AIS;
http://www.ais.org/) is the premier global organization for
academics specializing in information systems. Founded in
1994, AIS is an international professional society of 4,000
members from 90 countries and a key player in the
advancement of the IS academic community. The AIS Mission is
to advance knowledge in the use of information technology to
improve organizational performance and individual quality of
work life.
- - - -
CONTACTS: Virginia Gold, ACM, 212-626-0505, vgold@acm.org
Maggie Kempken, AIS, mkempken@meetingexpectations.com
((AScribe - The Public Interest Newswire / http://www.ascribe.org))
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
Call Center/CRM
Info Tech 
IP Communications 
Mobile 
Green 
Satellite 
Robotics 
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
M2M Evolution Magazine
