Background of IS Curricula and Related Disciplines
From IS Curriculum
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Computer Science Curricula
A curriculum for Computer Science (CS) was first outlined in 1968 (see list in Figure A2.1; ACM, 1968) and revised a decade later (ACM, 1979). These curricula helped define the field of Computer Science. A joint task force of the IEEECS and ACM revised the curriculum in 1991 (Turner and Tucker, 1991). A recent version includes a very significant redevelopment and is called Computing Curricula 2001, Computer Science Volume, often called CS2001 (Engel and Roberts, 2001). An effort is currently ongoing to revise CS2001.
Information Systems Curricula
Curriculum development for Information Systems (IS) began in the early 1970s (Ashenhurst, 1972; Couger, 1973); both the ACM and DPMA published versions of IS model curricula in the 1980s (DPMA, 1981, 1986; Nunamaker, Couger, and Davis, 1982). The IS'97 model curriculum (Davis et al., 1997) represented the first formal and combined effort of ACM, AIS, and AITP. Key events are listed in Figure A2.1.
The DPMA IS90 model was begun in November 1988 and completed by July of 1991 (Longenecker and Feinstein, 1991b, 1991c). This model was based on a survey of information systems programs in approximately 1,000 colleges and universities in North America (Longenecker and Feinstein, 1991a). Participants in the effort, the Curriculum Task Force (CTF 90), were drawn from an international community of industry, business, and academia including both two and four year institutions. The work was supported by the DPMA but participants were also active in other organizations. Material from the unpublished work of the ACMIS curriculum committee that met in the late 1980s was incorporated into the model.
The draft version Information Systems The DPMA Model Curriculum for a Four Year Undergraduate Degree (IS90), was released in October 1990. This draft was presented at ISECON (Information Systems Educational Conference) in Chicago, at the DSI (Decision Sciences Institute) meeting in San Diego, and at ICIS (International Conference for Information Systems) in Copenhagen. A final document was released in June 1991. IS90 prompted considerable dialogue. A partial list of papers that discuss various aspects of IS education is found in the bibliography (Aggarwal and Rollier, 1994; Burn et al., 1994; Cale, 1994; Chow, Dick and Edmundson, 1994; Daigle and Kemp, 1993, 1994; Daniels et al., 1992; Denison, 1993; Doran, Longenecker and Pardu, 1994; Cohen, 1993, 1994; Granger and Schroeder, 1994; Haney, 1994; Klein, Stephens, and Bohannon, 1994; Lim, 1993; Longenecker, Feinstein, and Gorgone, 1994; Longenecker et al., 1996; Longenecker et al., 1997; Lorents and Neal, 1993; Mawhinney, Morrell, and Morris, 1994; McKinney, Agarwal, and Sanati, 1994; Pick and Schenk, 1993; Pick, Baty, and Phoenix, 1994; Sanati, McKinney, and Agarwal, 1994; Smith, 1994; Waguespack, 1994).
Characteristics of IS'97 Development
In February 1994, the initial meeting of a Joint Task Force for ACM, AIS, and DPMA collaboration on a model IS curriculum was held. At the meeting, the IS90 body of IS knowledge was reviewed and updated. During subsequent meetings, curriculum presentation areas were described. Courses were also developed based on specific goals and objectives. Statements specifying the characteristics of graduates were reviewed and extended. Preliminary versions of the curriculum were presented in 1994 and 1995 at ISECON (Information Systems Educational Conference, Louisville), DSI (Decision Science Institute, Honolulu), IAIM (International Academy for Information Management, Las Vegas), ICIS (International Conference on Information Systems, Vancouver), and SIGCSE (Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education, Nashville).
The IS'97 materials were presented for review to 900 faculty, chairs, and distinguished IS professionals during the summer of 1995. The critique from the review process was used by the co-chairs in developing the edited version now called IS'97. The ACM Education Board members and DPMA management submitted significant suggestions for revision of IS95. The upgraded materials were presented in 1995 at IACIS (International Association for Computer Information Systems), ISECON, DSI, and IAIM, and in 1996 at SIGCSE in Philadelphia.
IS'97 and its predecessor IS90 differed from other approaches in several fundamental ways.
- Development was based on a methodology that can be replicated as the knowledge base evolves.
- Course content is determined in a functional manner rather than topically. For example, an integrated course in systems development replaces the necessity for separate courses in database, analysis, and design. These topics have always been strongly coupled and, therefore, can be taught together.
- The depth of coverage of elements of the body of knowledge within the objectives is progressive. This allows all related topics to be covered in an integrated fashion with repetition and increasing depth until the required exit competence is achieved.
- Measurable educational outcome objectives are identified and used uniformly throughout the methodology. Depth of knowledge is defined in a manner consistent with Bloom (1956). This allows for learning of the body of knowledge to a specified competence as well as continuous assessment and feedback (Argyris, 1976, 1977). Topics are revisited several times within the context of given goals of instruction (Gagne, Briggs, and Wager, 1988).
- The learning units provide small units for curriculum design. They support tailoring of courses and are not as prescriptive as courses used in previous models. This allows flexibility by individual academic units, yet with the ability to remain focused on overall objectives of the curriculum. This approach will help ensure the quality of graduates (Denning, 1992; Bemowski, 1991a, 1991b; Cherkasky, 1992).
IS 2002 Extensions
IS'97 has experienced a wide degree of success. It has become the basis for IS accreditation. Yet, the document was prepared largely in 1995, and was modified to keep it up-to-date until its publication in 1997. It is five years old at the time of the development of IS 2002. Survey research conducted by the co-chairs indicates that there is still a wide agreement of practitioners and academicians as to the relevance of the spiral approach, the exit objectives, and most of the detailed learning objectives, but there was a clear need to update the model curriculum because of rapid contextual and technological change. The body of knowledge has been expanded based on available materials from the ISCC99 curriculum and from the EC Institute body of knowledge documents. The co-chairs have added a new course in e-commerce, and have made edits in the balance of the course descriptions to reflect current attitudes, surveyed skill elements, and feedback from six national presentations at AIS, ISECON, and IAIM to information systems faculty.
