Introducing a New Way to Revise and Maintain Undergraduate Information Systems Model Curricula Panel at AIS SIG-ED 2007 (12/9/2007) Panelists: Kate Kaiser, Marquette University Janice Sipior, Villanova University Heikki Topi, Bentley College Joe Valacich, Washington State University

Agenda Introductions Background: Brief history of undergraduate model curricula in IS Update on curriculum wiki Encompassing the global perspective Proposed core curriculum Role of computing ontology in IS curriculum development Conclusion

Background and Brief History New initiative launched publicly at AMCIS 2007 The latest IS undergraduate model curriculum is IS 2002, published in early 2003 IS 2002 was a relatively minor update of IS’97 IS 2002 and IS’97 were both joint efforts by ACM, AIS, and DPMA/AITP IS’97 was preceded by DPMA’90, and ACM Curriculum Recommendations 1983 and 1973

Motivation for the Revision Time: IS’97 was the last significant undergraduate curriculum revision Work done mostly in mid-1990s Major contextual changes Globally distributed development sourced through complex arrangements Web technologies and approaches Packaged software/ERP Ubiquitous, mobile computing Enrollment crisis in IS and computing in general Need to clarify the identity of IS Need to get the broader community involved

Discussion Questions What factual information do we have about the changes in skills requirements for IS graduates? Have the outcome expectations regarding the capabilities of IS graduates fundamentally changed since early 2000s? Does the curriculum have anything to do with the enrollment crisis? More importantly, can we have an impact on enrollment with curriculum changes?

Update on Curriculum Wiki New collaborative approach to curriculum development Use of MediaWiki to create a platform for continuous sharing of work products and for open discussion The environment has been available since August 2007; very little use outside the task force so far Importance of formal governance structure Importance of incentives Importance of dedicated technical support

URL for the Wiki http://blogsandwikis.bentley.edu/iscurriculu m

Discussion Questions What incentive mechanisms can we create to increase public participation? How can we make participation sustainable long-term? What should we as a community do to increase the perceived value of curriculum development work? Does the idea of a formal governance structure have any chance of succeeding?

Encompassing the Global Perspective Need to recognize the global nature of the IS discipline and the wide variety of contexts in which IS curricula are offered Addressing the needs of multiple regional systems Encouraging global involvement in the process

Discussion Questions What are the implications of moving towards a genuinely global curriculum? How can we create a curriculum that encourages local innovation but provides a global structure? Can a model curriculum be general enough to serve the entire world?

Proposed Core Topics Foundations and Role of Information Systems Data & Information Systems Analysis & Design IT Infrastructure Project Management Application Development

Proposed Curriculum Structure

Discussion Questions How stable do you expect the proposed core group of topics to be? Do managerial topics get sufficient attention within the proposed core? If a core is specified, should all IS programs give the same emphasis to all aspects of the core? What does it mean to have a core if different career tracks interpret the core differently?

Issues related to the Information Systems Body of Knowledge Most model curricula are based on a hierarchically structured body of knowledge (sometimes a foundation for the discipline) IS Body of Knowledge was carefully developed for IS’97 but barely updated for IS 2002 Little work done since Possibility to base the IS body of knowledge at least partially on the results of the computing ontology project (see http://what.csc.villanova.edu/twiki/bin/view/ Main/OntologyProject)

IS Core vs. Computing Ontology Mapping Data & Information Systems Analysis & Design IT Infrastructure Information Topics Systems Development Systems and Project Management User Interface Computing and Network Systems Computer Hardware Organization IS Core Computing Ontology

IS Core vs. Computing Ontology Mapping Project Management Application Development Systems and Project Management Programming Fundamentals Programming Languages Systems Development IS Core Computing Ontology

Reminder: Mechanism for Maintaining the Wiki The Task Force members are responsible for editing curriculum content pages The “Discussion” tab is available on each page for comments by all registered members of the wiki Any structural changes will be made by the Task Force members It is our intent to establish an editorial structure for the wiki after this initial development period

“Discussion” Tab

How Can You Contribute? All members of the IS community are encouraged to participate actively in the discussion on the wiki You are able to review and comment on any aspect of the curriculum recommendation You can also contact the curriculum task force co-chairs Heikki Topi (htopi@bentley.edu) and Joe Valacich (jsv@wsu.edu) directly and give your feedback to them Tell about the project to as many colleagues of yours as possible

Thank you!!