1. Report from the ACM CCECC IT Curriculum Projectby
Jim Nichols & Cara Tang, PhD
ACM Committee for Computing Education in Community Colleges
(acmccecc.org)
January 2014

2. Outline The Process The IT Curriculum Guidelines
Phase 1: Determine the mission
Phase 2: Carry out the mission
The IT Curriculum Guidelines
Discussion and Feedback

3. The Process: Phase 1 ( )
Explore the need for, and potential nature of, contemporary curricular guidance relevant to IT-related associate-degree programs
Diverse working group from industry and academia produced recommendations
Key conclusions
Compelling need for IT curricular guidance for the associate-degree level
Typical model built upon a comprehensive Body of Knowledge (BoK) is not well suited to dynamic field of IT

4. The Process: Phase 1 Key conclusions (cont.)
IT curricular guidance should be built on a framework of core learning outcomes
Constituted by core IT competencies
Influenced by current and future needs of business and industry, certifications, related curricula, government and standards bodies, new and emerging technology, international perspectives
Designed to provide staying power and adaptability
Accompanied by meaningful evaluation metrics
Emphasize “constituted by core IT competencies” - intersection of all IT domains

5. The Process: Phase 2 Inputs (2012-2014)
US Dept. of Labor IT Competency Model
EU ICT Competencies
EMC’s 5 pillars of IT
ACM/IEEE-CS Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology 2008
CSTA Strands
ASSECT Model for Computational Thinking in IT

6. The Process: Phase 2 Participants
Subject matter experts from business and industry
Google, EMC2, NetApp, Dell, Cisco Systems, Oracle, CompTIA, Juniper Networks
Two-year college faculty
Adirondack CC, Austin CC, Black Hawk CC, Brookdale CC, CC of Baltimore County, Cosumnes River College, Estrella Mountain CC, Portland CC, Salt Lake CC, Stark State College
Assessment Experts

7. The Process: Phase 2 NY Meeting
Two full days
Compose and vet student learning outcomes
Training on assessment rubrics by A-Team
Compose and vet assessment rubrics
Product: First Reviewer’s Draft
Distributed to individuals in CCECC affiliate database, SIGITE conference in Calgary, Canada, booth at SIGCSE, CAPSpace web site
Topics / LOs created are for intersection of IT degrees

8. The Process: Phase 2 Continued Work
West coast / East coast meetings
Considered feedback
Review and adjust learning outcomes
Craft assessment rubrics
Map outcomes to other curricula
Product: Current and Final Reviewer’s Draft
Feedback due Monday, Jan. 13, 2014

9. IT Curriculum Guidelines Learning Outcomes
Express core IT competencies across all IT-related associate degree programs
Both technical and behavioral outcomes
Span the first 3 levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
Lower Order Thinking Skills
Higher Order Thinking Skills

10. IT Curriculum Guidelines Assessment
Each learning outcome has a 3-tier assessment rubric
Give further clarity to outcomes
Meaningful evaluation
Facilitate integration into assessment-based curricula
Below Expectations
Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations

11. IT Curriculum Guidelines Mappings
Core IT learning outcomes mapped to
US Dept. of Labor IT Competency Model
ACM IT Baccalaureate Guidelines
CSTA Computer Science Standards
ACM Computing Classification System
Potentially Others

12. Learning Outcomes
Reviewer’s Draft
CAPSpace

13. IT Curriculum Guidelines Distribution Across Bloom’s Levels
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Lower
Higher

14. Next Steps Final guidelines available Q2 2014 Course Examples
Map your course outcomes to ACM’s core IT learning outcomes for associate degrees
Industry Champions
List your company as an industry champion of this ACM curricula

15. MPICT
"ACM CCECC Draft Curricular Guidance for IT AS Degrees" - Mid-Pacific ICT Center Quarterly Newsletter, 2013, Quarter 4, Page 8.
2012 MPICT Winter Conference Interview with James Jones, Executive Director MPICT and Bob Campbell, Vice Chair ACM CCECC - (18.5 minutes)

16. ACM Inroads articles
"Curricular Guidance for IT Associate-Degree Programs" - ACM Inroads, December 2013, Volume 4, Issue 4; DOI: / "Associate-Degree Curricular Guidance for Information Technology" - ACM Inroads, March 2012, Volume 3, Issue 1; DOI: /

17. ACM CCECC Contact Info
ACM CCECC Members
Elizabeth K. Hawthorne, Chair,
Robert Campbell, Vice-Chair,
Jim Nichols,
Cara Tang,
Cindy Tucker,
Send feedback thru: capspace.org/contactus/ by January 13, 2014