A Competency-based Approach toward Curricular Guidelines for Information Technology Education

The Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society have launched a new report titled, Curriculum Guidelines for Baccalaureate Degree Programs in Information Technology (IT2017). This paper discusses significant aspects of the IT2017 report and focuses on competency-driven learning rather than delivery of knowledge in information technology (IT) programs. It also highlights an IT curricular framework that meets the growing demands of a changing technological world in the next decade. Specifically, the paper outlines ways by which baccalaureate IT programs might implement the IT curricular framework and prepare students with knowledge, skills, and dispositions to equip graduates with competencies that matter in the workplace. The paper suggests that a focus on competencies allows academic departments to forge collaborations with employers and engage students in professional practice experiences. It also shows how professionals and educators might use the report in reviewing, updating, and creating baccalaureate IT degree programs worldwide

Factors Affecting Student Success in Oregon Associate Degree Nursing Programs

Background: Multiple factors contribute to student retention and attrition rates in undergraduate nursing programs. Attrition rates are rising, which affects society as the population is aging and there is a need for more nurses. Identifying attrition risk as a method to increase student success is imperative in order to produce more nurses. The purpose of this project was to analyze and evaluate predictive factors and academic issues that affect student success at Oregon Consortium of Nursing Education (OCNE) schools in order decrease attrition rates in the science courses and increase associate degree of nursing (ADN) program completion. Methods: This records-based correlational study included a random sampling selection of students from nine OCNE community college associate degree nursing programs in Oregon (n = 500). Deidentified transcripts were collected from students who were enrolled full-time in the nursing programs. The data included students’ grade point average (GPA), grades, and completion rates. Prerequisite GPA scores, anatomy and physiology (A&P) course scores, chemistry course scores, microbiology course scores, and prerequisite repeats, and ADN sciences (pathophysiology and pharmacology) course scores were obtained from each participating school via electronic records. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 24 software with predictive analytics. Results: Of 488 (n = 500) successful completions from OCNE ADN programs, there was a positive statistically significant correlation between prerequisite biological science GPA and ADN GPA (r = .128, n = 488, p = .005). The correlation between prerequisite science GPA and program completion showed a statistically significant negative, albeit weak, correlation (r = -.128, n = 500, p = .004). Analyses reveals a statistically significant positive correlation between A&P and chemistry course repeats and successful completion of ADN sciences. Recommendations: OCNE admission standards must undergo ongoing and repeated evaluation to improve high academic standards. Current recommendations include revision of admissions point system and number of course repeats, investigation of A&P teaching methodology and content, and further studies to investigate direct cause and effect of student attrition beyond predictive correlational relationships. Conclusions: The results of this study were congruent with evidence-based literature. There are four statistically significant and potentially predictive correlations, including: 1) The grade a student receives in a prerequisite science course correlates with the grade they will receive in an ADN science course; 2) Prerequisite science GPA correlates with the GPA a student receives upon completion of the ADN program; 3) Prerequisite science GPA correlates with the likelihood of completing the ADN program; and, 4) Repeating either A&P or chemistry correlates with a higher likelihood of completing the ADN program. In order to decrease attrition, higher standards need to be placed on the prerequisite science courses to ensure that students with high academic qualifications are admitted to nursing programs

Identifying the characteristics of and quality indicators for associate degree culinary arts programs: A survey of educators and industry

Since 1981, the number of associate degree culinary arts programs in the United States increased from four to 261. Little academic literature exists about these programs and their diversity makes clear comparisons of culinary programs difficult. This study addresses the research question: What are the common characteristics of associate degree culinary arts programs and to what extent can each of these characteristics be used as indicators for evaluating the quality of the programs?;The researcher performed content analysis of 232 associate degree culinary arts program requirements worksheets to determine the typical curriculum. She analyzed information from guidebooks and websites to develop a database of the characteristics of 261 programs; The researcher conducted a thorough literature review of quality assessment theories and ranking and accreditation systems. Using Dillman\u27s (2002) Tailored Design Method, she developed a survey to assess culinary educators\u27 and industry chefs\u27 perceptions of the importance of teaching specific professional and general education subjects in associate degree culinary arts programs and of using certain program characteristics to determine program quality; The survey was mailed to 296 culinary educators and 1107 active chef members of the American Culinary Federation. Five hundred ninety-four surveys were returned for a response rate of 42.33%. The researcher determined the mean importance ratings of the subjects and program characteristics. The most important professional courses were by highest mean score, were Sanitation, Basic Cooking/Hot Foods---Lab, Food and Beverage Cost Control, Menu Development, and Saucier. The most important general education classes were Business Math, Computer Concepts, Public Speaking, Business Writing, and English Composition. The five important quality indicators were Sanitation of Kitchen Laboratories, Industry and Subject Experience of Faculty, Required Internship, and Placement Rates. Statistically significant differences existed between the opinions of the educators and chefs regarding 20 subjects and 17 potential quality indicators; The researcher used the results of analyzing the databases and survey responses to develop a recommended curriculum and lists of quality indicators for associate degree culinary arts programs. Culinary educators, foodservice industry employers, the American Culinary Federation, and potential students and their families can use the findings to evaluate and compare associate degree culinary arts programs

The measurement of caring relationships in associate degree nursing students

This study began with a mailed survey to 180 nursing educators to ascertain whether caring was a curricular component, and to identify a quantitative instrument to measure caring in nursing students. The survey did not produce a suitable instrument, but a literature search located the Professional Caring Behaviors Instrument. Caring was a curricular component in 31% of the 109 respondents\u27 programs;Caring has many meanings. Some nurses view it as affective and/or instrumental behaviors in relationships with patients. It has also been viewed as a moral basis for ethical decision making. These two views have been linked conceptually, but not empirically;Caring as a moral voice has been linked empirically with the Feeling Scale on the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. This study investigated the relationship between three paired variables: caring moral voice, professional nurse caring, and Feeling. Instruments used to collect data were the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Measure of Moral Orientation, and the Professional Caring Behaviors Instrument;The nonrandom sample consisted of 61 incoming associate degree nursing students; 93% were female, 75% were single, 60% came from small midwestern towns, all had moderate to strong religious beliefs, and the majority came into nursing for altruistic reasons. The mean age was 24, the median 21, and the mode 20;The majority of the sample (85%) preferred Feeling on the MBTI. Caring was the preferred voice in moral decision making for 93%, although it was balanced by the use of justice, and all of the sample strongly agreed that nursing caring behaviors were important;There were no statistically significant correlations between the variables in this sample. Scores on the three instruments had a restricted range; the group was homogeneous on all three variables. An unexpected result was the nonsignificant correlation of caring as a moral voice with Thinking. Instrumentation and scoring method may have contributed to this finding. There was support for related yet separate concepts of caring as a moral voice and caring as behavior in nursing relationships with patients. The results cannot be generalized to other groups, but the dominance of Sensing-Feeling types has many implications for faculty and student services personnel at the study site, affecting both the curriculum and the co-curriculum

BACCALAUREATE TIME-TO-DEGREE FOR MONTANA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM TWO-YEAR COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS

Two-year college transfer education has been promoted as a cost-effective path for achieving the baccalaureate, but increased time-to-degree could nullify this assumption. The Montana University System (MUS) recently expanded the mission for its two-year college system by adding the transfer function. This non-experimental quantitative research study examined whether a difference existed in baccalaureate time-to-degree for transfer students from MUS two-year colleges. Three years of MUS graduate data (2014 – 2016) was examined in comparing baccalaureate time-to-degree of non-transfer students (n = 5,953) with transfer students (n = 730). Credit accumulation, GPA, associate degree completion, nontraditional student status, and two-year college organization were also examined. Baccalaureate time-to-degree took longer for transfer students (Mdn = 6 years) than non-transfer students (Mdn = 4 years, 1 semester) with a statistically significant difference (U = 1,137,872, p \u3c 0.001, r = 0.26). Transfer students had larger credit accumulation (Mdn = 140 – 149 credits) than non-transfer students (Mdn = 130 – 139 credits), but experienced similar academic achievement as measured by grade point average (Mdn = 3.00 – 3.49). Students completing the AA/AS transfer degree in route to the baccalaureate did not experience longer time-to-degree than other transfer students, but AAS degree recipients did take longer. All associate degree completers had greater credit accumulations than other transfer students. No statistically significant differences were observed in baccalaureate time-to-degree or credit accumulation, for transfer students from embedded or independently organized college, or students of nontraditional age. Further observation into the effects of the two-year college transfer function is recommended

Evaluating Educational Degree Options Within Radiologic Science Programs

Currently, with the declining number of students enrolling in four-year radiologic science programs, it is not only worrisome for the survival of these programs, but also a challenge to supply enough graduates to help fill the hospitals’ demands for more radiologic technologists. With the increase in radiology staffing shortages, especially since COVID-19, it is important that Radiologic Science programs not only produce high quality technologists, but also maintain a high level of student enrollment. The purpose of the study is to determine similarities and differences between two-year and four-year Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)-accredited radiologic science programs in Illinois, given the high demand for technologists in healthcare. The research methods that will be used include: document analysis and interviews with radiology administrators. For the document analysis, twenty-two associate degree programs and five bachelor degree programs accredited through JRCERT in Illinois will be reviewed. For the interview process, one radiology administrator from ten Midwest hospitals will be interviewed. From the document analysis and interviews, the researcher will provide recommendations to four-year institutions on how to increase enrollment opportunities

Which Associate Degree Programs Should NTID’s Department of Engineering Studies Offer? A Decision-Analysis Dissertation

This decision-making analysis was completed to assist leaders in the Department of Engineering Studies of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in determining a program offering. The analysis utilized a mixed scanning framework and mixed methods to determine DES and NTID program offerings for the Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree that trains students for employment as technicians. The impact of five alternatives on 10 objectives was predicted based on data from a faculty focus group, individual interviews, surveys, and literature analysis. The five alternatives were to maintain the status quo, add a new AOS program (i.e., Biomedical Equipment Repair Technician (BERT) or Renewable Energy/Sustainability Technician (RE/ST)), or eliminate an existing program (Computer Aided Drafting Technology) and add a new program (BERT or RE/ST). The potential influence of the alternatives on each objective was predicted based on the data, and a marginal cost analysis was utilized for each evaluated alternative. Alterative one did not have a cost increase; the total five-year net revenue for the remaining alternatives were ($951,407.42) for alternative two,$397,617.38 for alternative three, ($2,702,449.97) for alternative four, and ($1,448,619.32) for alternative five. The recommended alternative was derived through comparing alternatives and their merits through two tradeoff procedures. The first procedure was to find and eliminate alternatives through dominance. The second was to use an even swap method to remove objectives. Combining both strategies and repeating the procedure until the last remaining alternative remained resulted in the final recommendation, which is alternative 2, add the BERT program

Computer Science at Community Colleges: Attitudes and Trends

This study aimed to understand the identity and attitude of students enrolled in computer science (CS) or programming-related course at community colleges nationwide. This study quantitatively evaluation data for estimating the relationships between students’ identity and attitudes toward computer science with prior programming experience and other demographic factors. I distributed the survey to community college faculty of computer science programs nationwide. Questions for this study were adapted from the Computing Attitude Survey developed by Weibe, Williams, Yang, & Miller (2003). Using two robust quantitative statistical methodologies, I investigated the correlations and predictability of previous programming experience, gender, race, and age with participants\u27 attitudes toward computer science. This study drew its inspiration from prior works of Dorn and Tew (2015) and Chen, Haduong, Brennan, Sonnert, and Sadler (2018), whose studies looked at previous experiences in programming with a favorable attitude toward computer science. The primary independent variable was a students’ prior programming experience. Under evaluation, the dependent variables were students\u27 programming experience and demographic characteristics such as race, gender, and age. This investigation showed a significant association between programming experience and attitude toward computer science. Among the demographic variables evaluated, students\u27 racial identity was the only factor found highly correlated with attitudes toward computer science. Future work will consider the association between participants\u27 accumulated college credit hours and specific programming language effects on computer science attitudes

Computer science curriculum in the community college: an evaluative study

The purpose of this study was to assess the sufficiency of the Computer Studies curriculum at Camden County College in meeting the needs of its local job market. A questionnaire was distributed to 106 computer-based businesses in southern New Jersey, northern Delaware, and the greater Philadelphia area. The purpose of the survey was twofold. it was first necessary to ascertain whether or not these businesses would hire individuals possessing an associate\u27s degree in Computer Science and if so, how many such positions might they have available in any given year. The survey then questioned respondents about the individual needs of their organization with regard to entry level positions in the areas of software design and implementation. Fifty-seven, 54 percent, of the surveys were completed and returned. The researcher also investigated several areas of rapidly changing technology which included CASE Tool Technology, Object-Oriented Programming, Client/Server Systems, Hypermedia, Database Programming, and Graphical User interface. The survey results coupled with the author\u27s literary search led to the conclusion that Camden County College should update its Computer Studies program and that faculty and administrators must be aware of the need to continually modify this curriculum as the technology evolves