Web Science: expanding the notion of Computer Science

Academic disciplines which practice in the context of rapid external change face particular problems when seeking to maintain timely, current and relevant teaching programs. In different institutions faculty will tune and update individual component courses while more radical revisions are typically departmental-wide strategic responses to perceived needs. Internationally, the ACM has sought to define curriculum recommendations since the 1960s and recognizes the diversity of the computing disciplines with its 2005 overview volume. The consequent rolling program of revisions is demanding in terms of time and effort, but an inevitable response to the change inherent is our family of specialisms. Preparation for the Computer Curricula 2013 is underway, so it seems appropriate to ask what place Web Science will have in the curriculum landscape. Web Science has been variously described; the most concise definition being the ‘science of decentralized information systems’. Web science is fundamentally interdisciplinary encompassing the study of the technologies and engineering which constitute the Web, alongside emerging associated human, social and organizational practices. Furthermore, to date little teaching of Web Science is at undergraduate level. Some questions emerge - is Web Science a transient artifact? Can Web Science claim a place in the ACM family, Is Web Science an exotic relative with a home elsewhere? This paper discusses the role and place of Web Science in the context of the computing disciplines. It provides an account of work which has been established towards defining an initial curriculum for Web Science with plans for future developments utilizing novel methods to support and elaborate curriculum definition and review. The findings of a desk survey of existing related curriculum recommendations are presented. The paper concludes with recommendations for future activities which may help us determine whether we should expand the notion of computer science

iSchools in Central and South Europe: Developments and Challenges of Cooperation

The countries of Central and South Europe entered the 2000s with plans to restructure their higher education systems based on Bologna recommendations and some other EU supported guidelines. The Humboldt tradition at the universities in the region, necessity to introduce new academic profiles as well as the use of ICT in higher education, is leading the way towards the restructuring of existing programs or designing new curricula and to cooperation between the LIS and IS departments in the region. This panel will address the special concerns for restructuring curricula in the wider information sciences field (Library and Information Science - LIS, Information Science ??? IS, Records Management ??? RM, education for digital services etc) Panelists will address three questions with respect to i-schools developments and trends in their respective countries: ??? What are the basic concerns in developing new curricula in their respective countries? ??? How do the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary issues influence curricula design in IS? ??? What are the future steps, particularly in regard to regional cooperation? After each of the panelists will have presented his position concerning these three questions, they will discuss especially the issues on inter-/multidisciplinarity and on future regional cooperation. The audience of the panel discussion is invited to join this discussion

Business Process Management Education in Academia: Status, challenges, and Recommendations

In response to the growing proliferation of Business Process Management (BPM) in industry and the demand this creates for BPM expertise, universities across the globe are at various stages of incorporating knowledge and skills in their teaching offerings. However, there are still only a handful of institutions that offer specialized education in BPM in a systematic and in-depth manner. This article is based on a global educators’ panel discussion held at the 2009 European Conference on Information Systems in Verona, Italy. The article presents the BPM programs of five universities from Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America, describing the BPM content covered, program and course structures, and challenges and lessons learned. The article also provides a comparative content analysis of BPM education programs illustrating a heterogeneous view of BPM. The examples presented demonstrate how different courses and programs can be developed to meet the educational goals of a university department, program, or school. This article contributes insights on how best to continuously sustain and reshape BPM education to ensure it remains dynamic, responsive, and sustainable in light of the evolving and ever-changing marketplace demands for BPM expertise

IS 2009: Changing the Course for Undergraduate IS Model Curricula

In this panel, the joint AIS / ACM Information Systems undergraduate model curriculum task force members together with other curriculum experts will be presenting and discussing the IS 2009 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems document and soliciting IS community feedback regarding ongoing IS curriculum development efforts. As such, the panel discussion will center on the significant components embedded in the newly revised curriculum document. This includes: 1) an introduction to the key principles that guided the development of the document, 2) a list of features incorporated into the new model curricula, 3) the future of curriculum development efforts, and 4) proposed mechanism to solicit feedback from the academy

Bringing Science to Law and Policy: Panel Discussion

How should law and policy chance, based on our current understanding of brain development? In turn, how can neuroscientists undertake research that would prove most useful in influencing law and policy? Such questions about the intersection of science, law, and policy provided the focus of a transdisciplinary conversations, led by Dr. Deanna Barch. Participants – physicians, an attorney and former Family Court judge, a state legislator, and a health economist – recounted their own experiences and recommendations with a view to bringing traditional divides and actualizing ideas from this conference and symposium, “The Developing Brain.

Report of the Women in Science and Engineering Initiatives Committee

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Committee was charged with identifying resources at the University of Maine that encourage the participation of women in science and engineering, both as students and as faculty; identifying ways to increase the recruitment and retention of women in these areas and recommending ways that the University can support this effort. Our work has convinced us that this initiative would benefit individual women as well as contributing to the good of the University and society as a whole. We have found that although some departments and programs are more successful than others in addressing issues facing women students and faculty in science and engineering, there are no institutionalized organizations, guidelines, or goals directed toward these issues. We believe that significant progress and long-term change will result if there is campus-wide commitment. To that end, the WISE Committee recommends: 1. Recruiting and retaining women in fields of science and engineering at the University of Maine, both as students and as faculty, be made a high priority of the Affirmative Action Plan of the University. 2. The Women in Science and Engineering Committee of the University of Maine (WISE) be institutionalized as a standing committee, appointed by the President, and charged with developing an annual plan recommending a full spectrum of activities directed towards women in science and engineering. Furthermore, we recommend that approximately $20,000 be made available for FY 93 to be earmarked for the WISE Committee (pending approval of a plan and attached budget) to initiate several high-profile, relatively low-cost programs to create institutional momentum for change. 3. Commitment to and accountability for these goals be assured at all levels of the University (i.e., department chairs and faculty, deans and directors, vice presidents, and the president) through allocation of resources and evaluation of programs

Motivation, Design, and Ubiquity: A Discussion of Research Ethics and Computer Science

Modern society is permeated with computers, and the software that controls them can have latent, long-term, and immediate effects that reach far beyond the actual users of these systems. This places researchers in Computer Science and Software Engineering in a critical position of influence and responsibility, more than any other field because computer systems are vital research tools for other disciplines. This essay presents several key ethical concerns and responsibilities relating to research in computing. The goal is to promote awareness and discussion of ethical issues among computer science researchers. A hypothetical case study is provided, along with questions for reflection and discussion.Comment: Written as central essay for the Computer Science module of the LANGURE model curriculum in Research Ethic

Entrepreneurship in American Higher Education

Presents recommendations by the Kauffman Panel on Entrepreneurship Curriculum in Higher Education on making entrepreneurship a key element in the curriculum, co-curriculum activities, and university management. Includes profiles of innovative programs

TLAD 2011 Proceedings:9th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the ninth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2011), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2011 - the 28th British National Conference on Databases. TLAD 2011 is held on the 11th July at Manchester University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will present eight peer reviewed papers. Of these, six will be presented as full papers and two as short papers. These papers cover a number of themes, including: the teaching of data mining and data warehousing, databases and the cloud, and novel uses of technology in teaching and assessment. It is expected that these papers will stimulate discussion at the workshop itself and beyond. This year, the focus on providing a forum for discussion is enhanced through a panel discussion on assessment in database modules, with David Nelson (of the University of Sunderland), Al Monger (of Southampton Solent University) and Charles Boisvert (of Sheffield Hallam University) as the expert panel