Latin American perspectives to internationalize undergraduate information technology education

The computing education community expects modern curricular guidelines for information technology (IT) undergraduate degree programs by 2017. The authors of this work focus on eliciting and analyzing Latin American academic and industry perspectives on IT undergraduate education. The objective is to ensure that the IT curricular framework in the IT2017 report articulates the relationship between academic preparation and the work environment of IT graduates in light of current technological and educational trends in Latin America and elsewhere. Activities focus on soliciting and analyzing survey data collected from institutions and consortia in IT education and IT professional and educational societies in Latin America; these activities also include garnering the expertise of the authors. Findings show that IT degree programs are making progress in bridging the academic-industry gap, but more work remains

IT2017 Report: Implementing A Competency-Based Information Technology Program (Panel)

ACMand IEEE have developed a computing curriculum report titled Information Technology Curricular 2017: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology, also known as IT2017 [4]. The development of this report has received content contributions from industry and academia through surveys as well as many international conferences and workshops. Open online publication of the report became available in fall of 2017. In this special session, �ve members of the IT2017 executive committee will present a digest of the content of the report, describe the proposed IT curricular framework, and facilitate open and vigorous discussion of the report\u27s guidelines for developing new information technology programs or enhancing existing ones. The novelty of the report is its focus on industry-informed competencies that IT graduates should have to meet the growing demands of a changing technological world in the next decade. The experience should provide a better understanding of IT in a modern age

Implementing a Competency-Based Information Technology Curriculum: Challenges and Opportunities (Poster Abstract)

ACM and IEEE Computer Society released new curriculum guidelines for baccalaureate degree programs in Information Technology, also known as the IT2017 report. Built on the foundation of the first ACM/IEEE IT2008 report, the new report, published in December 2017, stands out by its focus on employer-informed competencies that IT graduates should have in order to meet technological challenges of the workplace in the next decade. This poster highlights elements of the IT2017 curricular framework that help academic departments apply a competency-based approach to IT program development. Although competencies are prevalent in many areas of professional practice, placing competencies at the center of IT curriculum development requires rethinking of how we design learning environments in which students achieve IT competencies. In this poster I present some challenges with implementing the IT2017 curricular framework and discuss opportunities for turning the IT2017 report into a living document that learns from IT programs\u27 implementation experiences

An Overview of the New ACM/IEEE Information Technology Curricular Framework

ACM and IEEE have developed a curricular report titled, “Information Technology Curricula 2017: Curriculum Guidelines for Baccalaureate Degree Programs in Information Technology,” known also as IT2017. The development of this report has received worldwide content contributions from industry and academia through surveys as well as many international conferences and workshops. An open online publication of the report was made available in December 2017. This paper presents a digest of the content of the report, the IT curricular framework, and suggestions for its use in developing new information technology programs or enhancing existing ones. The heart of the IT curricular framework is a set of competencies identified through knowledge, skills, and dispositions, as supported by pedagogical research. The paper also describes ways in which institutions could use the curricular framework not only to develop information technology degree programs, but also to improve and enhance related computing programs

Internationalization Efforts At State Universities In Florida

Today\u27s global environment poses more and more challenges for higher education institutions to provide learning opportunities that enable students to become globally competent and prepared to face the challenges of an increasingly global society. For many universities, internationalizing their campuses can help students acquire knowledge, skills, and experiences to be able to compete in the global economy and become productive members of a diverse world society. The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which internationalization had been realized in Florida\u27s public universities by determining (1) whether there was a relationship between articulated commitment and the level of internationalization; (2) whether there was a relationship between curriculum and the level of internationalization; (3) whether there was a relationship between organizational infrastructure and the level of internationalization; (4) whether there was a relationship between funding and the level of internationalization; (5) whether there was a relationship between institutional investment in faculty and the level of internationalization; and (6) whether there was a relationship between international students/student programs and the level of internationalization. Data derived from the internationalization survey were used to analyze the six research questions by employing descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient of correlation, and Chi-Square tests. There were strong positive correlations between the six categories noted above and the level of internationalization efforts in Florida public universities. Implications for practice include the development of various strategies to help internationalize their campuses and the student learning experience

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

United States American students\u27 experience with and orientation toward international diversity in a Midwestern comprehensive university setting

The growing phenomenon of globalization has directly affected all levels of postsecondary institutions as evidenced by the strong emphasis colleges and universities place on internationalizing their campuses. Among the forthstanding efforts toward campus internationalization is attracting international students to American colleges and universities. Numbers of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities have indeed been very high, placing this country in the leading position for hosting students from abroad. Hhowever, the role international students play in the overall process of internationalization has rarely been addressed. While the presence of international students is believed to contribute significantly to the intellectual life of a university and provide a setting where American students learn to interact with people from different cultures, studies have found a lack of genuine interaction between non-international and international students (Altbach, 2002; Skolnikoff, 1993; Shoorman, 2000; Siaya & Hayward, 2003). To develop a better understanding of the role of international students as perceived by American students, this study investigated the amount and nature of interactions between non-international and international students at a Midwestern comprehensive university and measured the attitudes of domestic students toward internationally diverse cultures and people. A sample of 724 non-international full-time students enrolled in the University during Fall 2005 completed an electronic survey that inquired about the amount and nature of interactions domestic students had with international students since the beginning of the semester and measured the universal-diverse orientation employing the M-GUDS-S instrument (Fuertes, Miville, Mohr, Sedlacek, & Gretchen, 2000).A variety of quantitative techniques was used to analyze the data. Results of the survey revealed that most non-international students do interact with international students during the academic semester. The interactions between international and non-international students take place primarily at on-campus locations, mainly in class. Conversations between the two are most likely to last less than 30 minutes and occur from one to three times a week. Fifth year seniors and graduate students have significantly more contact with international students. They also talk to international students longer and more frequently compared to their counterparts in lower years of school. Results of the attitude analysis indicated that, overall, students at a Midwestern comprehensive university have supportive attitudes toward international diversity. Significant variations in attitude scores were observed in relation to participants\u27 gender, academic major, age, size of home community, and ethnicity. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the amount of contact with international students and domestic students\u27 attitudes toward international diversity. Theoretical implications and recommendations for practice drawn from the study findings were discussed

The Internationalization of Teacher Education Faculty in Two Global Cities: A Case Study of Two Universities in New York and Hong Kong

With the increasing integration of the world economy, nations are under growing pressure to compete internationally, resulting in a need to re-shape national education systems to train a multi-cultural workforce capable of competing globally. Consequently, the imperative to internationalize must focus on the preparation of teachers. This research study examined the internationalization of teacher education faculty through case studies of two universities: one in New York and one in Hong Kong. The main purpose is twofold: (1) to compare the extent to which, and the ways in which teacher education faculty in the two settings have internationalized the content of their courses and the pattern of their professional networks; and (2) to identify, based upon a theoretical framework developed by Blackburn and Lawrence (1995), the predictors of the extent and patterns of faculty internationalization. Internationalization has been conceived as study abroad, faculty joint or collaborative research across national borders, international internships, faculty and student exchanges and curricular development (Knight, 2004). The study was shaped by two research questions: (1) How do teacher education faculties at the two case sites differ in terms of the extent and patterns of the internationalization as reflected in the content of their courses and the composition of their professional networks? and (2) What factors combine to explain both the extent and pattern of internationalization of course content and professional networks? To address these research questions, quantitative data was gathered through a survey of teacher education faculty at each of the two sites: Hong Kong and New York. The outcome variable of interest included three dimensions of internationalization: integration of international content, integration of international student networking opportunities, and faculty research and professional networks abroad. Three sets of predictor variables were examined: demographics (nationality at birth and throughout schooling/profession), career characteristics (international mobility), and self-knowledge (perception of international research and engagement). To facilitate analysis, indexes of each of the three dimensions of internationalization were constructed based on survey items. Basic descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency, of both the outcome and independent variables were generated to answer the first research question. Logistic regression analysis was used to test a predictive model of the determinants of each dimension of the outcome variable. The results of this study showed that the faculty of Hong Kong University as compared to that of Queens College perceive themselves as being more internationally savvy, as they have more experience and engagement in the research, professional presentations, collaborations, and publishing in international settings. However, although HKU teacher education faculty are internationalized in their professional networks, they are no more likely than QC teacher education faculty to internationalize the content of their teacher education programs. Based on these results, we draw implications and recommend directions for future research

Internationalizing higher education: A case study of a Midwest comprehensive university

The international component of higher education has faced significant challenges over the past two decades due to the effects of globalization. The realization that international interdependence is not an abstract theory but a reality has prompted institutions of higher education in the United States to internationalize their campuses. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how and to what extent a Midwest comprehensive university has developed its internationalization process Special focus was placed on understanding and drawing conclusions from the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the importance of internationalizing a campus and the factors that either facilitate or hinder the process. The primary modes of data collection were individual interviews and document analysis. The participants included 32 upper-level administrators and faculty members. This study concluded with several aspects of the internationalizing higher education. They are: (a) internationalizing is a complex concept; (b) internationalizing needs to be a concerted effort; (c) internationalizing requires a multilevel approach; and (d) internationalizing the campus is an inevitable process