Digital Preservation Education in iSchools

This poster investigates digital preservation education in the iSchool caucus. The project identifies core concepts addressed in digital preservation coursework in iSchools and identifies possible areas for curriculum development. Digital preservation education at the graduate level is critical. To ensure long-term access and use of digital materials, information professionals must have a working knowledge of digital curation, which emphasizes a lifecycle approach to digital preservation [1]. Unfortunately, the topic of digital preservation education is not prominent in literature about digital curation. Only a handful of case studies and recommendations have been published regarding digital preservation education within information science, library science, and computer science graduate programs. Instead, much of the work on digital preservation education is contained in more general studies on educating digital librarians or electronic records managers. To understand how to better design curricula that engages central issues of digital curation at the graduate level, an investigation of the current state of digital preservation education is warranted. Coursework devoted solely to digital preservation is essential for graduate students in information-centric disciplines. The necessity for devoted coursework is due to the complex and multifaceted nature of the topic. Unfortunately, a 2006 study found that very few library or information science schools offered courses specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Furthermore, an extremely small percentage of students in library or information science programs had exposure to the critical aspects of digital preservation during their coursework [2]. Digital preservation education can and should be studied in iSchools. The core mission of the iSchool movement is to connect people, information, and technology [3]. Digital curation supports this mission by enabling the continued maintenance of digital information resources throughout their lifecycle, allowing them to be rendered and re-used in the long-term. It is an interdisciplinary process that hinges on expertise from many different fields, including computer science, information and library science, informatics, management, and education. Furthermore, iSchools are a natural home for digital library education [4] and there are significant overlaps between digital library education and digital curation education [5]. It follows that iSchools are an excellent venue for research on the topic of digital preservation education. This project examines digital preservation courses in iSchools over the past five years (2005-2009). Course descriptions and syllabi are examined in order to develop a definition of current practices in digital preservation education. Based on this definition, areas for future developments in digital preservation curricula are identified. Course catalogs from the 26 iSchools have been analyzed to determine whether or not schools offer classes specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Of the 26 iSchools, 9 schools offer degrees in information science and in library science, 6 award degrees in information science but not in library science, and 5 award degrees in library science and not information science. The remaining 6 schools offer a variety of degrees, including computer science, information management, and information technology. These categories will be useful in determining what types of iSchools, if any, are leaders in digital preservation education. All of the schools that have been examined to date offer course catalogs and course descriptions on the open web. Many of the course syllabi are also available online. The course must contain the phrase ???Digital Preservation??? in its title or course description in order to be included. One-shot sessions and classes that deal with a subset of digital preservation, such as classes on digital libraries, are not considered. Course themes and assignments are compared to the DigCCurr Matrix of Digital Curation Knowledge and Competencies. This six-dimensional matrix from the University of North Carolina DigCCurr project defines and organizes materials to be covered in digital curation coursework [6]. This analysis will identify current strengths and potential areas for further development in digital preservation education. The study will also address the question of where current digital preservation course materials fit within the larger scope of digital curation knowledge and competencies

Technology education challenges and solutions in Latin America

The world has become dependent on information, technology, and telecommunications, better known as Information Technology and Telecommunications (IT&T), a term that encompasses the fields of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. Increasingly, IT&T is an effective indicator of the difference between developed and developing nations. The competitiveness of a nation is directly related to its incorporation of IT&T which requires a substantial restructuring of the forms and procedures in attempting to generate a base for development of science and technology. To achieve this, it is important to revise the education of human technical and scientific resources. This paper summarizes the experience of the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education (ISTEC) consortium in IT education in Latin America

Analysis of the Development of the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek and It's Role in Building the Information Society

Universities play a significant role in the development of the society they act in. Their role is mainly felt at regional level. Nevertheless, through their scientific research, artistic and educational work, universities have a significant impact on a wider environment as well. The University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek, continuing a three-century-long tradition of higher education in Eastern Croatia, is one of the most important factors of development of the region. The new millennium has posed new challenges. The ongoing transformation process is extremely complex and requires the engagement of not only the entire academic community, but also of any entity interacting with the university. In order to give an overview of the main development trends of the University over the past ten years, the study presented in this paper applies adequate statistical methods and models. Deriving from the commitment taken by Croatia to found its social and economic progress on building an information society, the study puts special emphasis on analysing the possibility for the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek to actively contribute to the above process by providing conditions for the implementation of research programmes and projects as well as for the education and training of computer science human resources.regional university, economic development, statistical methods and models, information society, education and training of computer science human resources

Los Libertadores: Science and Technology Integration of Ibero-América

The world has become dependent on information, technology, and telecommunications. Better known as Information Technology and Telecommunications (IT&T), a term that encompasses the fields of Eléctrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. Increasingly, IT&T is an effective indicator of the difference between developed and developing nations. The competitiveness of a nation is directly related to its incorporation of IT&T. It requires a substantial restructuring of the forms and procedures used until now in attempts to generate a base for development of science and technology. To achieve this, it is important to revise the education of human technical and scientific resources.Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortiu

Review of Curriculum Development in Library and Information Science Education in Nigerian Universities: Issues and Prospects

The study includes a review of curriculum development in Library and Information Science Education (LISE) in Nigerian Universities: Issues and Prospects. Analysis on curriculum development were given (history of curriculum development, types of curricula and usefulness of curriculum development for educators and challenges of curriculum development). Curriculum development is core issue in the feasibility and growth of any discipline, library and information science education inclusive. Modern day librarianship, that is 21st century library and information science education (LISE) should integrate full information and communication technology programmes and not just computer application for professional efficiency and global acceptability. Therefore, curriculum of LIS in Nigerian Universities should be reviewed both at undergraduate and postgraduate level

Gendered Narratives of Innovation through Competition: Lessons from Science and Technology Studies

Library and information science is a technologically intensive profession with a high percentage of women, unlike computer science and other male-dominated fields. On the occasion of the 2011 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) conference, this essay analyzes the theme “Competitiveness and Innovation” through a review of social psychology and science and technology studies literature. Both theme concepts have ramifications for library and information science (LIS) education. Librarianship and teaching are both professions that resist commodification because they rely on embodied labor and personal interaction. Competition, as a management or learning style, may not promote meaningful innovation in LIS education and instead risks creating a climate that is hostile to its chief demographic. The feminization of LIS can be seen as a strength insofar as it promotes the relative parity in numbers of men and women full-time faculty. LIS education should build on this strength in its innovation practices, enabling friendly encounters between technologies, and men and women alike

Los Libertadores: Science and Technology Integration of Ibero-América

The world has become dependent on information, technology, and telecommunications. Better known as Information Technology and Telecommunications (IT&T), a term that encompasses the fields of Eléctrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. Increasingly, IT&T is an effective indicator of the difference between developed and developing nations. The competitiveness of a nation is directly related to its incorporation of IT&T. It requires a substantial restructuring of the forms and procedures used until now in attempts to generate a base for development of science and technology. To achieve this, it is important to revise the education of human technical and scientific resources.Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortiu

Data Science Roles and the Types of Data Science Programs

A growing field, data science (and, by extension, analytics) integrates concepts across a range of domains, such as computer science, information systems, and statistics. While the number of data science programs continues to increase, few discussions have examined how we should define this emerging educational field. With this in mind, during the 23rd Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS’17), a panel discussion explored emerging questions regarding data science and analytics education. This paper reports on that panel discussion, which focused on questions such as what a data science degree is and what a data science program’s learning objectives are. The panel also debated if there should be different types of data science-related programs (such as an applied data science program or a business analytics program) and, if so, should there be a common core across the different variations of programs. Information system educators who can gain a better understanding of current trends in data science/analytics education and other information system researchers who are interested in how data science/analytics might impact the broader field of information systems and management education should find interest in this report