Information Systems Curriculum Development as an Ecological Process

Abstract

The discipline of Information Systems (IS), in common with the other major branches of computing, is subject to constant and continuing change as new technologies appear and new methodologies and development techniques are devised. IS professionals working in the computer industry need to keep abreast of these changes to remain useful and, of necessity, curriculum in information systems must also undergo frequent revisions and changes. To those of us involved in research and teaching in information systems, it is clear that curriculum innovation and change in this area is complex, and anything but straightforward (Longenecker & Feinstein, 1990). Of course, all curriculum innovation is complex (Boomer, Lester, Onore, & Cook, 1992; Fullan, 1993; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1992; Kemmis & Stake, 1988) due to the involvement of a large number of human actors, but in information systems curriculum change, this is particularly so, due to the need also to consider the part played by such non-human actors (Latour, 1996) as the technology itself.