Information Systems Curriculum Design Processes

Abstract

The process of designing a university curriculum in the information systems discipline needs to follow many of the same processes that professional systems analysts use. Of concern are the product, the stakeholders, the drivers, and the methods; indeed, an information systems curriculum is an information system. This chapter presents a case study of one small regional university’s efforts to create an updated information systems curriculum addressing the challenges of curriculum development using the framework of the very systems analysis and design course content that the students are expected to learn. The chapter identifies each component of the information system curriculum and details the processes supporting each development step along the way, from problem identification to system operation and support. This case study presents a cohesive approach to dealing with the many pressures associated with information systems curriculum development and might be instructive for curriculum development in other disciplines as well.