Competency-based Curriculum in the Field of Information Technology Engineering: A Qualitative Case Study

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Islamic Azad University.

Abstract

This research was conducted with the aim of designing a competency-based curriculum in the field of Information Technology Engineering. The research was a case study in terms of qualitative research component design. The potential research participants included 12 faculty members in Fars province universities in the field of information technology and 15 employers who were selected through purposive sampling. The research data were collected using two tools: "Document review" and "Semi-structured interview". The data validation was confirmed by matching method and data analysis method was used to analyze the data. In the following, data coding was performed to identify factors, criteria and model markers. Initial qualitative data were obtained through interviews and qualitative validation measures were used to measure the initial validity of the data. Using the method of analysis of the content, the framework of the model was formed and, based on the results, dimensions and components were embedded in a comprehensive theme. The most important findings of the research were: The proposed framework for teaching IT education can be presented in four general competencies: technical, behavioral, context and perceptual. The results of this study can be considered by planners in the design and development of an IT engineering curriculum.

Keywords


Albin, R. (2006). Modern technology as a denaturalizing force. Poiesis &  Praxis, 4(4), 289-302.
Andronache, D.; Bocoş, M. and Neculau, B. C. (2015). A systemic-interactionist model to design a competency-based curriculum. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 715-721 .
Australia, E. (2005). Engineers Australia policy on accreditation of professional engineering programs. Accredit. Board Doc., (P02), 7.
Banta, T. W. (2001). Assessing competence in higher education. Assessing student competence in accredited disciplines: Pioneering approaches to assessment in higher education, 1-12.
Begley, G. S., DeMai, J., De Souza-Hart, J., Reichard-Brown, J., & Thurlow, D. L. (2010). Medical competency and premedical curricular dialogues in Atlanta. The Advisor, 30(3), 5-13.
Bloor. M, Wood. F (2006).Keywords in Qualitative Methods: A Vocabulary of Research Concepts, London, Thousand Oaks, SAGE Publications.
Bodmer, C., Leu, A., Mira, L., & Rutter, H. (2002). SPINE: Successful Practices in International Engineering Education: Engineers Shape our Future, Ing Ch.
Bordogna, J. (1997). Making connections: the role of engineers and engineering education. BRIDGE-WASHINGTON-, 27, 11-16.
Chong, B. K., & Crowther, F. (2005, October). A new framework for measuring the quality of outcomes-based engineering education. In Proceedings Frontiers in Education 35th Annual Conference (pp. F1E-22). IEEE.
Clough, G. (2005). Educating the engineer of 2020: Adapting engineering education to the new century. National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC.
 Coll, R. K., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2006). Perceptions of desirable graduate competencies for science and technology new graduates. Research in Science & Technological Education, 24(1), 29-58.
Davis, G. B., Gorgone, J. T., Couger, J. D., Feinstein, D. L., & Longenecker Jr, H. E. (1997). Model curriculum and guidelines for undergraduate degree programs in information systems.
Doria, J., Rozanski, H., & Cohen, E. (2003). What business needs from business schools. Strategy and Business, 38-45.
Engineering Accreditation Commission. (2004). Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs: Effective for Evaluations During the 2005–2006 Accreditation Cycle. Retrieved May, 12(2004), 2004-05.
Engineering Council, U.K (2003). U.K-SPEC Standard for chartered engineering and Incorporated engineers (pp.5-11).
Erlendsson, J. (2001). Engineering graduates: Desirable characteristics. Retrieved October, 15, 2005.
Goel, S. (2006). Competency focused engineering education with reference      to IT related disciplines: is the Indian system ready for transformation?. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 5(1), 27-52.
Hamilton, D., McFarland, D., & Mirchandani, D. (2000). A decision model for integration across the business curriculum in the 21st century. Journal of Management Education, 24(1), 102-126.
Hawkins, S. (2005). Beyond the digital divide: Issues of access and economics. Canadian journal of information and library science, 29(2), 171-189.
Haworth, J. G., & Conrad, C. F. (1997). Emblems of Quality in Higher Education. Developing and Sustaining High-Quality Programs. Allyn & Bacon, Longwood Division, 160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02194-2310.
Institution of Singapore Engineers. (IES). ( 2004). Engineering Accreditation Board: Accreditation manual (pp. 13-15). Retrieved October 15, 2005 from http://www.ies.org.sg/eab/accr_man.pdf.
Jackson, L. A., Von Eye, A., Barbatsis, G., Biocca, F., Fitzgerald, H. E., & Zhao, Y. (2004). The impact of Internet use on the other side of the digital divide. Communications of the ACM, 47(7), 43-47.
Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE). (2004). Criteria for accrediting Japanese engineering (pp. 1, 15). Retrieved October 15, 2005 from  http://www.jabee.org/english/OpenHomePage/e_criteria2004-2005(2).pdf.
Jiles, D. C., Akinc, M., Biner, S. B., Constant, K., Gray, J. N., Huba, M., ... & Thompson, R. B. (2002, May). Vertically integrated engineering design for combined research and curriculum development in materials engineering and nondestructive evaluation. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 615, No. 1, pp. 2035-2041). AIP.
Jones, E. A. (2002). Transforming the Curriculum: Preparing Students for a Changing World. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report. Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series. Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741.
Koenen, A. K., Dochy, F., & Berghmans, I. (2015). A phenomenographic analysis of the implementation of competence-based education in higher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 50, 1-12.
Lachiver, G., Tardif, J. (2002). Fostering and managing curriculum 158 change and innovation. Proceedings of the ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boston, November MA, F2F-7- F2F-12.
Lemaitre, D., Prat, R. L., Graaff, E. D., & Bot, L. (2006). Focusing on competence. European Journal of Engineering Education, 31(1), 45-53.
Lohmann, J. R., Rollins, H. A., & Joseph Hoey, J. (2006). Defining, developing and assessing global competence in engineers. European journal of engineering education, 31(1), 119-131.
Lunt, B. M., Ekstrom, J. J., Gorka, S., Hislop, G., Kamali, R., Lawson, E., ... & Reichgelt, H. (2008). Curriculum guidelines for undergraduate degree programs in information technology. Retrieved March, 2(2009).
National Academy of Engineer. 2005a. Educating the engineer of 2020: Adapting engineering education to the new century (pp. 53-55, 105-106). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved October 18, 2005 from   http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.htm
Newpher, J. C. (2006). An IT Evolution in the Classroom. Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, 81(5), 30-33.
Peng, L., Zhang, S., & Gu, J. (2016). Evaluating the competency mismatch between Master of Engineering graduates and industry needs in China. Studies in Higher Education, 41(3), 445-461.
Singla, P. K., Rastogi, K. M., & Jain, M. S. R. (2005). Developing competency-based curriculum for technical programmes. Financial Support, 29.
Sousa, H. (2006). Information technologies, social change and the future: The case of online journalism in Portugal. European Journal of Communication, 21(3), 373-387.
Sutcliffe, N., Chan, S. S., & Nakayama, M. (2005). A competency based MSIS curriculum. Journal of Information Systems Education, 16(3), 301.
The Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula, IEEE Computer Society and ACM. (2005). Characteristics of IT graduates, computing curricula: Information Technology Volume (pp. 38-40).
Thompson, K. V., Chmielewski, J., Gaines, M. S., Hrycyna, C. A., & LaCourse, W. R. (2013). Competency-based reforms of the undergraduate biology curriculum: Integrating the physical and biological sciences. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 12(2), 162-169.
Touma, F. T. (1999). Challenges to Engineering Education in the 21st  Century. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 125(4).
Walkington, J. (2002). A process for curriculum change in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 27(2), 133-148.
Woods, D. R., Felder, R. M., Rugarcia, A., & Stice, J. E. (2000). The future of engineering education III. Developing critical skills. change, 4, 48-52.
Zeller, M. P., Sherbino, J., Whitman, L., Skeate, R., & Arnold, D. M. (2016). Design and Implementation of a Competency-Based Transfusion Medicine Training Program in Canada. Transfusion medicine reviews, 30(1), 30-36.