Designing IS Curriculum to Meet Industry Requirements

Curriculum development does not just happen, it needs to be carefully designed; to be effective it needs to be written and implemented for the time and the society that it is intended; that is, it needs to be developed for the present and at the same time move towards the future rather than as a leftover from the past (Bobbitt 1918:1972; Eisner 1992; Peddiwell, Benjamin and Benjamin 1939). There are a number of facets to curriculum development, including determining the underpinning ideology or philosophy, context, its conceptual framework, and the content to be learned. This paper presents the process undertaken in developing a curriculum framework that could be used as the basis for designing undergraduate curriculum regardless of the discipline. However, the discipline used in this study is Information Systems, in particular the learning of collaborative work skills. The framework is underpinned by sound educational theories and current content requirements as specified by accredited bodies, literature, and industry and graduate feedback.