Barbara A. Price

Women in computing programs: does the incredible shrinking pipeline apply to all computing programs?

Despite the fact that demand for employees with skills in computing still exceeds supply, there has been a steady decline in the number of women entering and graduating from computer science programs. Many attempts have been made to remedy the situation. A recurrent theme for both engineering and computer science programs is that programs can be made more attractive to women if they place a greater emphasis on applications of the technology. To date, most of the research on the under-representation of women has been conducted on computer science programs, and ignores the fact that many students enter the IT workplace with degrees in Information Systems (IS) or Information Technology (IT). Moreover, programs in IS and IT place a greater emphasis on applications. Given the reported importance of applications for the recruitment and retention of women, one might expect to see a higher participation of women in these programs. Using data obtained from baccalaureate or above institutions within the University System of Georgia, this paper shows that this indeed seems to be the case.

Designing an Information Technology Curriculum: The Georgia Southern University Experience

The paper describes the curriculum offered at Georgia Southern University, and shows how the various courses in the curriculum contribute to the graduate’s acquisition of the relevant skills. It pays particular attention to the inclusion of so-called second disciplines, a feature that distinguishes Georgia Southern University’s curriculum from Information Technology curricula offered elsewhere. Second disciplines are 21 credit hour programs of study that give students an in-depth exposure to an IT application area and were included in response to the complaint made by many IT organizations that they have difficulty recruiting entry-level staff with both a good grounding in IT and in the particular application area of interest to the company in question. We believe that the process that Georgia Southern University used in the design of its IT baccalaureate curriculum in general and the inclusion of second disciplines in it, in particular, will lead to graduates who are more likely to meet the human resource demands of companies with a large IT workforce.

Assessing Learning Outcomes in Quantitative Courses: Using Embedded Questions for Direct Assessment.

Researchers can evaluate learning by using direct and indirect assessment. Although there are various ways to apply these approaches, two common techniques are pretests and posttests (direct assessment), in which students demonstrate mastery of topics or skills, and the use of knowledge surveys (indirect assessment). The present authors used these two techniques to demonstrate that student knowledge of course material increased significantly during the semester. Furthermore, the authors demonstrated that the indirect knowledge survey of perceived knowledge did not correlate with actual knowledge.

Technology-based degrees: do faculty and students agree on necessary skills for success in these programs?

Students selecting information-based degree programs such as Information Systems (IS), Computer Science (CS), and Information Technology (IT) are entering into rigorous programs comprised of demanding classes. On the surface it would seem that these students would be aware of the skills and/or attributes needed for success in these difficult programs. It also seems that the skills and attributes these students feel will lead to academic success would not be at odds with those viewed as critical in the eyes of the faculty who teach in these programs. Students and faculty from three universities were surveyed and asked the importance of skills/attributes. Then a comparison of the responses of these two groups as well as student subgroups was completed.

Assessment and accreditation

This panel will feature four speakers with an in-depth knowledge of accreditation and continuous improvement. It will be used both to inform the audience of some of the changes that are likely to occur in IT accreditation criteria in the near future and to seek feedback on specific accreditation-related questions.

Information technology accreditation activities

Programs in Information Technology (IT) have begun at many universities over the past decade and many are now eager for accreditation. This paper describes the activities undertaken in preparation for accreditation of IT programs by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Desirable attributes for computing graduates: is there agreement?

Students selecting information-based degree programs such as Information Systems (IS), Computer Science (CS), and Information Technology (IT) are entering into programs comprised of many analytical and technical classes. It would seem that if these programs are meeting their objectives, the skills and attributes these students believe lead to academic success would be viewed as critical by the faculty who teach in these programs or those approved by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET, Inc. Students and faculty from three universities were surveyed on the importance of skills/attributes.

A Spreadsheet Approach to Teaching Resampling

Abstract This article presents the use of a spreadsheet-based package to teach resampling. A brief description of resampling is given, followed by a discussion of the package. Then two problems are used to illustrate resampling. These problems are initially solved through classical parametric methods, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach are offered. This is followed by a discussion of how resampling could be applied to the problems. Finally, the resampling method is expanded by incorporating Lotus into the process to simulate enough replications to provide for reasonable conclusions.