Engineering the information technology curriculum with pervasive themes

Abstract

Building a curriculum is an engineering process much like others. It specifies a curriculum, designs an instructional program, assesses its results and, like other engineering processes, is based on an underlying theory. This paper will survey the specification, theory, design and assessment of the SIGITE Information Technology curriculum. It is necessarily a survey because of the breadth of these topics, but the engineering perspective proposed will yield a framework in which much current activity can be understood and guided, and in which missing elements can be identified and proposed. Within this context, a significant element of specification is the pervasive theme - those deep, recurring and enduring understandings that lie at the heart of the IT discipline and define us as members of a shared profession. A methodology is given for instructional design that supports pervasive themes while not diminishing instructional time already committed to traditional topical coverage and skills mastery. Finally, recommendations are made for how SIGITE can support instructional design for pervasive themes.