catch the attention of U.S. educators preparing their students for technology careers since the sourcing battle for technology infrastructure and support is all but over—those who seek support for computing and communications infrastructures are driven more by labor rates than tradition, more by the advantages of commoditization than by customization. In fact, methodologies like ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology) increasingly provide the means to cost-effectively manage and optimize infrastructures, making the infrastructure support business even less generous to technology professionals.

There are other trends changing the industry. R&D outsourcing is expanding. Data mining has become customer profiling, customization, and personalization. Supply chains are becoming transparent and have gone global. Real-time dynamic pricing (via intelligent rules engines) is spreading. Adding to this is the convergence of all things digital.

Where does technology curriculum address all of these trends? Where are the academic programs and certificates in SOA, EDA, hosting, SaaS, integration and interoperability, Web 2.0, Web 3.0, thin-client architecture, Web Services, open source software, sourcing and technology performance management? Where do students learn about

interoperable architectures, roaming connectivity, real-time processing, rich converged media, user-generated content, global supply chain optimization, full-view business intelligence, predictive analytics, master data management, and crowdsourcing-based problem-solving?

Response

Several curriculum changes and guidelines have been proposed that attempt to address the changes in technology and design optimal pedagogical approaches in response to these changes. The Joint Task Force for Computing Curricula on Computing Curricula for the early 21st century identified five areas of computing degree concentrations: computer engineering, computer science, information systems, information technology, and software engineering.

These areas represent the academic programs that the Joint Task Force believes represent the state of the field and the educational outcomes our students should pursue. They’ve identified a suite of “computing” and “non-computing” areas that students in each of the five areas should understand. The list of knowledge and skills areas identified by the Joint Task Force that defines the components of the five areas was derived from academic programs and curricula that have evolved over a long period of time. I collected

 

Knowledge and skills areas and bridges.

acm task force areas

Bridge areas

Practitioner areas

Design

some data that also identified knowledge and skills areas—but from a practitioner’s perspective.^d

The table here presents the two sets of knowledge/skills areas side-by-side. The contrast is dramatic. The Joint Task Force’s list barely correlates with the list developed from the practitioner surveys. Academic programs should acknowledge the widening gap between theory and practice, especially since it has enormous impact on their students’ employment prospects. Regardless of what we call the academic majors and degrees, it’s the content of each degree’s curriculum that will determine our students’ ability to find gainful employment.

One of the most important corporate knowledge areas today—in fact, the essence of business technology convergence—is enterprise architecture. Enterprise business-technology architecture is the linchpin among business strategy, strategic applications, technology infrastructure, and technology support. As business is enabled by technology and technology defines new business models and processes, the importance of enterprise business-technology architecture is increasing. This emerging core competency for the practice of the technology profession is unrepresented in the Joint Task Force’s list of knowledge and skills areas—though it is a huge area in our practitioner survey. Similarly, business technology optimization is an opportunity area for educators. Increasing numbers of companies are struggling to optimize the performance of their software applications, networks, database management platforms, and infrastructure.

 

Integration

Interoperability

Computing Knowledge and skills

Information Architecture

non-Computing
Knowledge
and skills

Communications Architecture

Applications Architecture

optimization

Metrics

Business strategy Knowlege and skills

Business Applications Knowledge and skills

enterprise Architecture Knowledge and skills

Technology Infrastructure Knowledge and skills

Technology support Knowledge and skills

Technology Acquisition Knowledge and skills

organization and Management Knowledge and skills

d. During the period from 2002–2005, an online survey sponsored by the Cutter Consortium (a technology industry research organization; www.cutter.com) collected data from Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), technology managers, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), technology consultants and vendors about the content of the field, the skill sets necessary to succeed, and the technologies most likely to be applied, neglected, or decommissioned. Over 1,000 professionals responded to the survey. The survey data was subsequently presented to—and validated by—the Villanova University CIO Advisory Council, which consists of 25 CIOs from the Philadelphia, PA region.