Developing an IT curriculum for the small, liberal arts college environment

Abstract

This paper presents the process that was followed to develop an Information Technology (IT) curriculum for a small, liberal arts college. The development of such a curriculum presented its own unique challenges that had to be addressed. The vast majority of IT programs are offered at larger, more technically oriented post secondary institutions. There are few existing curriculum models that not only fit but take advantage of the unique benefits bestowed by a liberal arts education.This paper presents a description of the nature of the liberal arts education offered by a typical small liberal arts college - St. John Fisher College (SJFC). The benefits provided by this type of education with regard to the discipline of IT will be examined. Then, the process followed to develop the curriculum model for a new major in Applied Information Technology (AIT) at SJFC are discussed. This discussion includes the investigation done into the existence of other such similar majors at other institutions. The curriculum model and its incorporation of key liberal arts components are presented.Specific recommendations regarding IT curriculum for this type of post secondary institution are discussed. Observations in regard to the curriculum model currently being developed by the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group in Information Technology Education (ACM SIGITE) Curriculum Committee and its applicability/adaptability to the small liberal arts college environment are offered.