Information Technology Programs Research Articles

Industry Connect Initiative Experience Report: Undergraduate Computer Science Courses

Southeastern Louisiana University is a medium sized university located in Hammond, Louisiana with approximately 14,000 students and ranks 59th best affordable Information Technology Program in the United States. Over the course of many years, what is now known as the "Industry Connect Initiative" (ICI) has been developed. The ICI is a four-pronged approach to connect students to real-world-ready skills and relevant topics. The four prongs of the ICI are the industry advisory board (IAB), internship program, distinguished lecturer series (DLS), and real-world curriculum opportunities (a.k.a. "Project classes"). In addition to the ICI, support from the university's Career Services Department and Workforce Talent Initiative completes the suite of resources resulting in graduates being highly sought after for employment. While numerous implementations of real-world ready courses and project courses are widely available, the focus is only on the "capstone" or "major project". Even if the capstone course is multi-semester, this approach is limited as the real-world application occurs only at the end of the degree program. This paper details the ICI curriculum opportunity, a unique approach that incorporates these real-world experiences throughout a student's educational experience at a variety of difficulty levels, beginning in the third semester and culminating in the final semester in the Capstone course.

Design Parameters of Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) Programs in Information Technology (IT) Organizations

Objective: To identify key dimensions that are to be considered while designing Cross Cultural Training (CCT). Methods : The data is collected from 421 expatriate employees in the selected IT organizations (Engineers /Managers/ Team Leaders) using an instrument consisting 45 items of nine drivers. The current study adopted Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), followed by 2nd order CFA to reveal various input components of training programme that leads to the success of the expatriate training programme. Findings: The factors influencing expatriate training were identified as: Adjustment (AD) factor, Culture factor (CU) and Method (ME) factors which are predominately to be considered for the design of CCT. Novelty: The factors to be considered while designing the CCT has been identified a prior rather finding the effect of such factors during post training evaluation. The results are more authenticated and help IHRM professionals to design CCT which lead to success of expat’s overseas assignment. Keywords: IHRM, Cross Cultural Training (CCT), Adjustment (AD) factor, Culture factor (CU), Method (ME) factors 1

Predicting Student Performance to Improve Academic Advising Using the Random Forest Algorithm

The Covid-19 pandemic constrained higher education institutions to switch to online teaching, which led to major changes in students’ learning behavior, affecting their overall performance. Thus, students’ academic performance needs to be meticulously monitored to help institutions identify students at risk of academic failure, preventing them from dropping out of the program or graduating late. This paper proposes a CGPA Predicting Model (CPM) that detects poor academic performance by predicting their graduation cumulative grade point average (CGPA). The proposed model uses a two-layer process that provides students with an estimated final CGPA, given their progress in second- and third-year courses. This work allows academic advisors to make suitable remedial arrangements to improve students’ academic performance. Through extensive simulations on a data set related to students registered in undergraduate information technology program gathered over the years, we demonstrate that the CPM attains accurate performance predictions compared to benchmark methods.

Analysis and Research on Improving Teachers’ Teaching Ability by Information Technology and Distance Education Training Program

Analysis and Research on Improving Teachers’ Teaching Ability by Information Technology and Distance Education Training Program

Analysis of student satisfaction with the quality of education services

The purpose of this research was to determine students’ satisfaction with the quality of education services in universities in West Kalimantan. The method used in this study is the quantitative research method. The results known after conducting this study is, first, the students’ satisfaction to the quality of service of information technology and computer education study programme is considered satisfactory with a score of 77.09%. Then, the second satisfaction of the students to the services of the ICT study programme is seen from the tangible aspect of satisfaction, with a satisfaction score of 77.09%. Students’ satisfaction with the ICT study programme services seen from the aspect of trust (reliability) was satisfactory, with a satisfaction score of 76.84%. Students’ satisfaction with the ICT study programme services seen from the responsive aspect (responsive) was satisfactory, with a satisfaction score of 77.24%. Students’ satisfaction with the ICT study programme services was seen from the aspect of satisfactory assurance, with a satisfaction score of 76.54%. Finally, students’ satisfaction with the ICT study programme services seen from the aspect of empathy was satisfactory, with a satisfaction score of 77.81%.
 Keywords: student satisfaction, education services, Information Communication,Technology

MATCHING ICT SKILLS COMPETENCY AND INDUSTRY NEED: BASIS FOR CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT

The main objective of the study was to determine the matching ICT skills competency and Industry need as a Basis for Curriculum enhancement in the BS Information Technology Program. The study also evaluates the level of competency or proficiency of the BSIT Graduates as required for an entry-level position in the IT Department as rated by the Academic and the Industry Sector. The study employed a descriptive-quantitative method. The results identified that both sectors described that Technical Support Specialist, System Administrator, Web and Applications Developer, Network Engineer and Computer Programmer are extremely required jobs in a company. They also agreed that their professional and common course in terms of competency or proficiency in Database Management System, Networking I and Networking II, System Analysis and Design, System Administration & Maintenance, Computer Programming & Web Programming and Development are described as experts as these competencies are very much required and in-demand jobs for today’s industry. This means that State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the different industry sectors in the Zamboanga Peninsula have the same requirements in hiring BSIT graduates for an entry-level position that have acquired ICT skills experts in their professional and common courses.

IT program management challenges: insights from programs that ran into difficulties

The use of Information Technology (IT) to drive organizational change has gained momentum in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and currently culminates in a vivid discussion on what many call “Digital Transformation”. It is not surprising then that practitioners seek guidance on how to manage such transformation. Professional bodies have addressed this need by issuing best practice standards for Program Management (PgM), but we know little about their value in managing programs in general and IT programs in particular. Academic research on IT PgM is still in its very infancy. Taking this as motivation, we have investigated the challenges that managers faced in five IT programs that encountered problems. Our analysis reveals a set of management issues and shortcomings including, among others, a lack of architectural overview, difficulties in dealing with scope changes, stakeholder interest, diverse business groups and cultures, as well as a lack of internal PgM competences and unclear management responsibilities. In this paper, based on our findings, we present a first checklist for managing IT programs across their life cycle. Though still tentative and not necessarily comprehensive, we were able to confirm that our checklist provides relevant guidance for managing IT programs in practice.

Plan Calcul: France's National Information Technology Ambition and Instrument of National Independence

The history of Plan Calcul―France's first information technology program, launched by de Gaulle's government in 1966―has been well described in the literature; however, few studies investigate the arsenal system of the program in depth. Drawing from Plan Calcul's archives, this article is the first to demonstrate that, in the context of de Gaulle's Cold War foreign policy, the French government, initially aiming to avoid an arsenal system, still became the program's funding supplier, entrepreneur, and client. Plan Calcul aimed to establish an industrial-type operation but was ultimately reduced to a state information technology arsenal program.

FORMATION OF VALUES OF DIGITAL EDUCATION AND DIGITAL PERSONS IN DIGITALIZED SOCIETY

The urgency of the formation and development of education in a digital society is determined by information and computer technology, software and computer programs that are beginning to penetrate into education – in school classrooms, universities, educational process aimed at forming digital competencies in the digital society. The aim of the article is to conceptualize the future development of education in the digital society. Objectives of the study: 1) to analyze the model of digital education, which changes the rules of the game in the educational process; 2) to find out the process of formation of a digital person who becomes open, mobile, meaningful, adapted; 3) to explore the role of values - big data (BIG DATA) in the reformatting of digital education and the digital person; 4) to reveal the digitalization of education as a powerful trend in the formation and development of a digital society. The object of research is the formation and development of education in a digital society. The subject of education is the influence of digitalized society on the formation and development of education. Research methodology – general philosophical methods – analysis and synthesis, generalization, systemic and structural-functional analysis, anthropological, axiological, phenomenological, to show the formation and development of education in a digitalized society. It is concluded that digital (convergent) technologies offer completely different ways to solve problems of quality and quantity. Digital technologies need to do more for modern education, its transformation and modernization. Modern intelligence will help high school to create a unique educational digital space. The impact of digitalization on education is and will be even stronger in the future, driven by algorithms, artificial intelligence, digital technologies that change this world. Education changes the physical and mental landscape of the individual and the ways he works in digital society. The values of digital education and the digital person in a digital society are linked to the formation of a digital culture determined by big data, which gives educational transformations such an acceleration that change the fundamentals of business, trade, public services, affecting every aspect of our lives.

Combining Learning and Engagement Strategies in a Software Testing Learning Environment

There continues to be an increase in enrollments in various computing programs at academic institutions due to many job opportunities available in the information, communication, and technology sectors. This enrollment surge has presented several challenges in many Computer Science (CS), Information Technology (IT), and Software Engineering (SE) programs at universities and colleges. One such challenge is that many instructors in CS/IT/SE programs continue to use learning approaches that are not learner centered and therefore are not adequately preparing students to be proficient in the ever-changing computing industry. To mitigate this challenge, instructors need to use evidence-based pedagogical approaches, e.g., active learning, to improve student learning and engagement in the classroom and equip students with the skills necessary to be lifelong learners. This article presents an approach that combines learning and engagement strategies (LESs) in learning environments using different teaching modalities to improve student learning and engagement. We describe how LESs are integrated into face-to-face (F2F) and online class activities. The LESs currently used are collaborative learning , gamification , problem-based learning , and social interaction . We describe an approach used to quantify each LES used during class activities based on a set of characteristics for LESs and the traditional lecture-style pedagogical approaches. To demonstrate the impact of using LESs in F2F class activities, we report on a study conducted over seven semesters in a software testing class at a large urban minority serving institution. The study uses a posttest-only study design, the scores of two midterm exams, and approximate class times dedicated to each LES and traditional lecture style to quantify their usage in a face-to-face software testing class. The study results showed that increasing the time dedicated to collaborative learning, gamification, and social interaction and decreasing the traditional lecture-style approach resulted in a statistically significant improvement in student learning, as reflected in the exam scores.

Assessing Competencies Using Scenario-Based Learning in Cybersecurity

Recent years have seen a disconnect between much-needed real-world skills and knowledge imparted to cybersecurity graduates by higher education institutions. As employers are shifting their focus to skills and competencies when hiring fresh graduates, higher education institutions are facing a call to action to design curricula that impart relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies to their graduates, and to devise effective means to assess them. Some institutions have successfully engaged with industry partners in creating apprenticeship programs and work-based learning for their students. However, not all educational institutions have similar capabilities and resources. A trend in engineering, computer science, and information technology programs across the United States is to design project-based or scenario-based curricula that impart relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies. At our institution, we have taken an innovative approach in designing our cybersecurity courses using scenario-based learning and assessing knowledge, skills, and competencies using scenario-guiding questions. We have used the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Hiring Cybersecurity Workforce report for skills, knowledge, and competency mapping. This paper highlights our approach, presenting its overall design and two example mappings.

IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCES TRAININGS AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN TRAVEL AGENCIES

The main purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of training and development on service sector. In the methodology of this paper we used the quantitative and qualitative method conducted with respondents in travel agencies. The questionnaire was structured with types of training and training needs for service sector employees, the research refers the level of trainings that are conducted in the travel agencies. Introduction of the information technology and different application programmes has increased the need of trainings of travel agency workers. The simple random technique is used to collect data from targeted travel agencies. The T test and correlation matrix is used to see the impact of training to employee’s performance. As a strategic activity, the training is related to the mission of the travel agency and its long-term objectives and is a major contributor to the development of skilled, flexible and dedicated employees while providing training in combination with other human resource management functions. In businesses that are in service sector that have experience in their field professional consultants - people who have the necessary skills and knowledge to implement the training, are responsible for staff training. However, in terms of transferring practical knowledge, managers are much more efficient. Their practical experience and skills, knowledge of their company, network of business contacts, and personal knowledge of the human resources of their organization make them qualified than the professional trainers, responsible for human resources.Training can be developed on the job and of the job depending on the organisation needs and employees skills, while communication skills are usually needed in travel agencies this is one together with use of software packages are the most important trainings that were identified in our research.

Effect of an information and communication technology program on the anxiety of coronary artery bypass graft patients’ caregivers in intensive care unit

Effect of an information and communication technology program on the anxiety of coronary artery bypass graft patients’ caregivers in intensive care unit

Improving Novice Students’ Computational Thinking Skills by Problem-Solving and Metacognitive Techniques

Admittedly, the teaching and learning of programming courses in the computer science and information technology programs have been extremely challenging. Currently, most instructors depend on either the problem-solving technique or the metacognitive technique to help students develop a range of cognitive skills, including metacognitive skills, which are important in the development of a strong computational thinking skill required for 21st-century learning. Studies focusing on the practices of instructors in using both techniques are scarce, thus motivating the researchers to carry out this study. This study was based on a qualitative approach involving a case-study design in which five (5) male and five (5) female instructors were selected from 10 pre-university centers in Malaysia as the respondents and participants in an intervention program. The research instruments used were an interview checklist and intervention guidelines. As anticipated, the findings showed that the activities of each technique could only help students develop certain sub-skills of the computational thinking skill, thus underscoring the need for instructors to integrate both techniques in their teaching practices. Thus, it could be reasoned that using either the metacognitive technique or the problem-solving technique alone would not be sufficient to help students develop strong computational thinking skills, as each technique has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it becomes imperative for instructors to leverage the strengths of both techniques by integrating both of them in the teaching and learning of programming courses.

Designing a Web-Based Thesis Title Submission System Using the Codeigniter 3 Framework

<p class="Abstract">Thesis is a scientific work made by every student on the basis of conducting a research to complete a bachelor's degree program (S1) guided by the guidance of a lecturer who has the capability of the field of study/final project. There are still many students who are confused during the title submission process. There is no information system provided for the submission of Thesis Title, and There is no information system provided by the Information Technology and Computer Education Study Program to submit the thesis title to the Study Program. The type of research used is Research and Development (Research and Development). In this study, researchers used a system model taken from the life cycle, namely the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). SDLC is one of the traditional ways to maintain, build and replace an information system. From the product test that the author did, the results obtained were the Validity test was obtained with a number of 0.87 with valid criteria, the Practicality test by the supervisor was obtained a value of 0.91 with very practical criteria and the effectiveness test by students of the Informatics and Computer Engineering Education Study Program obtained a score of 0.89 with criteria Very effective. This study aims to produce a Title Submission system Web-Based Thesis which is validated and describes its validity, practicality and effectiveness.</p>

Industry Employability ICT Skills Vis-À-Vis ICT Skills of the Information and Communication Technology Program of Senior High Curriculum

This research was conducted to determine whether the skills and competencies of the ICT strand's Senior High School Curriculum match the ICT skills needed by the various industries in Zamboanga City for employability. The findings serve as a source of information for other senior high schools in the Philippines from different regions. In this analysis, a Descriptive Quantitative method of research was adopted. The results showed that the respondents highly needed (Computer Systems Servicing NC II), (Computer Programming .net Technology NC III) and (Broadband Installation Fixed Wireless Systems NC II) in terms of the industry's required ICT skills. In addition, management in both industry and academia needs an advanced and competent level of competence, as shown in their average response to an entry-level role in both common and core competencies (Computer System Servicing NC II). The T-test result also showed that there is no substantial difference in the level of competence of the Senior High School Curriculum's Computer System Servicing as required for an entry-level role in the IT Department, indicating that the program provided by the Zamboanga City Senior High School agrees with what the industry needs.

Societal Digital Platforms for Sustainability: Agriculture

During the last several decades, international and national agricultural research infrastructures have rapidly expanded, bringing the outputs of agricultural research to the world’s farmers. However, despite huge investments in agricultural research, there have been few systematic efforts to create digital platforms to meet the information requirements of farmers in a changing world. We describe an interactive information system in real time to provide agricultural information to farmers. The goals were to increase yields, reduce or optimize farm inputs, inform farmers about markets and government policies, and enable digital literacy among farmers, which (in the long run) would enhance rural incomes. Farmer clubs were created at the village level to increase engagement in the program and to access information. A call-in help center enabled farmers to get information in real time. In addition, a digital platform named eKisaan delivered relevant and contextual information in the local language, mostly in the video format via mobile and cloud technologies. The platform provided information about crop management and a variety of other parameters. The combined incremental savings and incremental earnings resulted in an estimated increase of 15% in income after 18 months, totaling INR₹26,250,000 (US$365,000), followed by an additional increase of 7% in the third year. The approximate cost of the information technology program and help center was INR₹15,000,000 (US$208,000). Over time, costs can decrease by spreading fixed costs over several years, with benefits reaching more farmers. Thus, the digital systems focused on information alone can be cost-effective, reduce inputs, increase productivity and income, and foster sustainability.

Pathway patterns mobility study of first time vs. transfer students in computer science and information technology programs at a public university

PurposePostsecondary institutions use metrics such as student retention and college completion rates to measure student success. Multiple factors affect the success of first time in college (FTIC) and transfer students. Transfer student success rates are significantly low, with most transfer students nationwide failing to complete their degrees in four-year institutions. The purpose of this study is to better understand the degree progression patterns of both student types in two undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs: computer science (CS) and information technology (IT). Recommendations concerning academic advising are discussed to improve transfer student success.Design/methodology/approachThis study describes how transfer student success can be improved by thoroughly analyzing their degree progression patterns. This study uses institutional data from a public university in the United States. Specifically, this study utilizes the data of FTIC and transfer students enrolled in CS and IT programs at the targeted university to understand their degree progression patterns and analyzes the program curricula using network science curricular analytics method to determine what courses in the curriculum require more assistance to retain students.FindingsThe major findings of this study are: (1) students’ degree mobility patterns within an institution differ significantly between transfer and FTIC students; (2) some similarities exist between the CS and IT programs in terms of transfer students' degree mobility patterns; (3) transfer students' performance in basic and intermediate level core courses contribute to differences in transfer students' mobility patterns.Originality/valueThis study introduces the concept of “mobility patterns” and examines student degree mobility patterns of both FTIC and transfer students in a large public university to improve the advising process for transfer students regarding courses and identifying secondary majors.

Using graphics editors as a means of developing students' creative abilities

This article discusses a very well-known and frequently used technique for an implementation of a variety of artistic projects - a collage created by means of information technology. The article tells about using collage in higher education for teaching graphics, in particular, raster editors. Graphics editors such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP are included in the Computer Science and Information Technology program. Students get the opportunity to create graphic images regardless of their prior art education. The introduction of the topic "Creating a collage by means of a raster editor" introduces a creative element into IT disciplines and develops the student's associative thinking at the level of brain functioning. As a rule, raster editors are used to edit an image, not to create it. Therefore, preparation for these classes encourages students to search for the necessary visual material on the Internet. In order to obtain more personal images, a deep study of photography techniques is required. It is also useful to study the history of photo and film collages, their texture and structure. The scope of the collage use is various. This is psychology, teaching foreign languages and, of course, fine arts. Advertising posters that we see in large numbers in the media and transport are also collages. The article traces the history of collage creation from ancient Egyptian history to modern advertising products. It is especially interesting to study the time when collage became a conscious technique. This is a great layer of avant-garde art.

Engineering a Better IT Program Manager: A Comparative Study of IT PM Education and Training

This article examines the relationship between Department of Defense information technology (IT) program managers (PMs), their technical education, commercial project management certification, and project management success—also known as project efficiency—for IT PMs. The researcher asked, “To what extent does project management success in scope, schedule, and cost compare among PMs, specifically their technical education, commercial project management certification, and interaction effects between education type and commercial PM certification?” A gap in research exists on whether IT PMs with a technical education positively or negatively impact project outcomes. The IT PM community needs more studies on the extent to which commercial PM certifications affect project efficiency. The researcher used factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to compare education and PM certification to project efficiency. MANOVA provided for the examination of the interactive effects. A Mann-Whitney post hoc test confirmed the MANOVA results. Both tests concluded that no relationship exists between undergraduate technical degree, commercial PM certification, and project management success.