A Limited Assessment of the Curricula of Selected Information System Technology Associate Degree Programs

Previous studies have examined the curricula of information systems technology (IST) programs, and some have noted a discrepancy between the stated needs of industry and the skills and attributes of graduates of 4-year programs. In addition, gaps between the 2-year curricula and the perceived needs of employers have been noted. The purpose of this qualitative, cross-sectional case study was to learn which skills, knowledge, and experiences were sought by employers and compare them to the IST curricula taught in one community college system. Using a participatory design model with image theory to focus on the gap in understanding industry needs, data collected from a) curriculum guides, b) course content summaries, c) course syllabi, and d) online job postings were analyzed by comparing and contrasting content in the areas of soft skills, technical skills, and supporting knowledge. Results of the study indicated that (a) 43% of industry sought work experience, but only 2 of the 23 colleges offered, and none required, internships; (b) 4.7% of industry requested structured query language (SQL) database knowledge, while SQL was the most commonly taught; (c) 9 of the 27 industry-requested programming languages were not offered, and (d) 2 of the 3 requested versions of C programming were not taught. Additional gaps included a) attitude of students, b) intermediate math ability, c) graphics experience, and d) project management knowledge. In conclusion, while the community college system was meeting many industry needs, there appears to be an opportunity to increase the curricula match, and the results may be used to re-evaluate the IST curriculum. The implication for social change is that better alignment between academic curricula and industry needs may improve the utility of the curricula and the success of graduates in securing employment.