Report from the ACM CCECCIT Curriculum Project

byJim Nichols & Cara Tang, PhD

ACM Committee for Computing Education in Community Colleges

(acmccecc.org)January 2014

Outline

• The Process– Phase 1: Determine the mission– Phase 2: Carry out the mission

• The IT Curriculum Guidelines• Discussion and Feedback

The Process: Phase 1(2011-2012)

• Explore the need for, and potential nature of, contemporary curricular guidance relevant to IT-related associate-degree programs

• Diverse working group from industry and academia produced recommendations

• Key conclusions– Compelling need for IT curricular guidance for the

associate-degree level– Typical model built upon a comprehensive Body of

Knowledge (BoK) is not well suited to dynamic field of IT

The Process: Phase 1

• Key conclusions (cont.)– IT curricular guidance should be built on a

framework of core learning outcomes– Constituted by core IT competencies– Influenced by current and future needs of business

and industry, certifications, related curricula, government and standards bodies, new and emerging technology, international perspectives

– Designed to provide staying power and adaptability– Accompanied by meaningful evaluation metrics

The Process: Phase 2Inputs (2012-2014)

• US Dept. of Labor IT Competency Model• EU ICT Competencies• EMC’s 5 pillars of IT• ACM/IEEE-CS Curriculum Guidelines for

Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology 2008

• CSTA Strands• ASSECT Model for Computational Thinking in IT

The Process: Phase 2Participants

• Subject matter experts from business and industry– Google, EMC2, NetApp, Dell, Cisco Systems, Oracle,

CompTIA, Juniper Networks• Two-year college faculty– Adirondack CC, Austin CC, Black Hawk CC, Brookdale

CC, CC of Baltimore County, Cosumnes River College, Estrella Mountain CC, Portland CC, Salt Lake CC, Stark State College

• Assessment Experts

The Process: Phase 2NY Meeting

• Two full days• Compose and vet student learning outcomes• Training on assessment rubrics by A-Team• Compose and vet assessment rubrics

• Product: First Reviewer’s Draft– Distributed to 1000+ individuals in CCECC affiliate

database, SIGITE conference in Calgary, Canada, booth at SIGCSE, CAPSpace web site

The Process: Phase 2Continued Work

• West coast / East coast meetings• Considered feedback• Review and adjust learning outcomes• Craft assessment rubrics• Map outcomes to other curricula• Product: Current and Final Reviewer’s Draft– Feedback due Monday, Jan. 13, 2014

IT Curriculum GuidelinesLearning Outcomes

• 48 learning outcomes• Express core IT competencies across all IT-

related associate degree programs• Both technical and behavioral outcomes• Span the first 3 levels of Bloom’s Revised

Taxonomy

Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Lower Order Thinking Skills

Higher Order Thinking Skills

IT Curriculum GuidelinesAssessment

• Each learning outcome has a 3-tier assessment rubric

• Give further clarity to outcomes• Meaningful evaluation• Facilitate integration into assessment-based

curricula

Below Expectations

Meets Expectations

Exceeds Expectations

IT Curriculum GuidelinesMappings

• Core IT learning outcomes mapped to– US Dept. of Labor IT Competency Model– ACM IT Baccalaureate Guidelines– CSTA Computer Science Standards– ACM Computing Classification System– Potentially Others

Learning Outcomes

• Reviewer’s Draft• CAPSpace

IT Curriculum GuidelinesDistribution Across Bloom’s Levels

Remembering7

Understanding23

Applying18

Remembering Understanding Applying

Lower Higher

Next Steps

• Final guidelines available Q2 2014• Course Examples– Map your course outcomes to ACM’s core IT

learning outcomes for associate degrees• Industry Champions– List your company as an industry champion of this

ACM curricula

MPICT

• "ACM CCECC Draft Curricular Guidance for IT AS Degrees" - Mid-Pacific ICT Center Quarterly Newsletter, 2013, Quarter 4, Page 8.

• 2012 MPICT Winter Conference Interview with James Jones, Executive Director MPICT and Bob Campbell, Vice Chair ACM CCECC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBLAR6xkNU (18.5 minutes)

ACM Inroads articles"Curricular Guidance for IT Associate-Degree Programs" - ACM Inroads, December 2013, Volume 4, Issue 4; DOI: 10.1145/2537753.2537764 - http://www.capspace.org/committee/CommitteeFileUploads/p26-hawthorneDec2013.pdf

"Associate-Degree Curricular Guidance for Information Technology" - ACM Inroads, March 2012, Volume 3, Issue 1; DOI: 10.1145/2077808.2077817 - http://www.capspace.org/committee/CommitteeFileUploads/p28-hawthorneMarch2012.pdf

ACM CCECC Contact Info

• ACM CCECC Members– Elizabeth K. Hawthorne, Chair,

e.hawthorne@acmccecc.org– Robert Campbell, Vice-Chair, rcampbell@gc.cuny.edu– Jim Nichols, jnichols@acmccecc.org– Cara Tang, ctang@acmccecc.org– Cindy Tucker, ctucker@acmccecc.org

• www.capspace.org• Send feedback thru: capspace.org/contactus/ by

January 13, 2014