Revising the IS Model Curriculum: Rethinking the Approach and the Process

• Published in: Communications of the Association for Information Systems Vol. 20; p. 45
• Main Authors: Topi, Heikki, Valacich, Joseph S., Kaiser, Kate, Nunamaker, Jr, Sipior, Janice, de Vreede, Gert Jan, Wright, Ryan T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Atlanta Association for Information Systems 2007
• Subjects: Business schools; Curricula; Information systems; Revisions
• ISSN: 1529-3181; 1529-3181
• DOI: 10.17705/1CAIS.02045

This paper summarizes the key elements of a panel presentation at the Americas Conference for Information Systems (AMCIS) 2007 that reviewed the current status of the joint Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)/Association for Information Systems (AIS) undergraduate information systems model curriculum revision project. After providing a brief historical overview of IS model curricula and describing the reasons why a revision is overdue, the paper focuses on three main aspects of the current revision proposal. These include: 1) extending the reach and applicability of the curriculum model beyond business schools and making it a genuinely global model; 2) separating core topics from career track electives and including career tracks in the model; and 3) revising the curriculum development model to be significantly more inclusive using modern Web-based technologies.