| ACM computer science curricula | Liberal arts curricula | Computer engineering |
| Software engineering | Two-year colleges | K-12, Secondary education |
| Accreditation | Certification | Miscellaneous links and hubs |
The Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) has been involved in numerous curricular
projects since the 1960's. Current activities are coordinated
by the Computing
Curricula 2001 Task Force (CC2001), chaired by Eric Roberts. The
most
recent incarnation is Curriculum
2001,
finalized December 15, 2001. The CS curriculum per se is Volume 1
of a projected set of volumes to cover several flavors of computing
curricula. An Overview
Report exists in a draft form, dated November 22, 2004.
Earlier ACM model computer science curricula have all been very influential. There have been four of them, starting in 1968. They are listed below (citation forms modeled after Tucker 96). The last two have been joint projects between ACM and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS).
There have been two revisions of a model curriculum for a liberal arts degree in computer science, developed by the Liberal Arts Computer Science Consortium (LACS). The authors of these reports have also been active in SIGCSE and in the recent ACM Computing Curricula.
[11/2004] The Final
Report of the CCSE (Computer Curriculum -- Software Engineering) is
dated May 21, 2004. It was produced by the CCSE Steering Committee
under the general oversight of the The Joint Task Force on Computing
Curricula (see above under the ACM Computer Science Curricula).
The best
link for the CCSE is probably as a document in that series, dataed
August 23, 2004 (orginally it was to be numbered as Volume 4).
The Steering
Committee co-chairs were Rich LeBlanc and Anne Sobel, and the
co-editors of the document were
Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera and Tom Hilburn. The steering committee
had published a draft in July, 2003. For a bit of the Bzyantine
history of SW Engineering curricular efforts, see the CCSE Steering Committee's page
and my notes from an old version
of this web page.
There does not seem to be a model curriculum for computer engineering as there is for computer science. ACM's CC2001 task force envisions that computer engineering would be Volume III in its series of model curricula; there does not yet seem to be a public draft (5/8/01). [ACM/IEEE91] shows two sample curricula for CompE, as possible realizations of its overall recommendations.
CompE is lumped with "electrical, computing, and similarly named engineering programs" in the ABET Criteria for Engineering Accreditation (EAC). See notes on ABET below under "Accreditation Boards."
The designation "Information Systems" has been applied to a diversity of disciplines and practices, from Business and Management Information Systems to Library Information Science. More about this below.
There have been Information Systems model curricula since 1990, primarily sponsored by the Association for Information Systems (AIS). An ACM MemberNet article (May, 2003) reports: "IS '02: Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems is the second collaborative effort by ACM, the Association for Information Systems (AIS), and the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). It draws heavily on past efforts, primarily IS '97, which has been widely accepted and has become the basis for accreditation of undergraduate programs in Information Systems." IS'97 was sponsored by SIGMIS, the ACM Special Interest Group on Management Information Systems.
The article goes on to say, "Ultimately, the committees devoted to developing these curricula seek to define the areas of CS, SE, IS, and IT more crisply--their scope, their relationship to the other major and minor degree programs. John [Gorgone, IS'02 Curriculum Co-Chair] concluded: 'We’re forced to take a look at our field and point out the differences between it and other areas, so that we can better inform the public, our students, and the faculties interested in working in these areas.'" [Footnote: John Gorgone (Bentley College) was awarded the ACM Outstanding Educator Award for 2003 for his work on the IS curriculum, among other contributions.]
Another approach is illustrated by ISCC '99, the Information Systems-Centric Curriculum. The site is hosted at the University of Nebraska. Authors are Doris Lidke, Gordon Stokes, and Jimmie Haines. The curriculum came out of a project whose P-I's were Lidke and Michael Mulder. As of the time of ISCC'99's publication, "Endorsement of this curriculum is being actively pursued through the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Association for Information Systems (AIS), and Institute of Electrical/Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society."
Like the term "Information Systems," "Information Technology" has been used for a number of different areas.
[5/2003] A sample curriculum is being developed by SIGITE, the ACM Special Interest Group on Information Technology Education, which is the ACM-affiliated successor to the Society for Information Technology Education (SITE). Eydie Lawson is Chair. See ACM MemberNet article, May, 2003. SITE was formally founded in April, 2002, but its founders had been working on IT curricula and holding conferences on the subject since about 2000. CICT IV will be held in October, 2003. Draft four-year curriculum guidelines. Draft accreditation guidelines.
[as of 8/2001]: Currently, CSAB (see Accreditation) has draft criteria for programs in Computer Information Systems. It is said that there will be a pilot visit this accreditation cycle. The program is said to be very different from IS '97 (under Information Systems).
[as of 8/2001]: Model Curricula for Information Systems Auditing at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels. Prepared for the Information Systems Audit and Control Foundation (ISACF). Prepared by ISACF Task Force for Development of Model Curricula in Information Systems Auditing at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels, Academic Relations Committee and the Research Board, March 1998.
[7/2003] In recent years there has been considerable interest in
this
field. The author is not aware of any standardized curriculum
effort. Mississippi
State
University's Center for Computer Security Research apparently
intends to
promote education in the area, with considerable support from the
Federal
Government. See also Computer,
Nework, and Internet Forensics.
Undergraduate programs are beginning to offer courses in these areas. Hal Berghel states that "while not a profession, Computer Corensics satisfies the definition of a profession." He argues Internet Forensics (short for Network and Internet Forensics) involves fundamentally different skills, and should be considered a separate discipline from Computer Forensics ["The discipline of Internet Forensics," CACM August 2003 v.46.8 p.15]. Professional development courses are offered by organizations like the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute.
The two leading academic professional societies are the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). MAA's Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) is working toward a revised curriculum guideline [8/2001: still at an interim stage.] Previous CUPM versions seem to be from 1981 and 1991 (can't yet locate on-line).
SIAM is the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Only recently has SIAM recognized Computational Science, or Computational Science and Engineering (CSE), as a distinct field (the first SIAM CSE conference was held in 2000), and has formed a Working Group on CSE Education. The Working Group report contains recommendations primarily for graduate curricula in CSE. At present [8/2001], there are very few undergraduate programs. SIAM does not seem to have curriculum guidelines for ordinary applied mathematics programs.
There are few if any undergraduate programs. Proposal by Russ Altman (SMI 1998 14(7) 549-550) for a graduate curriculum: "For this discussion of curriculum, bioinformatics addresses problems related to the storage, retrieval and analysis of information about biological structure, sequence and function." The International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) has an Education Working Group with the charge to "define a generic bioinformatics curriculum which the society endorses as a staring point in the provision of a complete education in bioinformatics" and will cover "what will likely be taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at universities and other teaching institutions worldwide" (draft expected 2001). ISCB also maintains a list of degree programs in these fields.
In 1993, there was an NSF report on Undergraduate Cognitive Science. In 1999 there was a workshop in Scotland. The Cognitive Science Society does not have any apparent curricular activities. If you know of a good link, please send it to me!
ACM has a standing Two-Year College Education Committee. Various curricular projects have been completed and published since 1993, with guidelines for associate degree programs in Computing Sciences, Information Processing, Computing and Engineering Technology, and other areas. The most recent completed curriculum (2000) is for "Programs to Support Computing in a Networked Environment."
Originally there was the ACM Model High School Computer Science Curriculum. First published in 1991; last revision 1997.
[2/2/2005] Allen Tucker chaired a sub-committee of the ACM K-12
Education Task Force that
has produced a new ACM curriculum
for high schools (finalized October, 2003). "The Committee’s charge is to
develop a new model curriculum for K-12 computer science that is
accessible to
all students. This model curriculum focuses on high school computer
science but
also takes K-8 concerns into consideration as well as standards for
computer
science teachers." Chris Stephenson chairs the ACM
K-12 Education Task Force, whose web site has a variety of
resources for
K-12 educators.
[2/2/2005] Amid growing talk of a crisis in high computer science
programs, the ACM launched a Computer
Science Teachers Association (CSTA) in 2005. "CSTA's
initiatives include ... [a] Curriculum Committee ... working to
establish a national CS curriculum based on ACM's K-12 model,
and to create materials that support its implementation."
[2/2/2005] The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) aims to provide"leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K–12 education and teacher education." Among ISTE's initiatives is the National Educational Technology Standards Project (NETS), whose primary goal "is to enable stakeholders in PreK-12 education to develop national standards for educational uses of technology that facilitate school improvement in the United States."
The Computer Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) has been accrediting US undergraduate CS programs since the late 1980's. CSAB is a joint effort between ACM and IEEE-CS. Accreditation is administered by the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC). Criteria 2000 include curricular criteria, which are somewhat non-specific.
Engineering programs of many kinds are accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). CSAB and ABET are merging their computer science-relation accreditation activities. Beginning with the 2001-2002 cycle, accreditation visits will be conducted jointly. CSAB and CSAC will become a part of the much larger ABET organization, but ACM and IEEE-CS will retain their special roles. Within the ABET framework, the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) is new, with criteria based initially on CSAB. Computer Engineering (lumped with EE) remains under the heading of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). There is also a certification path for Computer Engineering Technology, under the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC).
Certification of technical skills, usually by industry, is a growing trend. It seems already to be having an impact on two-year colleges (e.g. ACM 2000 associate degree guidelines...). It may someday find a place in other degree programs. If you know of a good hub on this topic, please let me know.
ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) home page
IEEE Computer Society Education Page
Allen B. Tucker. Strategic Directions in Computer Science Education. ACM Computing Surveys, December 1996.
Thomas Hilburn's Software Engineering Education page
Renee McCauley's Computer Science Education links
Lewis Barnett's Computer Science Education Resources page
Nan Schaller's Computer Science Education page
G. Scott Owen's NSF Computer Science Education Repository (NSFCSCR). Seems to have last been updated in 1997.
The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a federally-funded national information system. It sponsors AskERIC, "a personalized Internet-based service providing education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, and anyone interested in education throughout the United States and the world."
The profoundly obscure Federal agency known as the National
Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)
SIGCSE annual Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
ITiCSE: annual SIGCSE Conference on Innovations and Technology in
Computer Science Education.
IFIP World Conference on Computers In Education (WCCE). 2005 event to be held July 4-7
in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Held by IFIP Technical
Committee 3 (Education); Working Group 3.2 is University Education (Joe
Turner is the ACM representative). [information as of 5/2004]
last revised February 2, 2005. Please send me corrections, updates, and suggestions.
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