Adding Value to the IS’97… Curriculum Models: An Interactive Visualization and Analysis Prototype

Authors

David W. Johnson, Utah Valley State College
Floyd Wilkes, Utah Valley State College
Pat Ormond, Utah Valley State College
Robert Figueroa

Abstract

Several efforts have been undertaken in the information systems (IS) arena to develop a model IS curriculum. Most notable of these is the IS’97 model that contains not only a list of suggested IS courses but also other sub-course and super-course constructs such as presentation areas, learning units, knowledge elements, and knowledge levels. The richness of this model is intended to enhance its usefulness in understanding the details of a curriculum. However, this richness adds a level of complexity that makes it difficult for all but the dedicated scholar to understand the intricacies of the model beyond the course construct level when reading the IS’97 document. This paper describes the development of an interactive prototype based on IS’97 that captures the details of the model within a relational database in an attempt to make it more useful and readily applicable to a variety of curriculum-related activities. Various forms, queries, and reports were developed to make understanding the model easier and to provide interactive capabilities to help faculty, students, and others experiment with the model. Efforts at utilizing the prototype for curriculum visualization and analysis are presented which help to add value to the existing IS’97 document. Finally, the paper concludes with a proposal to extend the IS’97 model constructs into a curriculum management system for an academic institution.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, David W.; Wilkes, Floyd; Ormond, Pat; and Figueroa, Robert (2002) "Adding Value to the IS’97… Curriculum Models: An Interactive Visualization and Analysis Prototype," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 13 : Iss. 2 , 135-142.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol13/iss2/8