Comparing undergraduate courses in systems analysis and design

Like all computer courses, the systems analysis and design course has undergone much revision over the years. The first efforts used the “waterfall” system life cycle as the framework and emphasized such tools as flowcharts, decision logic tables, and record layout forms. Today, the numbers of systems methodologies and tools have exploded, giving instructors much latitude in designing courses. As a way to understand how systems analysis and design is being taught at the undergraduate level, the author conducted a mail survey of 1,947 college instructors teaching the course. The instructors’ names and addresses were obtained from the Campus Marketing Group mailing list and from the McGraw-Hill MIS Directory; the publishing company Dryden/Harcourt Brace & Co. sent each instructor a Raymond McLeod, Jr.