Object-oriented curricula in academic programs

Object-oriented (OO) technology has permeated the field of systems development. Programming languages, analysis and design techniques, database management systems, and CASE tools increasingly reflect the growing influence of OO methods in development. Although OO is not the “silver bullet” that eliminates poor quality, over-budget and late software development projects, many see OO as the best solution to address these software development problems [8]. OO use has increased steadily in the past few years, with more growth expected in the future. As OO use increases, so too will the demand for OO developers. Existing developers can help fill this need, although retraining for OO software development is estimated to take as long as 18 months [11]. Another answer to the OO personnel shortage problem may be found in computer science (CS) and information systems (IS) degree programs. CS and IS degree programs stand poised to help organizations make the transition to OO by providing graduating students with OO skills. But, are CS and IS degree programs meeting the challenge? In early 1995 questionnaires were sent to CS and IS departments in the U.S. and Canada. Responses were received from 172 CS departments and 101 IS departments. The sample represents both private and public schools, large and small colleges, and programs of all sizes. The majority of the respondents are from colleges with less than 2,000 students and programs with less than 200 majors. Of 172 CS respondents, 152 (88%) teach OO topics, as shown in Table 1. Seventeen of the 20 respondents not teaching OO planned to adopt OO curricula; only three CS respondents did not plan to adopt it. Seventy-two of the 101 IS departments (71%) teach OO. Of the 29 not teaching OO, 17 plan to, while 12 have no plans to do so. The two main explanations given by