ISSUES FOR FOUR-YEAR IT PROGRAMS

IT programs are facing the challenge of integrating coherent programs from topics that are parts of other domains. Database topics have been identified as one of the core areas of an IT curriculum. IT programs have typically adopted Database texts and approaches used in other disciplines. However, there is a current debate in Information Systems and Computer Science about the structure and content of Database courses. With the advent of the World Wide Web and browser-based computing, the use models for both the design and access of database systems have changed radically. Current best practice indicates the use of a multi-tiered deployment model f or systems to facilitate scalability and manageability. Conceptual modeling with UML and a close binding of the system design to the real-world objects greatly reduces the need for traditional normal-form optimizations in relational database designs. The emphasis on use-case driven, iterative system development has changed the dynamics of database design in the system development process. An argument is made that the traditional database curriculum along with much of the traditional operating systems and programming language curriculum should be integrated into a system development sequence that presents the necessary concepts in the context of current system development processes for Information Technology students. We present our proposed curriculum as a work-in-progress to document the IT perspective and to elicit comment from the academy. Index Terms – Database, Curriculum, Information Technology