History of Computing Education Trends: The Emergence of Competitive Intelligence

Several studies have shown that new curriculum initiatives such as enterprise systems have a predictable lifecycle [1]. This paper looks for trends in competitive intelligence (CI), a relatively new area of study that is beginning to infiltrate curricula around the world. We first examine existing research concerning CI and academia, listing the various approaches through which CI’s role in educational curricula is considered and tracing the history of its emergence. A survey of CI course offerings throughout the US and Australia was conducted in an attempt to identify trends outside a single culture or education system. It shows that CI is an emerging discipline and often appears as an independent degree program rather than just a component of other programs. The methodology used in this study demonstrates how a historical perspective can be used to identify new issues to be considered by curriculum planners.