Computer science education as part of an undergraduate program in community information systems

This paper explores the potential of virtual education options to fulfill policies designed to broaden participation in computer science (CS) education. Virtual education platforms inherently offer access to a wider range of students than traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Access does not preclude the various socio-economic challenges to engaging these platforms, but this format could be used to mitigate barriers to reaching groups of students that have historically been marginalized in CS courses. In 2019, Georgia passed legislation that requires all middle and high schools to offer CS courses by 2025. The legislation also allowed for virtual courses to satisfy the requirement. While the legislation is intent on broadening participation in CS education, it specifically incorporates a virtual option, making it novel among similar legislative actions across the country. In this context, we examine whether virtual CS courses increase access for marginalized student populations. As such, we explore (1) to what extent do the disparities in CS education found in brick-and-mortar classrooms also appear in virtual settings and (2) to what extent is there an association between modality and rurality on CS course enrollment. Using district enrollment data from 2012 to 2019 for CS courses in Georgia, we calculated the percentage of students in marginalized groups that enrolled in physical courses across the state compared to the percentage enrolled in statewide virtual courses to illuminate existing disparities in enrollment. We conducted this analysis at the district level to highlight variability in representative disparity and the underlying structural differences that might contribute to these disparities. Our analysis provides insight that incorporates the different levels of representative disparity districts have overall. As an early adopter of virtual CS education, the Georgia model provides valuable information for states interested in policies to broaden participation in CS courses.

This report is part of a series of publications on the status and development of the North-American Information Systems (IS) field and Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI), its counterpart in German speaking countries. Information systems in businesses and organizations are the main subject of research in IS and WI. Hence, both disciplines are applied fields of research. Thus, the valuation of research results and graduates by business practice are vital indicators for the disciplines’ status and success. Between 1991 and 2001 a plethora of articles were published in leading Information Systems (IS) journals and conference proceedings addressing the issue of relevance of IS research and teaching. This research report provides a comprehensive content analysis of this „relevance debate“ in the North-American Information Systems field. The perceptions, opinions, and recommendations of the contributors are presented structured according to statements of valuation, perception, explanation, and recommendation. The reconstruction of the main IS relevance debate indicates that all debate participants agree that relevance to practice plays a vital role for the IS discipline, but that the field largely lacks relevance in terms of research as well as in terms of teaching. The lack of relevance is, for example, illustrated by the general perception that research results rarely impact practice and that IT/IS professionals usually do not read academic IS journals. In order to analyse if the debate has lead to any changes in terms of practice relevance of the IS field the most recent literature and studies available on IS relevance are evaluated. Analysis results indicate that no significant changes took place. But various IS researchers still report on problems in terms of acceptance and perception of IS degree programs and research. Based on the perspectives of experienced researchers from WI and other European IS communities the concluding remarks of this report attempt to explain the apparent lack of change in the North-American IS field and provide suggestions for improving the current status of the IS field in terms of relevance.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify how Advanced level Mathematics and Mathematics course units offered at university level do impact on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Background: In Sri Lankan state universities, students have been enrolled only from the Physical Science stream to do a degree program in Computer Science. In addition to that, universities have been offering some course units in Mathematics to provide the required mathematical maturity to Computer Science undergraduates. Despite of this it is observed that the failure rates in fundamental theoretical Computer Science course units are much higher than other course units offered in the general degree program every year. Methodology : Academic records comprised of all 459 undergraduates from three consecutive batches admitted to the degree program in Computer Science from a university were considered for this study. Contribution: This study helps academics in identifying suitable curricula for Mathematics course units to improve students’ performance in theoretical Computer Science courses. Findings: Advanced level Mathematics does not have any significant effect on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Even though all Mathematics course units offered were significantly correlated with academic performance of every theoretical Computer Science course unit, only the Discrete Mathematics course unit highly impacted on the academic performance of all three theoretical Computer Science course units. Further this study indicates that the academic performance of female undergraduates is better than males in all theoretical Computer Science and Mathematics course units. Future Research: Identifying other critical success factors contributing to the students’ academic performance of the theoretical Computer Science through empirical studies

The purpose of this study was to explore the alignment of soft skills sought by current business IS entry-level employers in electronic job postings, with the integration of soft skills in undergraduate business information systems (IS) syllabi of public four-year universities in Texas. One hundred fifty job postings were extracted from two major electronic career databases. Ten undergraduate AACSB-accredited programs in the field of business information systems (IS) were investigated, and syllabi for the 70 major courses of the business IS programs were obtained for review. Content analysis was applied to all job postings and syllabi, exposing all soft skills related to the 9 categories used in this study adapted from the 21st Century Framework for Learning (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2009). Frequencies were tabulated to determine rank of soft skills in job postings and syllabi, and Jaccard’s coefficient statistic of occurrence was used for cluster analysis. Soft skills within all 9 categories were found in job postings (n = 1554) and course syllabi (n = 774). Three soft skill categories were aligned between job postings and syllabi: (1) initiative and self-direction, (2) social and cross-cultural skills, and (3) flexibility and adaptability. However, because differences in the higher ranked frequencies of soft skills in job postings and syllabi were noted, the null hypothesis of this study was rejected.

Low information system (IS) enrollment continues to present a threat to IS programs and pose a serious problem to companies in desperate need of IS professionals. Research attributes low enrollment and the shortage of IS talent to misperceptions about the nature of IS programs, careers, and job prospects. Recent research (Akbulut-Bailey, 2012) suggests that enrollment remains low despite improved perceptions about the IS job market, which raises the question as to whether the misperceptions about IS careers and programs still exist and whether they represent the main factor in why students do not choose the IS field. Using the case study method (Yin 1984), we provide a longitudinal view of the perceptions that students have had about MIS, how they have changed, and ways in which we can meaningfully combat misperceptions.

Computer science is a higher education domain that still show a significant male dominance. Many research studies have highlighted the importance of diversity and gender balance in computer science related areas such as software engineering and system development. However, there is still a well-identified problem that university programmes and courses on computer science fail to attract the female audience. The objective of this study is to investigate the concept of gender-inclusive computer science (CS) education with the aim of broadening participation in CS courses and programs. This is conducted through a literature study, initially focusing on keywords and research areas, and subsequently searching into existing research. The research question that guided the study was: "What concepts can be found in literature to make computer science education more gender-inclusive?". Data were analysed thematically in a two-step analysis process inspired by the grounded theory methods of Open coding and Axial coding. Findings suggest that there is significant room for learning in this field, particularly from Critical CS education studies. The Open coding analysis showed that the findings can be categorised into eight main themes. In the Axial coding the themes were merged, refined, renamed, and centred around the main axial theme of 'Epistemological pluralism'. Other essential themes that all are related to the axial main theme were: 'Design and creativity', 'Bias awareness and ethics', 'Collaboration and communication', 'Self-regulated learning', 'Real-world applications', and 'Role models and mentorship'. The result of this study is presented through a visual model that illustrates essential aspects of inclusive computer science education. The paper also proposes various directions for future research.

The number of computer science (CS) courses has been dramatically expanding in U.S. high schools (HS). In comparison with well-established courses in mathematics and science, little is known about how the decisions made by HS CS teachers regarding how and what to teach impact student performance later in introductory college CS courses. Drawing on a large sample of 2,871 introductory college CS students at 115 U.S. institutions who had taken a CS course in HS, we examined the topic coverage and prevailing instructional methods in the HS course and investigated how these experiences influenced student performance in college CS. Controlling for differences in student background, we find two predictors of higher grades in college CS: greater frequency of coding-related activities in HS (programming, debugging, studying algorithms) and lower frequency of “non-coding” computer use (e.g., data analysis, computer security). Interaction models revealed a more complex story. Coding-related activity more heavily benefited students who did not have coding help available at home. In the 28% of college CS courses in which instructors employed innovative pedagogies, students with higher ACT or SAT mathematics scores had a greater advantage than in traditionally taught courses. Finally, in the innovative college courses, students whose HS CS exams had typically included testing on vocabulary did worse than students whose exams had not included such tests.

Although both communities share a common object of research, the Business and Information Systems Engineering (BISE) community from the German-speaking countries and the Information Systems (IS) community centered in North America have developed quite differently. The BISE community features promote connections with industry, attractive topics to students and practical relevance of publications. But due to various reasons numerous BISE researchers struggle with publications in top-ranked journals. While this weakness obviously is a strength of the IS community, we observe that the IS community struggles with its industry connections and enrollment numbers. What the global IS/BISE community needs is a more intense discourse that increases mutual understanding, creates awareness for the need for complementation, and ensures that the opportunity for complementation is seized. This paper offers insights on how by complementation both communities could mitigate some of their weaknesses and the global IS/BISE community could increase its success as a whole.KeywordsInformation SystemsBusiness and Information Systems EngineeringBISECritical ReflectionScenario Analysis

The UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) 2007 Conference: 21st century organisations: do organisations matter?: The widening periphery of information systems research: Some reflections and ideas for action

In a previous study, we investigated a framework for teaching abstraction in computer science (CS) in the context of an introductory CS course for 7th-grade students. The framework was found effective for developing CS abstraction skills. In this paper, we describe a study that investigated teaching abstraction in CS to 7th-grade students through the perspective of gender. Specifically, we compared the CS abstraction abilities of boys and girls taking the introductory CS course in 7th grade (using the Scratch environment). We also examined the difference in the effect of the teaching strategy on CS abstraction abilities between boys and girls. Our findings show a significant advantage of girls over boys regarding several aspects of CS abstraction. We also found that the framework for teaching CS abstraction, which was already established in our previous study as effective in the context of an introductory course for 7th-grade students, has an enhanced effect in this context when it comes to girls. This enhancement was manifested by a better overall performance by the girls, when comparing boys and girls that took an introductory CS course in which this framework was used. It was also manifested by the girls' deeper and more reliable perception of CS. We conjecture that this framework has the potential to affect girls' self-efficacy, and as a result to create a positive effect by encouraging and motivating girls to pursue CS education beyond this introductory course. That is, this framework has the potential to contribute to solving the issue of underrepresentation of females at the different stages of CS education, or in other words, to widening the CS pipeline for females.

The IS '97 Model Curriculum reaffirmed the need to prepare information technology students to work effectively in an international environment. Yet, as computer science educators, we face a never-ending struggle to stay current in our field. How can we incorporate yet another educational goal in the curriculum? What is internationalization? What form might internationalization take in our courses? This seminar will answer some basic questions about internationalizing our courses. In addition, the seminar will provide practical suggestions, examples and resources to help you easily infuse an international perspective in your courses.As participants in a global economy and society, exposure to international perspectives can help us build, maintain and support global information systems and technology. Computer science and information systems bring to the world technologies that advance global interaction. Information technology workers are building systems that will be used by people from many different backgrounds and experiences. In the United States, the work force is becoming more diverse. And with the growing focus on collaboration, teamwork and virtual offices, projects will often involve working closely with people around the world. In such an environment, an awareness of other peoples and cultures becomes increasingly important.There have been a number of initiatives in government, education and information technology that emphasize the need for increasing our knowledge of other countries, nations and cultures. This session will endeavor to help participants become acquainted with the move to internationalize curriculum and suggest some practical ways to implement internationalization in computer science and information systems.

Graduation rates are generally low among undergraduate Computer Science (CS) majors, so we are motivated to employ flipped classroom model at CSUB to improve 4-year graduation rates. There is a plethora of literature supporting improved information retention using the flipped classroom model. However, its impact on upper-division core CS courses has been understudied. An active learning environment using Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT), pair instruction, and computational thinking has been implemented in this study. This flipped classroom model was applied to two upper-division CS courses, Computer Architecture II and Artificial Intelligence. A year-long study measured the impact on performance through surveys, performance on group activities, and class performance such as test scores, with comparison to a control population (non-flipped classroom class) normalized for a specific instructor. An increased student performance and ultimately better graduation rates among the 40 flipped classroom model students is anticipated.

Teaching formal methods in software construction has often been a concern of several computer science educators. In our opinion, the origin of most of the difficulties in learning formal methods in computer science and software engineering does not lie in computer science courses but in the mathematical background of the students. Moreover, there are numerous obstacles to learning basic concepts noted by both computer science and mathematics educators. To change this situation it is necessary to integrate the work of mathematics and computer science educators. That is, the main focus should be the creation of new educational approachs nourished by two components: a theoretical one (formally introducing discrete mathematics concepts) and an experimental one (implementing those concepts in a suitable programming language). In this paper, using examples from a discrete mathematics course for high school teachers, we describe the main characteristics of our approach.

Despite the growing demand for computer science (CS) education for K-12 students, one of the most significant barriers to schools offering CS courses is the lack of certified teachers [1]. According to a report by Code.org [2], only a few states have initial CS certification teacher pathways resulting in differences among the types of qualification pathways. The lack of consistent and clear information is confusing for teachers, school districts, and advocacy groups. One of the challenges of creating a clear understanding of computer science teacher certification in the United States is that certificates can have many meanings, and definitions differ from state to state [3]. This study gathers nationwide data of all the pathways to teach computer science to create definitions for the multitude of CS credential pathways and demonstrates the spectrum of credential pathways. The first round of data collection focused on identifying the requirements for obtaining a CS credential from the state's board of education website and other CS advocacy websites. The second round of data collection included email correspondence with certification or CS education professionals for the states where information was not easily accessible or clear. After the data was organized into the three defined CS qualified teaching pathways, the computer science certification professionals in all 50 states were emailed to member-check the categories and pathways for their respective state. The research team identified the following three qualification categories and defined the term as seen below. Initial Licensure: Pre-service teachers can teach CS by getting initial certification from a university/college or other institution (Required BA or BS, Passing test, or others). Add-on Licensure: Through a test (e.g., Praxis, Pearson, or state test), PD, or other requirements, Preservice or in-service teachers who already have certification/licensure can teach CS by adding CS licensure. Authorization: Legally allowed to teach CS, the educator does not need to prove CS knowledge. Another subject teacher and subject matter expert (not certified teacher) can be authorized. We found 19 states have an initial licensure pathway, 44 have add-on licensure, 22 have an authorization pathway, and 3 states did not have any computer science credential policy. There were also different levels of complexity in each category, making it much easier to receive a credential in some states than others. This study gathered nationwide data on all the pathways to teach CS. It highlights the discrepancies in terminology, making cohesion, and gathering information difficult for teachers wishing to teach computer science. Several states are doing exemplary creating policies for in-service teachers to easily access CS teaching qualifications. These types of add-on or authorization policies can serve as examples for states who do not have initial certification programs yet want to provide computer science education to students.

This review paper point out the role of management information Systems in businesses firms competitive advantage from business perspective. Currently, information systems and technologies are a imperative components of successful and competitive businesses. Information technologies consists of Internet-based information systems are playing a vital and expanding role in enhancing firms economic growth.The experience of organizations' managers needs to be provided with the necessary information to reduce risks and make the most appropriate decisions. Thus, firms turn to information systems for the provision of information as firms asset which supplements decision making and performance of business.For the last three decades, different types of information systems are emerged for different intention, depending on the need of the business firms. In today’s very competitive business world, there are various information systems are emerged such as transaction processing systems (TPS), office automation systems (OAS), managerial information systems (MIS), decision support systems (DSS), and executive information systems (EIS), Expert System (ES) and others that supports decision making at different levels of management. In addition to this, there are several functional business systems which enables functional areas managers to make right decision and support business operation in functional areas of business (marketing, manufacturing and production, human resource, accounting) and cross functional business information livelihood information-processing and decision-making needs of several departments such as Supply chain management systems (SCM), customer relationship management systems (CRM), enterprise resource planning systems (ERP). Each information systems, functional and cross functional systems plays a different role in organizational hierarchy and management operations. To purpose of this review, reviewer collected different information related with marketing/management information system that supports business decision making and enhances firms competitiveness. This review paper study endeavors to explain the role information systems in business organizations competitiveness. Keywords: Business Organ0i0 zation, Competitiveness, Strategic advantage, Information Systems. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/72-01 Publication date: October 31 st 2020