OBJECTIVE: To assess
the IT components of all undergraduate courses in 28 Massachusetts state
universities, colleges, and community colleges.
METHOD: This
assessment included the 28 Massachusetts state colleges; 4 University of
Massachusetts colleges, 9 state colleges, and 15 community colleges. Courses were identified based on the
course descriptions as listed in the current (2004-2005) course catalogs of
each school.
= Each course catalog was looked through carefully in order to establish which courses had IT components.
= For Community Colleges and State Colleges, all courses were included except continuing ed. For the four State Universities, only courses level 500 or below were included.
= IT components were identified as those that provided instruction and the domain specific utilization of IT.
= Engineering courses are not included in this database.
= A series of IT-related categories were established in order to effectively determine what type of computer component was present in each class.
= A
total of 9 categories were used to analyze the course offerings.
o
Computer Imaging
- visual imaging or graphic design.
o
Programming -
computer programming and software creation.
o
Electronic Communication - World Wide Web, Media, or presentation software, such as Microsoft
Power Point.
o
Computer-Aided Programs - unique programs used to perform specific actions, (for example SPSS
for statistical analysis).
o
Data Collection and Analysis - data interpretation or manipulation.
o
Computer Modeling - computer simulation and modeling.
o
Networking -
computer networking and the learning and manipulation of different operating
systems.
o
Applications Ð
specific computer program applications, word-processing, and spreadsheets.
o
Other - IT
components not fitting into any of the above categories.
= Each course was assessed based on the above criteria and it was noted which categories each course fit into. Some courses fit into multiple categories.
Courses were placed into their corresponding academic
department. For purpose of
analysis, academic departments were clustered as follows:
Art: Art,
Fine Arts, Graphic Arts, Textile Science, Visual Design, Art Education.
Business: Accounting,
Business, Business Administration, Business Information Systems, E-Commerce,
Finance, Management, Operations Management, Marketing, Hospitality and Tourism
Management, Management Science and Information Systems, Business Software
Systems, Office Management, Retail Management.
Education:
Education.
Health Science and Public Health: Communication Disorders, Exercise Science,
Nutrition, Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy, Health Info Management,
Pharmacological Studies, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nursing, and Health
Science.
Humanities:
Music, English, and Theater.
IT: Computer
Science, Office Technology, Computer Information Systems, Computer Assisted
Drafting, CAD, Computer Information Technology, Word Processing, Networking,
Computer Systems Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Web
Publishing, Computer Graphic Design, Energy Systems Technology, Construction
Technology, Environmental Technology, Information Technology.
Natural Resources and Environment: Environmental Science, Food Science,
Landscape Architecture, Regional Planning, Microbiology, Natural Resources Conservation, Plant/Soil Science, Resource Economics.
Natural Science and Mathematics: Astronomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biology,
Geoscience, Statistics, Math, and Physics
Social Science:
Communication, Anthropology, Economics, Journalism, Psychology, Sociology, and
Paralegal
Other:
Consumer Science, Interdisciplinary, Critical Studies, Commercial Design,
Telecommunication, Teleproduction, Radiograph, Alternative Study, Industrial
Electric, Library Science, and College Success.