A Bachelor of Science

In Information Technology:

An Interdisciplinary Approach

David L. Spooner

Faculty of Information Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York 12180
+1 (518) 276-6890

spoonerd@cs.rpi.edu

ABSTRACT

Rensselaer has launched a new Bachelor of Science degree program in Information Technology [4,6]. This degree is an alternative to the more traditional computer science or computer systems degrees that Rensselaer continues to offer. It focuses on the application of computing and communications technologies in a student-chosen application area called a second discipline. The expectation is that a company doing business in the second discipline or closely related area will employ a student completing this degree.

This paper describes the motivation behind the new degree program and its interdisciplinary approach. It also presents the organization of the curriculum and its requirements. Experience with the first year of the degree program is also summarized.

Keywords

Information technology, curriculum, second discipline, interdisciplinary.

1. INTRODUCTION

Information Technology (IT) is a term that is often used to denote the computer and communications industries and the application of computing and communications technologies in business, industry, government and entertainment. A number of colleges and universities are in various stages of introducing degree programs in IT to address a perceived shortage of IT workers [3]. Often these programs combine computing, networking and management courses to prepare students for the application of technology within diverse types of organizations.

In the Fall semester of 1998, Rensselaer launched a new Bachelor of Science degree program in Information Technology (BS in IT). Like other IT degree programs, it includes a variety of courses focusing on computing, communications and management. Unlike other IT programs, it strongly emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of IT. This is done through:

the incorporation of a student-selected second discipline, and

the design of a set of IT core courses that address the broader issues of IT in addition to presenting the technology itself.

A second discipline is best viewed as an application area for IT. It is a concentration of thirty-two credits that develops a field of study in significantly more detail than a typical minor. The goal is for a student to become an expert in the second discipline area as well as in the application of IT to that area. To date, thirty-three second disciplines are defined for the BS in IT degree program, some from each of the five academic schools at Rensselaer. Examples of second disciplines are presented below.

The IT core set of courses includes not only computer hardware and software courses, but humanities and social science courses that encourage the IT student to think critically about the relationships and impacts between IT and society, government and business. These courses also actively engage the student in developing strong communications skills. Additional courses in the core focus on system modeling, intelligent systems, information analysis, human computer interface issues, management of IT resources, and project management. The motivation for this interdisciplinary set of IT core courses is discussed in detail below.

The next section discusses the motivation for the new degree program and the goals for designing the curriculum. The next several sections present the curriculum in detail by presenting first the IT core courses and then the second discipline concept. The following section discusses experiences with the first year of the degree program. The final section presents other issues in designing and implementing the new degree program.

2. MOTIVATION AND GOALS

Rensselaer's BS in IT was designed by a committee of faculty with representatives from all of Rensselaer's five academic schools. The goal from the beginning was to develop an interdisciplinary degree program and to build on Rensselaer's strengths. These strengths include:

A long tradition of technological education. Since its founding in 1824, Rensselaer has focused on education of scientists and engineers. Today, the Schools of Engineering and Science are the two largest academic schools at Rensselaer.

Innovative learning environments. For many years Rensselaer has pioneered interactive learning and studio models of instruction throughout its curriculums [1]. This work has lead to a number of academic awards including the 1995 Theodore M. Hesburgh award for Faculty Development to Enhance Undergraduate Teaching, the 1996 Pew Leadership Award for the Renewal of Undergraduate Education, and the 1996 Boeing Outstanding Educator Award.

Focus on technological entrepreneurship. Through its Incubator Center for small businesses and course offerings in product design and management of technology, Rensselaer encourages entrepreneurial activity across the campus.

Low walls between schools and departments. Rensselaer has a long history of interdisciplinary research centers and collaborative research and academic projects across campus.

A second goal in designing the BS in IT degree program was to develop a program that would be attractive to a different type of student than the traditional Rensselaer student who is very much focused on science and engineering. The BS in IT is intended more for students with an interest in technology but with passions in other areas to which the information technology can be applied. This was an important goal both for pedagogical reasons as well as the practical reason of not wanting the new degree program to draw significant numbers of students away from existing degree programs.

Early in the process of designing the BS in IT curriculum, a number of key executives from a variety of companies were consulted for their ideas on what a BS in IT degree should include. A common theme expressed by these key executives was the following. When their companies hire a computer science or computer systems major to fill an information technology job opening, the new hire knows a lot about technology but little or nothing about the business in which the company operates. Consequently, the company must spend significant time and money training new information technology hires so that they can function effectively within the company.

The advice from the key executives was to design the degree program to address this problem. The students in the BS in IT program should have significant training in technology, but not necessarily as much as a computer science or computer systems major. In addition to this training, the students should receive significant training in a separate discipline and should know how to exploit technology within that discipline.

This is the motivation for the second discipline concept that is fundamental to Rensselaer's BS in IT degree program. All students in the program must select a second discipline consisting of eight courses concentrated in an application area for IT. In general, a company doing business in the student's second discipline area will hire a student graduating from the BS in IT degree program. The student will become a technology expert for that company. Since the student understands both technology and the business that the company does, the student "hits the ground running" and can interact effectively with co-workers within the company and with customers of the company.

Note that it is not expected that an IT student will be hired into the same types of jobs as computer science and computer systems students. It is expected that computer science and computer systems students will continue to fill jobs involving the development of computer and communications technologies. The jobs that IT majors are expected to fill focus more on the application of computer and communication technologies in other disciplines. The key executives predicted large numbers of jobs of this type now and in the future, with significant shortages of people trained to fill them effectively.

3. THE BS IN IT CURRICULUM

The BS in IT curriculum requires 128 credits of work. It is best viewed as consisting of three components. The first is a set of distribution requirements consisting of Mathematics and Science requirements, Humanities and Social Science requirements, and free electives that are required of all Rensselaer BS degrees.

The second component of the curriculum is the IT core courses that all BS in IT majors are required to take. The goal of these courses is to educate students in the fundamental concepts of IT (e.g., computer software and hardware) as well as the impact of IT on society, government and business in general.

The third component of the curriculum is the student-chosen second discipline. As stated above, a second discipline is best viewed as an application area for the technology. It is a concentration that develops a field of study in enough detail for a student to become an expert in the second discipline area as well as the application of IT to that area.

These three components are discussed in more detail in the next three sections. In these discussions, note that most undergraduate courses at Rensselaer are four-credit courses.

4. DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Math and Science Requirements

Rensselaer requires all BS degree programs to have at least 24 credits of mathematics and science courses, with at least eight of those credits in mathematics. The BS in IT fulfills this requirement as follows:

Mathematics Calculus I Mathematics Elective

Science Algorithms & Programming Computer Organization Science Elective Science Elective

Some second disciplines suggest a specific mathematics course, usually Calculus II, for the Mathematics elective if this course is a prerequisite for courses in the second discipline. Other second disciplines do not. Similarly, some second disciplines suggest specific science courses for the Science Electives and others do not.

Many of the second disciplines include additional mathematics and/or science courses as appropriate for the second discipline. For example, many of the second disciplines from engineering include additional mathematics courses and many of the science and engineering second disciplines include more science courses.

The Algorithms & Programming course is an introductory programming course taught as a studio course [5]. Currently, the C++ programming language is used. The Computer Organization course combines basic hardware issues with an introduction to assembly language programming.

4.2 Humanity & Social Science Requirements

Rensselaer requires all BS degree programs to have at least 24 credits of Humanity and Social Science courses, with at least eight credits of each. The BS in IT fulfills this requirement as follows:

Humanity

The IT Revolution: Myth or Reality?

Humanity Elective

Social Science

Politics and Economics of IT

Social Science Elective

There are two humanity or social science electives to complete the 24-credit requirement.

The course The IT Revolution: Myth or Reality? was created specifically for the BS in IT program. This course investigates how technological innovation happens and how it affects the world. It also explores the history of IT, teaching students how to use the past to think about the future.

The course Politics and Economics of IT was also created specifically for the BS in IT program. This course investigates such questions as:

Will IT increase prosperity, and for whom?

What role should governments play in IT development?

Do corporations have new responsibilities in the Information Era?

Do IT professionals have similar new responsibilities?

4.3 Free Elective Requirements

Rensselaer requires all BS degree programs to have at least 12 credits of free elective courses. Selection of these courses is entirely at the student's discretion.

5. THE IT CORE

The IT core is a set of nine courses (36 credits) that provides the basic background that all IT majors need [2]. It includes additional technology courses (i.e., hardware and software), plus a variety of other courses that encourage the student to think about how technology is used and the benefits that it provides.

Specific courses in the IT core include:

Introduction to Data Structures and Applications - This is a second programming course that introduces students to important concepts in data structures and computer software design. Programming projects are motivated by studies of software systems such as web search engines.

Exploiting the Information World - This course explores programming languages and tools such as Java and Perl for exploiting the World Wide Web. It discusses client server architectures, building web servers, how the Internet and the World Wide Web work, and the basics of electronic commerce.

Computer Architecture, Networking and Operating Systems - This course introduces students to the fundamentals of computer systems and how they work. It also covers basic networking principles and the fundamentals of operating systems.

IT Technology Elective - A software engineering, database systems or information systems elective course.

Human Computer Interfaces - This course immerses students in the hands-on, project-based application of scientific knowledge about both humans and computers in order to better understand and engineer their interaction.

Creativity in Human and Artificial Agents - This course is a project-based, hands-on course in which students build intelligent agents, both of the software variety (softbots) and hardware variety (robots).

Managing IT Resources - This course introduces the fundamental concepts of management and applies them to IT. It looks at various business processes and how IT impacts, and is impacted by, those processes.

Probability and Statistics for IT - An overview of probability, statistics, and modeling from an IT perspective. It prepares students to deal with the information in an IT system.

IT Capstone Experience - This course acquaints students with all phases of an information technology development project from recognizing the need through project management and implementation. It is a hands-on project-oriented course.

Many of these classes as well as the courses listed in the previous section have a significant writing component to them to insure that students develop good writing skills. Many also involve extensive use of studio classes in which students work in small groups on interactive exercises that develop course concepts. As mentioned above, this is a pedagogical style developed at Rensselaer [1]. It encourages the students to develop their communications and leadership skills, which are also important goals of the BS in IT degree program.

As can be seen from the list of courses, the IT core focuses on a number of topics in addition to developing a student's understanding of the technology itself. In particular the IT core introduces students to the following concepts:

Overview of basic business processes

Principles of management, particularly as they relate to IT

Fundamental data analysis techniques

Building models of systems and analyzing systems

Project definition, design, and implementation

Project management processes

Operating principles for the Internet

Operating principles for the World Wide Web

Principles of electronic commerce

Agent-based and intelligent systems design

Issues of human computer interaction

Designing and building more usable systems

Information systems design and implementation

In addition, through extensive use of studio courses, small group studio exercises, and individual and group course projects, students develop important problem solving, communication, and leadership skills.

On the technology side, students learn computer hardware and software concepts equivalent to the sophomore or junior level of a typical computer science degree program. The students receive a series of three programming courses and two hardware courses. These courses also introduce more advanced concepts such as computer networks and operating systems. The students also elect a junior/senior level course in software engineering, database systems or information systems, and participate in a large implementation effort in the capstone course. Many second disciplines have an additional second discipline capstone course that provides additional practical system design and implementation experience.

It is at this point that the BS in IT varies most significantly from a typical computer science or computer systems degree program. Whereas a computer science or systems major continues with more advanced hardware and software courses, a student in the BS in IT instead focuses on a second discipline concentration to develop expertise in an application area. The second discipline concept is discussed next.

6. IT SECOND DISCIPLINE CONCEPT

As discussed above, a second discipline is best viewed as an application area for IT. It is a concentration of eight courses (32 credits) that develops a field of study in significant detail. The goal is for a student to become as expert in the second discipline area as well as the application of IT to that area.

To date, thirty-three second disciplines are defined for the BS in IT degree program, some from each of the five academic schools at Rensselaer. The complete list is as follows:

School of Architecture

Architecture

School of Engineering

Aeronautical Engineering (Aerodynamics)

Aeronautical Engineering (Flight Mechanics)

Civil Engineering

Communication and Networks

Computer Hardware

Decision Sciences

Industrial Engineering

Information Engineering

Mechanical Engineering (Controls)

Mechanical Engineering (Mechanics/Thermal)

Robotics and Manufacturing

School of Humanities and Social Science

Arts

Communications

Economics

Pre-Law / Management
Pre-Law / Psychology
Pre-Law/ Values and Public Policy

Arts
Communications

Economics

Pre-Law / Management
Pre-Law / Psychology
Pre-Law/ Values and Public Policy

Psychology

Science and Technology Studies: Information & Society

School of Management

Accounting

Entrepreneurship

Finance

Management Information Systems

Marketing

School of Science

Bioinformatics

Cheminformatics

Ecoinformatics

Medicine

Multimedia Data and Knowledge Management

Software Usability

Interdisciplinary

Electronic Commerce (Engineering, Management)

Simulation-Based Science & Engineering (Engineering, Science)

As examples of second disciplines, consider the Medicine, Management Information Systems, and Communication and Networks second disciplines. Figure 1 shows the requirements for each.

The Medicine second discipline prepares a student for entry to medical school. For those not interested in medical school, it prepares a student for a career in development and operation of medical information systems of all kinds. The student has the technical background to communicate effectively with physicians and lab technicians and to understand the requirements for systems to assist them.

The Management Information Systems second discipline prepares students for careers in analysis, design and implementation of information systems and for consulting with companies in these areas. Students understand the business and management functions that these systems must support as well as the practical implementation and operational issues of such systems.

The Communication and Networks second discipline prepares a student for a career in the telecommunications industry. On one level, this second discipline is different from the other two in that it is less of an application area for IT and more a part of IT itself. However, it is a focused subarea within IT and as such represents a valid second discipline.

Upon graduation, students are expected to find careers in their second discipline areas. Typically, a student will be hired by a company doing business in the second discipline area and will be a technology expert for that company. The student will understand both technology and the business that the company does. As a result, the student is able to interact well with the other employees of the company and with the company's customers. The student can serve as a liaison between the technical and non-technical staff of the company and the company's customers. Communications skills are important for this type of position and are stressed throughout the IT degree program.

Finally, since the student is likely to follow a career in the second discipline area, it makes sense for the faculty advisor of a student to come from the second discipline area. The Faculty of IT (see below) provides supplemental advisement to ensure that the student receives academic and career guidance in both technology and the second discipline.

7. FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES

The BS in IT was launched in the Fall 1998 semester with 54 students, mostly freshmen. During the first semester, the number of IT majors grew to about 75 with students transferring from other majors. During the second semester, it grew to 81. While many of these transfer students came from computer science and computer systems, significant numbers came from other disciplines across the campus. Additional students are in the process of transferring into IT now, so the total IT enrollment continues to grow. A few students have decided to transfer out of IT, but this number has been small. A similar freshmen class is expected in the Fall 1999 semester. Steady state in a few years is expected to be 150 students per year.

Selection of second disciplines by the students is summarized in Figure 2. Not all students have chosen a second discipline yet, so the numbers in Figure 2 do not sum to the total number of students in the degree program.

As can be seen in this figure, two of the second disciplines, Management Information Systems and Communication and Networks, are particularly popular. The well-established job markets in these two areas appear to be the reason. Enrollment in the other second disciplines is expected to grow as the BS in IT matures and successfully places students in internships, co-ops, and careers in the other second disciplines. Since the BS in IT and its second discipline concept is new, students appear cautious and prefer to opt for what is more familiar.

In general, the first year of the program went well. Students and faculty alike seem happy with the program and optimistic about its future. A minor problem to be fixed in future years is to smooth some of the transitions between courses. A more serious problem is the difficulty some students had with the selection of a second discipline. Special weekly seminars were run during the Fall semester in which the various second disciplines were discussed. Typically, the faculty member sponsoring a second discipline and an appropriate person from industry presented each seminar. Attendance was not always what it should have been and the seminars did not seem to help significant numbers of students in selecting a second discipline. This is an area that needs careful consideration in the years ahead, especially in light of the lopsided distribution of second discipline selections shown in Figure 2 for the first year of the program.

8. DISCUSSION

The interdisciplinary nature of the BS in IT degree program is fundamental to its design. The program would not be possible without the support of large segments of the Rensselaer campus community. The second discipline concept makes the Rensselaer BS in IT unique and depends critically on the interdisciplinary design of the curriculum.

To manage the degree program a Faculty of IT was created. This faculty draws its members from the five academic schools at Rensselaer. There are no exclusive appoints to the Faculty of IT. The Faculty of IT, therefore, sits above the Schools, ensuring the interdisciplinary nature of the degree program. Rensselaer chose not to put the BS in IT program into any single school and not to create a special school for it so that it would retain its interdisciplinary nature. The Faculty of IT current has 120 faculty members on it, about a third of the faculty at Rensselaer.

The BS in IT degree program is managed on a day to day basis by a Curriculum Committee composed of a chair and one faculty member from each academic school. The Faculty of IT elects the chair of the committee. Among other things, this committee refines and interprets the BS in IT degree requirements, ensures that the IT Core courses are taught, monitors student progress, and coordinates the second disciplines.

It was decided early that this committee is not in a position to evaluate and approve or reject new second disciplines as they are proposed. Since these second disciplines come from a broad range of disciplines, no single committee has the expertise to evaluate all such proposals. Instead, the committee verifies that a proposed second discipline meets the basic template in terms of requirements. It then monitors the second discipline from the point of view of how many students select it and placement of those students in internships, co-ops and careers. Second disciplines that are unsuccessful are revised or deleted. Any academic department on campus can propose a second discipline by obtaining departmental approval of its requirements and committing to offering the necessary courses.

Rensselaer has also formed an external Advisory Board that meets twice a year. This board is composed of a variety of industrial leaders and alumni who have expressed interest in the BS in IT program. This board offers advice on what industry is looking for in graduates from the BS in IT program and other issues that the Faculty of IT should be considering in evolving the program. To date, industrial response to the BS in IT from both the Advisory Board members and others has been highly positive. There is much interest in hiring the graduates of the program and providing internship and co-op opportunities.

These is also significant interest from industry in providing help in the form of case studies, project ideas, guest speakers, and teleconference interaction with appropriate technical staff for the IT courses. Many of the industrial contacts also appear sympathetic to the difficulty that some students are having selecting a second discipline and are exploring ways that they can help by providing career scenarios and opening communications with their employees.

Rensselaer's BS in IT program had a successful first year and interest in it is growing based on inquiries from interested students and industries. The interdisciplinary approach to designing and offering the degree program makes the degree unique. It will also be a key guiding principle as the degree program evolves in the years ahead.

9. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The BS in IT curriculum was developed by Jennifer Bowie, Selmer Bringsjord, Frances Bronet, Michael Danchak, Teresa Duffy, Gary Gabriele, Cheng Hsu, William Jennings, Deborah Johnson, John Kolb (convener), Brian Lonsway, Harry McLaughlin, Mark Mistur, David Musser and David Spooner.

Implementation of the BS in IT was lead by Gregory Hughes, Vice-Provost for Information Technology. New courses in the BS in IT degree program to date were developed by Selmer Bringsjord (Philosophy, Psychology, and Cognitive Science), Kim Fortun (Science and Technology Studies), Cheryl Geisler (Language, Literature and Communication), Dave Hollinger (Computer Science), Ronald Noel (Philosophy, Psychology, and Cognitive Science), David Spooner (Computer Science), Charles Stewart (Computer Science), and Thomas Triscari (Management). Jack Wilson, Acting Provost, also contributed to the development of the BS in IT program.

10. REFERENCES

[1] Arenson, K. Rensselaer Institute Tries Teaching Innovations. New York Times, October 8, 1996.

[2] Committee on Information Technology Literacy. Being Fluent with Information Technology. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1999.

[3] Freeman, P., and Aspray, W. The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States. Computing Research Association, Washington, D.C., 1999.

[4] McCollum, K. New Technology Degrees to Give Students at RPI a Leg Up in the Job Market. Chronicle of Higher Education, January 23, 1998.

[5] Spooner, D. Lessons Learned Teaching an Introductory Programming Course as a Studio Course. Submitted for publication, 1999.

[6] Wilson, J.M. Gearing Up for Information Technology. Syllabus, 11(10, June 1998), 26-28.