A framework for competency based curriculum design for IT courses

Abstract

In recent years, universities are constantly facing assaults by certificate and training institutes on their capability to produce high quality graduates who can meet and adapt to the needs of industry. A good curriculum - the structure of the courses, the syllabus and the assessment - is an essential requirement for ensuring the quality of any academic program. The challenge is thus, to identify the core competencies that a student is required to achieve after completion of the course, and the subsequent designing of the syllabi to acquire these competencies. In the competency based model, a proscribed competency should be the instructional goal - and the curriculum presentation and evaluation strategies need to be targeted towards acquiring this specific goal. This differs from the traditional methodology which focuses on imparting a generalized knowledge base that might prove useful in the future. The issue that needs to be addressed is thus, the design of a curriculum that is flexible, yet targeted towards the learner acquiring the necessary "knowledge base" for sustainable employment. This kind of a framework results in multiple entry and exit points into the system and can be flexible enough to accommodate inter-disciplinary students.