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ERIC Number: EJ1140897
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-May
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1545-679X
EISSN: N/A
Communicating the Value of Program-Level Accreditation for Information Systems in a College of Business
Babb, Jeffry S.; Abdullat, Amjad
Information Systems Education Journal, v12 n3 p39-58 May 2014
Undergraduate programs in Information Systems are challenged to offer a curriculum that is both rigorous and relevant. Specialized college-level accreditation, such as AACSB, and program-level accreditation, such as ABET, offer an opportunity to signal quality in academics while also remaining relevant to local stakeholders and constituents. Computing programs in schools with AACSB accreditation may face challenges in maintaining relevance to meet local stakeholder needs when a technically-oriented computing program exists alongside other less technically-inclined programs in business. The challenge is to balance the technical needs of the program with the mission-driven needs of the college of business. This paper makes the case that program-level accreditation can be used to complement college-level accreditation while carefully managing the needs of a technical program in business computing. This paper discusses the culture and characteristics of ABET and AACSB drawing from recent experiences in attaining initial accreditation from both ABET and AACSB. Data regarding each accreditation is examined to ruminate on why more Information Systems programs are not accredited, or seeking accreditation, now that it has been over 10 years since Information Systems programs have been accredited by ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission. Several threats, challenges, imperatives, and opportunities in seeking both accreditations are discussed. Particular attention is afforded to lessons learned from seeking and earning both accreditations simultaneously. This paper holds the position that the benefits of both accreditations outweigh the limitations. However, IS programs seeking ABET accreditation in light of AACSB accreditation must be prepared to communicate the value of program-level accreditation.
Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals. Box 488, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480. e-mail: publisher@isedj.org; Web site: http://isedj.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A