Red River College CAP and IST Programs Environmental Scan Key Findings

Transcription

1 Programs from across Canada were scanned to compare and contrast similarities, differences, and current trends and challenges. 1. Eighteen colleges and universities were scanned including a total number fifty one programs. The programs scanned by province were: British Columbia British Columbia Institute of Technology o Computer Systems Technology (Diploma) o Computing Systems Technology Information Systems (Degree) Douglas College o Computing Science and Information Systems (Certificate) o Computer Science and Information Systems General (Diploma) o Computer Science and Information Systems (Diploma with Double Specialty) Kwantlen o Computer Information Systems (Certificate) o Computer Information Systems (Diploma) o Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology Alberta Mount Royal College o Computer Science (Certificate) o Computer Information Systems (Diploma) o Bachelor of Applied Computer Information Systems and Business North Alberta Institute of Technology o Computer Network Administrator (Certificate) o Computer Systems Technology (Diploma) o Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology Southern Albert Institute of Technology o Database Administrator (Certificate) o Network Technician (Certificate) o Object Oriented Software Developer (Certificate) o Information Technology (Diploma) o Bachelor of Applied Technology information Systems Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology o Computer Technician (Certificate) o Business Information Systems (Diploma) o Computer Systems Technology (Diploma) Ontario Durham o Computer Programmer (Diploma) Page 1 of 8

2 o Computer Systems Technician (Diploma) o Computer Systems Technology (Advanced Diploma) o Computer Programmer/Analyst (Advanced Diploma) Niagara College o Computer Programmer (Diploma) o Computer Programmer Analyst (Diploma) Seneca o Computer Networking and Technical Support (CNS) (Diploma) o Computer Programmer (CPD) (Diploma) o Computer Programmer and Analysis (CPA) (Advanced Diploma) o Computer Systems Technology (CTY) (Advanced Diploma) o Business Administration Information Systems (BAI) (Advanced Diploma) o Software Development (Degree) o Informatics and Security Degree (IFS) (Applied Degree) East Coast New Brunswick College o Network Support (Certificate) o Computer Systems Technician: Web Support (Certificate) o Computer Systems Technician: Desktop Support (Certificate) o Computer Network Technology: Network Support Specialist (Diploma) o Computer Network Technology: Network/Web Support (Diploma) Nova Scotia College o Information Technology (Diploma) o Network Technology (Advanced Diploma) Manitoba Assiniboine o Computer Systems Technology (Diploma) Keewatin Community College o Computer Analyst/Programmer (Diploma) University College of the North o EBusiness Developer (Certificate) University of Winnipeg o Information Security Management Diploma o Internet Systems Specialist Diploma o Business Systems Analyst Diploma o Applied Computer Science University of Manitoba o Bachelor of Computer Science Brandon University o Computer Science (Degree) Page 2 of 8

3 Unique Features of Programs Scanned Streams/majors that were unique were: Human Computer Interface Forensics Distributed systems Wireless and Mobile Programming Eight programs offered Gaming programming in their curriculum - five programs offered a course in Gaming and 3 offered a Gamming major stream. These streams (listed above) or majors were offered in larger institutions that had a good student base and gave the students more choice. In the larger cities there are more opportunities for grads from these majors. In smaller colleges the student population could not support these majors. Red River College s CAP and IST programs were one of few in Canada that offered PowerBuilder courses. In Red River College s case two different PowerBuilder courses in CAP and the IST programming stream were offered. 2. Commonly Awarded Credentials Twelve programs offered Certificates, twenty two offered Diplomas, seven Applied Degrees and seven offered Advanced Diplomas as shown in the table below. Type of # of Programs Offering it Credential Certificate 12 Diploma 22 Advanced Diploma 7 Applied Degrees 7 Degrees 3 Granting certificates dealt with the competition from private schools offering 1 year certificates. Secondly un-employment sponsored students in the 1 year programs (number of programs sponsored not available). It also targeted mature students that wanted a new skill and 2 years was too much time. One issue that many institutions have with granting certificates was the level of knowledge of the grads was not always enough for industry employment. Many programs allowed students to seamlessly move into IT diploma programs and Applied Degrees to solve this problem. Forty of the fifty one programs Page 3 of 8

4 scanned allowed students to move to the next level with full credit for the courses taken. This includes certificate to diploma, diploma to advanced diploma and diploma to applied degree. Advanced diplomas and Applied Degrees gave the students another level of knowledge that made them more marketable. Some institutions found that two years was not enough time to teach the skills needed to succeed in industry so they offered Advanced Diplomas or Applied Degrees to fill the void. One of the concerns of programs that offered advanced diplomas and applied degrees was industry s perceived value. Industry perception was that the next valued step was a degree. Unless articulation agreements were place these programs found that Universities did not recognize Applied Degrees or grant reasonable credit towards a four year degree or a Masters level. Articulation agreements with high schools and universities was common (see table below). Area Articulation agreements with High Schools Articulation Agreements with Universities # of Programs Offering one year certificate programs will fill a void currently being served by private schools. Mature students re-entering the workforce will have another option. The one year programs could be a lead into the two year diplomas. Advanced diplomas as well as Applied Degrees in both the IST and CAP programs will provide students with more skills making them even more marketable to industry. 3. Partnerships Forty three of programs scanned have partnerships with Microsoft or other vendors allowing them to purchase software products at a reduced rate. Partnerships with IBM, Oracle and SUN are established with some programs. This provided access to hardware, software and learning resources at a reduced rate. Fourteen of the programs require students to use a laptop. Programs have partnered with companies like DELL, IBM and HP to provide students with laptops during their educational tenure. Page 4 of 8

5 4. Pre-requisite Skills Requirements All programs had prerequisites (see table below), the common prerequisite skills/requirements for programs scanned were: Grade 12 graduate Grade 12 Math (applied and pre-calculus) Grade 12 English Type # of programs out of 51 Pre-requisites 51 PLAR 50 Entrance Exam, tests or assignments 5 Competitive Selection 5 Remedial courses or upgrading 31 Fifty of the fifty one programs had Prior Learning Assessment for entrance requirements or granting of credits to a program. Five programs had an entrance exam, completion of assignments or tests requiring a certain percentage to gain entry in the program. Competitive selection was used by a five programs (based on a number of factors including GPA). Thirty one programs offered remedial courses or upgrading. 5. Experiential Learning Twenty six programs offered COOP for students regardless of the credential issued. The length of the COOP work term varied from 3 weeks to two terms of 6 months each. The most common length of a COOP work term was 4 month. The table below lists detailed information about the coop programs offered. Number of Programs offering COOP 26 Average length of COOP 4.6 months Number of programs with a required 14 COOP Average Cost of a 4 month COOP $ COOP listed on diploma 14 A practical project with industry was also popular (see table below). Number of programs with at least one project course Number of programs with more than one project course Page 5 of 8

6 In some cases the project was for non profit companies and others any companies that applied. The projects from start to finish varied from 1 term to a complete year. Most institutions found more value in real world industry projects that had firm deliverables rather than text book projects. 6. Delivery features Delivery Method # of Programs Offering Full time 49 Part time 16 Fast Track 11 Offered courses 7 distance towards credential The most common delivery of programs is full time (see table above for stats). Some programs offered courses during a normal 9-5 or 8-4 working day to accommodate students that may be single parents, have family commitments, work part time etc. This allows students who are parents to put the children in daycare during the day and free up their evenings for their families or other commitments. This allows students that need income to work part time during the evenings. Institutions offered their programs part time and were required to be completed over a maximum number of years. Courses are offered in the evening and via distance as well. This allows working students to keep their jobs while working on continuing or improving their education. There is a trend towards offering more part time programs to meet these requirements. Eight to twelve month intensive programs (fast track) were offered by several colleges and Universities. This provided a quick way for adults to become retrained. Some of the courses were offered via Continuing Education or contract training (some were government sponsored Unemployment retraining programs). The cost of these programs ran upwards to $15,000 for one year. Issues did arise from these programs including lack of students and the cost barrier. Many two year program graduates that work towards a degree do so part time (evenings and weekends). Most graduates preferred to work and complete the Degree (applied or regular) part time continuing with their careers. Red River College s CAP and IST programs are one of only a few that offer the complete first year via Distance Education. Most of these courses were Page 6 of 8

7 developed by full time CAP and IST instructors. A few of the courses have not been kept up to date with the day program courses. 7. Courses and Majors Common to Most Programs IT Programs offered majors: Major #of programs Programming Networking Web Development 7 45 Database 5 40 Security 5 25 Business Analyst 5 N/A Data Communications 2 29 Gaming programming 3 8 Offered at least one course in the topic The programs were usually 2 years or more with a standard/common first year, core courses and courses in each major in the following years. This offered the students more selection. There were a minimum number of students required for a stream to run. Most of the programs that did not have majors listed above had at least one introductory course in the area. The most popular streams/majors were Programming, Networking, and Web Development. Gaming was popular in larger Colleges and Universities (BC and Ontario). 8. Accreditation Ten of the eighteen colleges and universities scanned are CIPS (Canadian Information Processing Society) accredited. Red River College s CAP and IST programs are as well. Most of the programs that have a Networking component have a connection to CISCO. In some cases students write the certification exams (CCNA I and CCNA II for example) as part of their course work and in others students have the opportunity to go and write the exams. Microsoft and Novell (on a smaller scale) certifications appear in many one and two year programs, particularly the Microsoft MCSE certification. Some Page 7 of 8

8 programs teach the Microsoft and Novell curriculum and have students write the exams as part of the course work. The CAP and IST programs teach most of the content students need to write the Novell CNA exam (Certified Novell Administrator), and most of the content for the MCSE and CCNA I. Sun Certification in Java programming (differing levels) was part of the curriculum of a few one and two year programs. 9. Current and Forecasted Challenges Facing Programs The most significant current challenge facing IT programs in Canada is declining enrollment. IT is no longer looked upon as a glamorous career. The growth period of the Y2K period is long gone. For the first time in over 5 years there is a waiting list for the CAP and IST programs at Red River College. The September 2008 intakes are full. At this time it is not possible to see if this is a trend. Demand for graduates in Manitoba is increasing. There are cases where we do not have enough COOP students to match up with COOP jobs. EDS a large IT developer in Canada just announced they will be expanding in Winnipeg adding several hundred new IT jobs. Attracting females to the programs continues to be a long standing issue. Programs like Women in IT (WIT) continue to market to the schools to trying attract more females to the IT programs in Canada. Keeping instructors current with industry has also been an ongoing problem in a field where the only constant is change. Colleges and universities our encouraging staff to take courses (paid for by the college or university) to keep current. Offering faculty the option to return to industry for a year is another option that has become popular. Red River College currently has 4 instructors that are on return to industry leave. This allows them to see what is current in industry, catch up and bring the new skills back to the college. Hiring and retention of qualified faculty due to competitive job market is an ongoing problem. Most colleges and universities can not pay the industry going rate which is much higher. Faculty have left to return to industry due the much higher pay rates. To retain staff faculty have been given flexible timetables, free education and encouraged to do contract work in their field of expertise. This provides extra income and keeps faculty current with industry. Page 8 of 8