Rethinking IT education

Abstract

The Information Technology discipline is defined as meeting the needs of users within organizational or societal context through the selection, creation, administration, integration, and application of computing technologies [1]. Successful IT professionals are those with strong hands-on, communication, and problem solving skills [2]. The need for skilled IT professionals continues to grow in many subareas such as mobile development, Cybersecurity, administration of cloud services, and others [5]. The information technology profession's demand for strong hands-on skills puts pressure on colleges to produce graduates with increased level of skills. However, the 3-5 years that students spend in college may not be enough to build the level of hands-on skills expected by employers.