The importance of explicitly stating educational objectives in computer science curricula

Abstract

Designing an appropriate baccalaureate curriculum is a difficult and challenging process. The process becomes even harder in environments with severe resource limitation, as one is forced to make hard choices about which courses and topics to include in the curriculum. This paper describes the curriculum design efforts made in a small Computer Science Department at the Jamaica campus of the University of the West Indies. The effort started with a formulation of explicit program outcomes, which then guided the curriculum design. The paper also describes the reasons that led the department to embark on this curriculum design process and gives some of the benefits that the Department has seen as a result of its efforts.