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Background: Evolution and Implications of Global IS Education

This article outlines the historical evolution of the "Information Systems" (IS) discipline, primarily under the auspices of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and its collaborative efforts with IBM and the Association for Information Systems (AIS). It examines their joint research on the orientation of IS departments and curriculum design, specifically focusing on the "Curricula Recommendations," including the IS1982, IS2002, MSIS2006, IS2010, and IS2020 frameworks. Furthermore, it analyzes the underlying causes of these evolutionary shifts, discusses their implications for Information Management education in Taiwan, introduces the English nomenclature of the IS discipline, and provides ongoing services for IS education.

Founded in 1947, the ACM is a global professional organization for computing practitioners, headquartered in the United States, and is the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Established in 1994, the AIS is the premier international academic and professional organization dedicated to the field of Information Systems.

Issue: The Orientation of Information Systems and IS Education

How does Information Systems differ from other "Information-related" disciplines, such as Computer Engineering or Computer Science?

Seeking Answers to the Differences Between IS and CS Through a Song "Making a plane"

The orientation of Information Systems can be summarized by addressing three core dimensions:

1. **Academic (Learning)**: What are the distinctions and integrations in educational objectives and curriculum design between Information Systems, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science?
2. **Practical (Application)**: What is the future job market for IS graduates? What are their core competencies for employment?
3. **Institutional (Characteristics)**: What are the unique developmental characteristics of individual universities?

The College Entrance Examination Center's introduction and recommendations on "Information Management: Integration and Distinction"

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The Evolution of Global IS Education and Taiwanese Characteristics

The first Management Information Systems (MIS) program was established in 1968 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As the application of these systems expanded beyond mere "Management," the more comprehensive term "Information Systems" (IS) became widely adopted. Initially, these programs were often housed within Business Schools or as a track under the "Decision Sciences" (DS) department. Over time, they gradually evolved into independent departments, which is why older departments are frequently named "Information Systems and Decision Sciences" (IS&DS). The IS discipline was long affiliated with the DS society until the independent AIS was formed in 1994. Concurrently, IS mutually influenced Industrial Engineering (IE) and Management Science, leading to the transformation of IE into Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE). In recent years, numerous new programs have emerged with highly diversified names (refer to the inset "English Names of Information Management Departments" in this article).

When IS first emerged as an independent research field, its pioneers primarily focused on behavioral research, particularly the **"Adoption of Information Systems."** To this day, papers in the premier US IS journal, *MIS Quarterly* (MISQ), continue to revolve around this central theme. Over the past decade, the journal's "Paper of the Year" awards have consistently been related to behavioral research on adoption (involving keywords such as Adoption, Implementation, Innovation, Cognitive-Affective). *(See: http://www.misq.org/archivist/home.html)*

For the past 50 years, Taiwan's educational policy has heavily emphasized cultivating talent in science and engineering. Consequently, the majority of professionals originate from Computer Engineering (CE) or Computer Science (CS) backgrounds. In many Taiwanese universities, the Information Management department functions essentially as a secondary CE or CS department. Furthermore, the number of faculty members participating in international CE/CS societies far exceeds those involved in international IS societies.

Under these circumstances, a curriculum design with distinct "Taiwanese characteristics," quite different from international standards, has formed:

1. Information Management = CE/CS + The "Three Jies" (In Chinese, it indicates: Economics, Accounting, Statistics).
2. The proportion of CE/CS courses is disproportionately high. The course content tends to lean towards the back-end (algorithms) rather than the front-end (users). Even when courses share the same name as their international counterparts, the content design focuses on the bottom layer (tools) rather than the **top layer (applications) of IS.
3. Within the Information Management discipline, it is likely that many leaders who control national resources also endorse these Taiwanese characteristics.

ACM/IBM IS Curricula and Shih Hsin University's IS Education

The author of this article served as the founding chair of the Information Management Department at Shih Hsin University in 1992, initiating research and design for the IS curriculum.

In 1981, the AIS did not yet exist in the United States. IBM was the dominant force in the IT industry, and the original concept of MIS was essentially a commercial concept proposed by IBM (then called MoIS). IBM collaborated with numerous universities, heavily promoting this curriculum design within academia and industry. This design strongly reflected the early spirit of IS, which aimed at behavioral research. There is extensive international literature on IS curriculum design (refer to the selected bibliography on this site).

After 1982, leadership in IS education shifted towards the ACM. Subsequently, relevant literature almost exclusively originated from ACM's research. Through surveys and expert seminars, the ACM formulated undergraduate core curricula in 1982, 2002, and 2010, and established the MSIS graduate curricula in 2002 and 2006.

In 1982, aiming for a streamlined "core," the curriculum was set at 10 courses. However, achieving such brevity proved difficult, resulting in an actual structure of 10+4 courses. By 2002, reflecting the increasing diversification of IS, the framework expanded to 5 major knowledge areas + 10 courses + 1 prerequisite course. In 2010, it was condensed again to 7 core courses, supplemented by 8 sample elective courses. The term "sample" was used to encourage universities to develop unique elective courses beyond the suggested list.

The most prominent feature of the **ACM/AIS IS2020** curriculum design is its emphasis on the **"Competency Model."** This signifies a stronger focus on practical application, hands-on implementation, and effective execution in curriculum design.

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Outlines of the Common Syllabus in Information Systems