Abstract:

Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) professionals are employed in nearly every domain to solve everyday practical problems. These solutions allow business processes and systems to work efficiently and effectively. As a result, computing professionals need to be very outcome oriented to be successful in their careers.

Within computing education, pragmatism is a teaching philosophy that can play a crucial part in curriculum design, content development, classroom teaching and research. Pragmatism as a teaching approach combines practical problem-based learning to solve real world problems with theory and research. It is an excellent option for preparing CS and IT students for the current demands of industry [1][2]. This approach to teaching requires practical integration of theory, research, ideas, and actions to facilitate engaging and domain specific environments and experiences for students [2].

In this paper, we map our journey of the development and implementation of a postgraduate IT program. The principles of pragmatism have guided the stages of curriculum design, curriculum development, program offering and continuous improvement. We share our experiences and reflect on our successes, challenges and learning during this 3-year journey. We conclude with a set of recommendations which can be adopted (or adapted) by academics, of any discipline, who aim to produce career-ready graduates with skills which have real-life practical value.

References:
[1] K. Klockner, P. Shields, M. Pillay and K. Ames, Pragmatism as a teaching philosophy in the safety sciences: A higher education pedagogy perspective, Safety Science, Volume 138 ,2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2020.105095.
[2] C. Drew, The 4 Principles Of Pragmatism In Education, 2022, [online], Available at: https://helpfulprofessor.com/pragmatism-in-education/, accessed on 14 Jul 2022

Keywords:

Pragmatism, computer education, learning, teaching, curriculum.