Abstract:

The role of IT (information technology) is increasingly growing in current universities’ activities. Besides the matters of study process control, IT is used in decision-making at curriculum assessment or curriculum management. Formal methods implementation based upon IT is especially crucial for universities and countries that lack flexible management traditions in curricula (without state participation based upon employees and students feedback). Our paper is dealing with curriculum management information system for Petrozavodsk State University, a typical Russian university. IT was chosen as one of the most dynamic and perspective fields in a labor market. Curriculum upgrading in IT field, its approaching to new industry requirements is influencing university’s development level of as a whole.

One of the key moments for such information system development is formalization of the concept of competency. Competency-based approach is well-known in contemporary society, is being widely implemented in Russian state educational standards. Unfortunately there is no common system of competencies even for such perspective fields as IT.

The paper deals with analysis of information resources relating to IT-competencies as well as questions of competency ontology development. A general concept of information system as a multifunctional system for decision—makers (enrollees, students, employers, faculty’s administration) is developed. A method of data collection for information system is presented based upon employers’, lecturers’, graduates’, students’ surveys as well as data processing on students’ studies for the previous years. The architecture of information system is based upon Web-technologies with different interfaces for various groups of users. Information models for systems’ data representation are scrutinized. Mathematical approach to data analysis necessary to be implemented in the system is also outlined.

Keywords:

Curriculum management, undergraduate education, information technology, web information system, decision making.