Integrating the needs of industry and critical cross-field outcomes at a technikon: an example from information technology

Abstract

Cross-curriculum outcomes need to be integrated into all programmes in Higher Education. If one looks at the skills defined as cross-curriculum outcomes, there is no doubt that these would be useful to graduates in life as well as in their future careers. There also can be little doubt that Information Technology Developers need to have good communication skills and good interpersonal skills. These skills have been highlighted in Curriculum '97 and the Informatics Curriculum Framework 2000 as being important for Information Technology graduates. The problem is how tertiary institutions can be expected to develop these skills in their learners. This article describes how one can use the needs of industry as a starting point for incorporating critical cross-curriculum skills into a Technikon Information Technology course.


(South African Journal of Higher Education: 2003 17 (1): 175-184)