Answer the questions on the text in your own words

5 
related courses could stagnate or fall. In the United Kingdom (UK) the 
numbers of students studying information systems dropped from 41,440 
students in 2004/05 to 35,765 students in 2005/06, creating significant 
problems for many information systems departments. While, at the 
same time, a more applied and professionally orientated computing and 
information systems education is required and demanded. 
2. As the figures illustrate, the rapid changes in recent years re-
quire constant evaluation and modification of education programs in 
order to make them attractive and suitable for students. Indeed, claims 
that Information Technology (IT) is no longer a source of strategic ad-
vantage, have generated a growing concern over the loss of technology-
orientated jobs. It will increase the emphasis on ‘business-orientated’ 
Information Technology jobs. 
3. Generally, it is expected that demand for subjects such as appli-
cation design and integration, enterprise architecture, information man-
agement, and business process management will increase. The demand 
for graduates capable of coordinating complex information and supply 
chain networks and project managers managing global IT projects is 
also expected to rise. Students may also need to understand how to 
manage project teams, especially geographically and ethnically diverse 
teams. On the other hand, innovations in information and software 
technology should also be considered as key elements of information 
systems. 
4. Universities are expected to provide a broad business and real 
world perspective, strong analytical and critical thinking skills, and in-
terpersonal communication and team skills as well as core knowledge 
of information systems. These skills should be combined with a solid 
methodological foundation in design and implementation of infor-
mation technology solutions that enhance organizational performance. 
Faculties in universities are increasingly under pressure and are ex-
pected to offer attractive and profitable study programs. Schools with 
traditional computing degree programs are developing variations in 

6 
many of their IT programs. Business schools are offering various types 
of management information systems courses and courses with a compu-
ting element. 
5. Although attempts have been made to develop frameworks for 
information systems and to provide references for curricula, study pro-
grams are diverse. Among faculty, there is often discussion about the 
direction of IS programs. Different programs aim to emphasize selected 
aspects of information systems. Discussions among information sys-
tems faculty about the core elements and subjects of information sys-
tems degrees emerge frequently. In some discussions it seems that the 
information systems curriculum should include many (if not all) related 
subjects ranging from business and information system strategy to 
management and marketing, organizational concepts, modeling and 
information systems architecture, programming, mathematics, statistics 
and operations research as well as computing, networking and Infor-
mation and Communication Technologies (ICT). In addition, the com-
plaints often reported on a regular basis from practitioners are that uni-
versity educators do not prepare their students adequately for the de-
mands of the real professional career-focused world. 
6. In summary, it seems that information systems graduates are 
expected to be the ‘all-in-one person solution suitable for every infor-
mation systems-related problem’. This seems to be symptomatic for the 
information systems field. Similarly, a clear identity of the information 
systems discipline is still absent. Consequently many universities strug-
gle with the proper direction and design of an information systems-
related curriculum. 

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