Evaluating the Outcomes of BS Information Technology

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Evaluating the Outcomes of BS Information Technology 1

Curriculum: Implications to Twenty-First Century 2

Information Technology Education and Development 3

4 Using survey research design to purposively sampled IT professors and program 5 graduates, the aim of the study was to evaluate the outcomes of Bachelor of Science 6 in Information Technology (BSIT) curriculum in the Philippines. The study also 7 provides concrete evidence of how much the specific program outcomes have been 8 achieved and to what extent they have been applied by the program graduates in 9 their present employment. The study reveals that although most of the identified 10 program outcomes have been achieved and performed excellently by the program 11 graduates, there are still specific program outcomes that need to be given much 12 emphasis as far as holistic IT education is concerned. Implications of the study 13 point to the specific role of higher education in preparing graduates for the 14 workplace. This is heightened by the ever-changing demands and expectations of 15 employers who are more after what their employees can do and less in what they 16 know in terms of learned theories and concepts. This brings to the realization of 17 some of the important steps that will help bridge the gap in the outcomes of the BSIT 18 curriculum. Thus, this will serve as a basis for developing the twenty-first century IT 19 professionals who will be responsible for sustainable IT development in the country. 20 21 Keywords: curriculum, development, education, information technology, outcomes, 22 twenty-first century 23

24 25

Introduction 26 27

In this modern era, information technology (IT), the study and use of systems for 28

storing, retrieving, and sending information (Frick, 2017) takes a greater role in a 29 nation’s responsibility towards its people. Much of what people use in the twenty-first 30

century is created with the help from IT. And to be able to become effective in the 31 twenty-first century, people must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical 32 thinking skills related to information and technology. The fundamental part of IT in 33

almost all sectors, be it in industrial, educational, management or any other conveys 34 its importance in the various walks of life. This makes the role of IT professionals 35 equally significant towards its development. 36

The field of IT has been growing at a very fast pace over the last few years. This 37

resulted to a serious challenge in the field of IT education especially when the 38

graduates of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) program with 39

required skills and competencies are becoming insufficient. 40 Higher education institutions (HEIs) serve as the vehicle to produce skilled IT 41

professionals to bridge the gap between the changing technology and industry needs. 42 Developing countries like the Philippines are slowly coming to grips with the rapidly 43 changing IT industry and need for IT education and development. 44

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Since the HEIs serve as the vehicle by which IT professionals are trained and 1

prepared to meet industry needs, it should therefore be able to produce people to meet 2 the demands of the changing world. 3

Employers argue that HEI graduates possess general computing knowledge, but 4 lack specific skills that industry requires. Not only in the case of developing countries 5

like the Philippines (Patacsil, & Tablatin, 2017; (Department of Labor and 6 Employment (DOLE, 2014 in Orbeta, Gonzales, & Cortes, 2016; Orillaza, 2014), but 7 there is indeed a worldwide issue on labor mismatch and overall skills gap among 8 employees (Görlich, Stepanok & Al-Hussami, 2013; ILO, 2013; Sitek, Claghorn, 9 Docalovich, Feinstein, Hansen, Larsen & Homer, 2012). Similarly, many graduates’ 10

expectations of employers differ from employers’ expectations of new graduates 11 (Wilkinson, 2016; Walker et al., 2012 in Nagarajan, & Edwards, 2015; Gibbs, Steel & 12 Kuiper, 2011; Hannemam & Gardner, 2010; Koc & Koncz, 2009; Weligamage, 13

Susima, & Sununta, 2003). On account of this, IT development might take too slow 14 specifically to developing nations. 15

Putting priorities on the quality and relevance of education is essential in 16

providing graduates the sufficient knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Especially 17 critical in the industry demand are the skills and knowledge in IT for nations to have 18

competitive industries and consequently, a prosperous nation. Higher education must 19 ensure that the outcomes of the IT education are translated to the development of 20 Information Communication and Technology (ICT) products and services that are 21

necessary for sustainable ICT development of the country. Such ICT products 22 include software applications and operating systems; web-based information and 23

applications such as for distance learning; telephones and other telecommunication 24 products; video equipment and multimedia products that may be distributed on 25

videotapes, CDs, DVDs, email, or the World Wide Web; office products such as 26 photocopiers and fax machines; calculators; and computer hardware. In addition, 27 electronic textbooks, instructional software, email, chat, and distance learning 28

programs which are all becoming highly significant in the twenty-first century. 29 The country is altogether caught in an information economy wherein IT 30

knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications for the workplace and industries are 31 of paramount importance. To ensure that the country sustains a pool of qualified IT 32 professionals, IT education and training must be constantly upgraded through 33

curricular calibrations. The calibrations must be attuned with the fast-paced 34 technology and know-how that is being required of the IT industry and the country as 35 a whole. Also, the calibrations must provide the ensuing gaps in the industry and 36 academe divide. The overall challenge in the industries is being more responsive, 37

innovative, and efficient in their operations. IT is said to enable these industry needs if 38 and only if there is steady flow of qualified IT professionals, and the HEIs must have a 39 determination to produce them. HEIs must see to it that they are able to train and 40 produce IT students who are holistically equipped and comfortable with the 41 information technologies that are totally linked to the twenty-first century skills the IT 42

industries and any other workplace require especially in this challenging time. 43 The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing every person to rely on twenty-first century 44

technologies such as the internet of things, social media, digital learning platforms, 45

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augmented and virtual reality, and so much more to transform economies. This 1

unprecedented context is driving people to become far more reliant and inventive on 2 how to use these emerging technologies to create value in the new normal. Thus, HEIs 3 are to prepare students for twenty-first century IT professionals. IT students need to 4 be, and IT educators need to help pave the way. 5

Generally, this study is aimed at evaluating the outcomes of Bachelor of Science 6 in Information Technology (BSIT) curriculum in a university in the Philippines. 7 Specifically, this paper: (i) determined the outcomes of BSIT curriculum; (ii) 8 evaluated the extent to which each outcome has been achieved and applied by the 9 BSIT graduates to their present occupation; and (iii) analysed the difference in the 10

performance level of BSIT graduates in their respective occupations. 11 12 13

Literature Review 14 15 Twenty-First Century IT Skills for Twenty-First Century IT Development 16

17 The twenty-first century skills are a set of abilities that students need to develop 18

in order to succeed in this information age. The Partnership for twenty-first Century 19 Skills (Larson, Lotta & Miller, 2011) lists three types: learning skills, literacy skills 20 and life skills. But the following are some of the significant twenty-first century skills 21

needed for twenty-first century IT development: 22 23

Digital Literacy 24 Digital literacy includes accessing information efficiently and effectively, 25

evaluating information critically and competently, using information accurately and 26 creatively (Charalambidis, 2014). According to the Organization for Economic Co-27 operation and Development (OECD, 2017), digital literacy is about managing 28

information from misinformation. Digital literacy is more than technological know-29 how: it includes a wide variety of ethical, social and reflective practices that are 30

embedded in work, learning, leisure and daily life. 31 The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2007) frames its 32

benchmarks for digital literacy around six standards: creativity and innovation; 33

communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, 34 problem solving and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations 35 and concepts. Educated IT workers in the twenty-first century need to be able to 36 understand and work with complex ideas and be able to critically evaluate 37

information. Other vital skills include the ability to discern relationships between 38 existing and new information, and between new contexts and goals, and to locate new 39 knowledge when needed (Gijsbers & van Schoonhoven, 2012; Redecker & Punie, 40 2013). 41 42

Inventive Thinking 43 The dimension of inventive thinking skills comprised of adaptability and 44

managing complexity, self-direction, curiosity, creativity, risk taking and higher order 45

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thinking and sound reasoning (Abdullah & Kamisah, 2010). This skill helps students 1

to easily adapt with complexities brought by global interconnectedness. 2 3 Creativity and Innovation 4

The creative person, according to a humanistic perspective, has the consciousness 5

and the abilities to address crisis in transformative ways (O’Hara, 2017) which lead to 6 innovation. Innovation is the most powerful tool for stimulating economic growth and 7 improving human standards of living in the long term (Nakano & Wechsler, 2018). 8 9 Teamwork 10

Information technology plays a key role in the ease with which individuals and 11 groups collaborate. Teamwork and interconnectedness are essential in both the 12 community and the workplace. These skills will help BSIT graduates to thrive in 13

collaborative working environments Among the critical qualities in a diverse twenty-14 first century world are the ability to foster interdisciplinary cooperation and the global 15 exchange of ideas to counter potential discrimination due to origin, gender or age 16

(Leis, 2010). 17 As teamwork has become an indispensable component of business processes in 18

almost every company and organization, IT education should help prepare the 19 students to gain the confidence to interact and collaborate using technology. 20 21

Learning to Learn 22 Learning to learn is the ability to persist in learning, to manage time and 23

information efficiently, both individually and in groups. This competence includes 24 awareness of one’s learning process and needs, identifying available opportunities, 25

and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully (Charalambidis, 26 2014). 27

These skills have always been important for students, though they are particularly 28

important for BSIT students and graduates especially in this information-based 29 economy. The rapid changes in the world require IT students to think deeply about 30

issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams, communicate clearly in many media, 31 learn ever-changing technologies, and deal with a flood of information. In addition to 32 personal and social skills, IT professionals need to be flexible, to take the initiative 33

and lead when necessary, and to produce something new and useful towards 34 sustainable IT development of the country. 35 36 37

Materials and Methods 38 39

This section presents the research design, population and sampling technique, 40 data gathering instrument and procedures, and statistical tools for data analysis. 41 42

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Research Design 1

2 This study was descriptive in nature and its aim was to evaluate the outcomes of 3

BSIT curriculum using survey methods. This type of research used questionnaires to 4 gather information from groups or subjects. 5

6 Population and Sampling Technique 7

8 The respondents for this study were IT education professionals or those who were 9

teaching under the bachelor’s degree program and purposively selected sample of 10

BSIT program graduates in a Public University in the Philippines. They were chosen 11 on the basis of a specified criterion being the products of the BSIT program in a given 12 time period. For the purpose of this study, the BSIT graduates of the Academic Year 13

2018-2019 were considered. They were considered for they were the first batch of 14 BSIT students who were the products of Outcomes- Based Teaching and Learning 15 (OBTL) BSIT curriculum in the Public University which started in 2015. The total 16

number of respondents depended on the response rate. There were 18 faculty 17 members and a total of 85 program graduates participated in the survey. 18

19 Instrumentation 20

21 The Outcomes of BSIT Curriculum Instrument was designed by the researchers. 22

This was developed after an extensive literature review. This was primarily based on 23

the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order 24 (CMO) number 25 series of 2015 regarding the Revised Policies, Standards and 25

Guidelines for BSIT program. This version has become the guide in formulating the 26 outcomes of BSIT program in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country. 27 The outcome referred to what is currently being taught through BSIT curriculum. 28

Specifically, this referred to the student learning outcomes which were the specific 29 observable or measurable results that were expected subsequent to a learning 30

experience. These outcomes involved knowledge (cognitive), skills (behavioural), or 31 attitudes (affective) that provided evidence that learning has occurred as a result of the 32 BSIT program. These outcomes were of two types: the Intended Learning Outcomes 33

(ILOs) and the Expected Learning Outcomes (ELOs). The ILOs were based on the 34 BSIT program goals that provided a broad description identifying the foundations, 35 concepts, theories, abstractions, principles, knowledge base, and/or skills, which were 36 the products of what students are to be able to do, know, and care about upon the 37

completion the program. It covered the recommended and required courses such as 38 the General Education courses and other required events/experiences (e.g., 39 internships, department symposium, advising session,). However, it did not include 40 other specific learning outcomes for major areas or field of specialization under the 41 degree program. The ELOs were the same with that of the intended students learning 42

outcomes. The questionnaire for ELOs helped validate the responses of the faculty 43 members regarding the ILOs and to what extent the graduates were able to achieve 44 those ILOs of the BSIT program. 45

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The study used two types of questionnaires: The first type was for the academic 1

staff (i.e., for determining the ILOs) and the other was for the program graduates (for 2 determining the ELOs). The ILO questionnaire was composed of 70 items which were 3 classified under eight major categories. There was one open-ended question asking the 4 faculty members for other student learning outcome that they know, which was not 5

reflected in the given set of outcomes and was being considered by the bachelor’s 6 degree program in Information Technology of the University. This was measured 7 using five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (5) to strongly agree (1). 8 While the ELO questionnaire with the same set of 70 items, additional one question 9 for an overall assessment and one open-ended question asking the BSIT graduates for 10

other student learning outcome, which was not reflected in the given set of outcomes 11 but was being required of them in their current job as a BSIT graduate of the 12 University. This was measured using a nominal scale no or yes to indicate if the 13

specific outcome was being practiced/applied by the BSIT graduates and if the answer 14 is yes, they were asked to indicate/evaluate the level of their performance depending 15 upon how well they achieved and applied each expected outcome to their present job. 16

The level of performance was measured using five-point rating scale ranging from 17 needs improvement (5) to excellent (1). The ELOs were the same with that of the 18

intended students learning outcomes. The questionnaire for ELOs helped validate the 19 responses of the faculty members regarding the ILOs and to what extent the graduates 20 were able to achieve those ILOs of the BSIT program. 21

Data gathering was done through emails and online survey to the subjects of the 22 study. The instruments undergone face validity where the survey questionnaires were 23

reviewed by two different parties. The first group was consisted of three IT education 24 specialists who were familiar with the learning outcomes of BSIT program. They 25

evaluated the statements and made sure that each statement successfully captured the 26 research topic and problem. The second review was done by a statistician who 27 ensured that the survey did not contain common errors such as confusing statements. 28

The validation process resulted to slight alteration in the contents of the survey 29 questionnaire. The researcher also run a pilot test of the online survey and reviewed 30

the internal consistency of statements by conducting the test of reliability with a test-31 retest to a group of 20 students who were not part of the study. The administration of 32 retest was two and a half weeks after the first test. Likewise, the Cronbach-Alpha 33

method was applied, and the result got a total test and retest scores (0.80 and 0.82) 34 with a reliability factor of ‘good’. 35

36 Confidentiality 37

38 Confidentiality was addressed by assigning a code number to respondents as they 39

complete the survey and using only that code to indicate survey responses. This code 40 was entered on each survey enabling the researcher to link the survey and the 41 respondent. This link allows the survey results to remain confidential without being 42

anonymous to the researcher. 43 44

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Tools for Data Analysis 1

2 The study employed descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and 3

means to provide descriptive analysis of the survey. To test the relationship among the 4 variables, the Spearman’s rho was used. Also, to test if there were significant 5

differences among outcomes as achieved and performed by the program graduates 6 based on their sex, the non-parametric method Mann-Whitney U Test was applied. 7 8 9

Results and Discussion 10 11 Profile of the BSIT Program Professors and Graduates 12 13

IT professors were described in terms of their age, highest educational 14 attainments as well as number of years in teaching. Whereas, the students were 15 characterized based on their age, sex, academic performance in terms of general 16

weighted average, year graduated and present occupation. 17 The age of the faculty members ranged between 20 and 50 years old which 18

constituted 94 per cent of the total number of respondents. A total of 18 respondents 19 participated in filling out the survey questionnaire. Forty-four per cent of the 20 professors have earned their master’s degrees, while 17 per cent of them have their 21

doctorate degrees. Most of them have been into teaching from five to 20 years in the 22 service. 23

On the other hand, there were 85 program graduates who participated in 24 answering the online survey, 84 per cent male and 16 per cent female. The majority 25

of these graduates were between 21 to 23 years of age. In terms of their college 26 academic performance, 80 per cent of the respondents’ grade point averages fall into 27 two. This means that most BSIT graduates have a good academic performance in their 28

degree program. This constituted their general weighted average for the entire degree 29 program. More than half of them graduated in 2019. Majority of them have an 30

occupation that is exactly aligned with their completed degree program. In particular, 31 60 per cent of them are either programmers or mobile, web, or system developers. 32 33

Outcomes of BSIT Curriculum 34 35

Majority of the IT professors strongly believed that the aim of BSIT program is to 36 produce graduates who are able to identify and solve computing problems by 37

discussing the best practices and standards, explaining the fundamental principles, 38 concepts, and evolution of computing systems and applying the knowledge of 39 computing, science and mathematics appropriate to IT discipline. This fundamental 40 knowledge helps enable the graduates to analyze problems in IT. Thus, it enables 41 them to design and develop IT solutions with emphasis on the use of modern tools. 42

Meanwhile, findings from the assessment of program graduates revealed the 43 achievement of the intended vis-à-vis expected student learning outcomes. This also 44 indicated the success of the BSIT program outcomes in developing their knowledge, 45

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attitude, skills and competencies to (i) identify and solve computing problems, (ii) 1

analyze problems in IT, (iii) design/develop IT solutions, (iv) use modern tools, (v) 2 demonstrate individual and team work, (vi) develop the skills and strategies in 3 communicating IT solutions/systems, information or argument to a range of audiences 4 for a range of purposes, (vii) practice computing professionalism and social 5

responsibility, and (viii) demonstrate interest in lifelong learning. 6 7

Performance of BSIT Graduates vis-a-vis the Achievement of Program Outcomes 8 9

The program graduates confirmed the application of all the indicated outcomes to 10

their respective occupations. Table 1 presents the top 25 expected student learning 11 outcomes of BSIT program, which were based on the order of overall weighted mean 12 from highest to lowest value. The data showed that most of the program outcomes 13

were excellently performed and practiced by the BSIT program graduates in their 14 present jobs. 15

Findings showed that most of the program outcomes applied in the actual 16

practices of the IT professions were directly related to designing and developing IT 17 solutions, using modern tools and somehow communicating proposed IT solutions 18

and systems to a range of audiences. This is particularly true given that majority of the 19 respondents were programmers. This affirms the importance of hard/technical skills 20 and soft skills as a customer-oriented communicative tool in their future employment 21

(Patacsil & Tablatin, 2017). 22 23

Table 1. Performance of BSIT Graduates vis-a-vis the Achievement of Program 24 Outcomes 25 Expected Student Learning Outcomes Mean

1. Be able to perform existing software evaluation in terms of usability through

evaluation of heuristics, performance and user preference metrics (i.e.

learnability, task timing, completion of tasks and client satisfaction).

1.68

2. Be able to design, implement and evaluate as to how computer-based systems,

as well as their components or sub-modules, meet client needs and requirements

given various constraints and business rules.

1.68

3. Be able to program, debug and test script codes with distinctive familiarity

with management of an operating system platform.

1.72

4. Be able to substantially discuss the issues in the utilization of information

technology in terms of professional, ethical, legal, security and societal concerns.

1.72

5. Be able to discuss the management of enterprise information systems in terms

of legal and ethical considerations.

1.76

6. Be able to provide evaluation and interpretation of performance results of IT

solutions according to set evaluation criteria.

1.76

7. Be able to design, develop and test software that uses an asynchronous

messaging service through the network.

1.78

8. Be able to develop applications via different platforms like the web, mobile

and emerging technologies with emphasis on the different software engineering

methodologies such as in defining requirements, designing interfaces, evaluating

1.78

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usability, software testing, and implementation in a manner that will be

harmonious with ethical and considerations.

9. Be able to effectively implement the proposed IT solution. 1.78

10. Be able to recommend enhancements in the IT solution which has

implementation concerns.

1.80

11. Be able to apply IT professional knowledge on current techniques, skills,

tools and practices.

1.80

12. Be able to utilize a structured coding, documentation and licensing standard

onto complex software project in which reliability, efficiency and robustness are

considered alongside legal and ethical concerns.

1.84

13. Be able to formulate objectives, scope, limitations and evaluation

mechanisms for an IT project.

1.84

14. Be able to analyse the impact of IT computing systems locally and globally

on individuals, organizations and society.

1.84

15. Be able to analyse the ethics and legal issues that may arise in information

technology filed and consequently determine the means to ethically and

technically address the issues.

1.84

16. Be able to explain rudimentary principles, concepts, and evolution of

computing concepts as to how they relate to other fields.

1.88

17. Be able to propose improvements in algorithms as may be needed on data

warehousing and data mining.

1.88

18. Be able to recommend the use of a more appropriate programming and/or

scripting language and, provide ample explanation in support of the

recommended language.

1.88

19. Be able to design, code, test and debug event-driven programs with

functionalities that correspond to user events.

1.90

20. Be able to design, test, debug and implement software that solve computing

problems using basic data structures and supporting standard libraries.

1.90

21. Be able to provide an ethical and feasible IT solution proposal to the

identified problems in the project.

2.00

22. Be able to effectively work as a member or leader of a software development

team and to be able to recognize the various roles of people within the team

towards the accomplishment of a common goal.

2.20

23. Be able to harmoniously and progressively work in a team that analyses,

designs, implements, tests, and/or documents a software system in an

organizational environment.

2.20

24. Be able to effectively communicate to the computing community and society

through writing, presentations and clear instructions as to how a complex

computing system works.

2.22

25. Be aware of and engage in planning, self-learning and performance

improvement as necessary for continuous professional development.

2.29

Range: 1.00-1.80-Excellent; 1.81-2.60-Very Satisfactory; 2.61-3.40-Satisfactory; 3.41-4.20-Fair; 1 4.21-5.00-Needs Improvement 2

3 However, outcomes related to identification and providing solution for 4

computing problems, analysis of problems in IT, practice of computing 5 professionalism and social responsibility, demonstration of individual and team work 6

as well as interest in lifelong learning indicated low achievement and performance 7

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among BSIT program graduates. Truly, soft skills are equally important as technical 1

skills especially for the company or industry that are involved in providing customer 2 services. Common soft skills related to jobs in the fields of business and computer 3 technology were communications, critical and decision-making, interpersonal, 4 negotiation, problem solving, self-confidence, self-management, teamwork, and worth 5

ethics (Bringula, Balcoba & Basa, 2016; Williams, 2015; Pritchard, 2013; Robles, 6 2012). Academic qualifications are essential, but the aptitudes and attitudes of 7 graduates are equally, if not more, important to employers. These include motivation, 8 an ability to think “outside the box” and an ability to work both as part of a team and 9 independently. Other frequently cited attributes include trainability, presentation 10

skills, positive attitudes, accountability, ambition, discipline, and civic skills. Several 11 studies have pointed out that the rise of service industries and the use of information 12 technology have made such softer skills more important in entry-level jobs (McQuaid, 13

2006 in UNESCO Bangkok. Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, 2012). 14 Therefore, IT graduates must be trained concerning this aspect for their future 15 employment requirement. Higher educational institutions must understand and 16

embrace twenty-first century skills within the context of rigorous labour market 17 standards. Higher education should focus on preparing students to solve complex 18

problems by reinforcing new ways of thinking and acquiring new kinds of knowledge. 19 In this regard, students should be able to evaluate knowledge critically and develop 20 the ability to reflect on what they are doing and why (Brew, 2010 in Nagarajan & 21

Edwards, 2015). This critical, inventive thinking, and digital literacy aside from 22 collaboration and communication abilities are some of the significant twenty-first 23

century skills that are required in their current and future workplace (Charalambidis, 24 2014) particularly in the field of IT. 25

Test of relationships (Table 2) among variables revealed a moderate positive 26 correlation between the respondents’ general average and their perceived level of 27 achievement and performance (rs(85)=0.34, p=0.09) as well as their age and 28

performance (rs(85)=0.35, p=0.08. Nevertheless, the result is not statistically 29 significant. This also indicates that the result is particularly true to the sample of 85 30

respondents and is not generalizable to other IT graduates in other State Universities 31 and Colleges (SUCs) in the country. 32

33

Table 2. Test of Association Among Variables 34 Correlations

Age GWA Sex

Spearman's rho ELO

Performance

Correlation

Coefficient 0.348 .345

0.198

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.089 0.091 0.342

n 85 85 85

35 Moreover, statistical test (Table 3) revealed no difference among the respondents’ 36

perceived achievement and performance of the expected student learning outcomes of 37 BSIT program (Mann-Whitney U= (85) = 37.5, p=0.33). This means that the 38 perceived achievement and actual performance is the same with all the respondents of 39

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the study regardless of whether they are male or female. Likewise, the result is not 1

statistically significant. 2 3

Table 3. Analysis of Difference in the Performance Level of BSIT Graduates 4

ELO Performance

Mann-Whitney U 37.500

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) 0.331

n 85

5 6 Conclusions 7

8

The study provides a discussion of the result of evaluation of BSIT curriculum in 9 one of the public universities in the country. It also provides concrete evidence of how 10

much the specific program outcomes have been achieved and to what extent they have 11 been applied by the program graduates in their present employment. Though, most of 12 the identified program outcomes have been achieved and performed favorably by the 13 program graduates, there are still specific program outcomes that need to be given 14

much emphasis as far as holistic IT education is concerned. 15 Implications of the study point to the specific role of higher education in 16

preparing graduates for the workplace. This is amplified by the ever-changing 17 demands and expectations of employers who are more after what their employees can 18 do and apply and less in what they know in terms of the various theories and concepts 19

as well as what the community demands of the IT-enabled learning with the advent of 20

the new normal affecting educational delivery. This brings to the realization of some 21 of the important steps that will help bridge the gap in the outcomes of BSIT 22 curriculum. Thus, this will serve as a basis for developing the twenty-first century IT 23

professionals. The BSIT curriculum should therefore provide holistic academic 24 experiences and activities by: 25

26 Enabling graduates to learn how to learn. The BSIT program may use 27 methodologies which could foster flexibility, especially with attitude in relation to 28

the work environment, self-autonomy, and learning. Simulated or real-life cases, 29 projects and work experiences are means to develop skills in self-learning. Role 30 playing, teamwork, problem-solving tasks during projects or assignments may 31 also be employed to enhance self-learning. 32

Using deep learning approaches that enhance development of oneself and 33 prepare the graduates for lifelong learning. Deep learning approaches help in self-34

development and prepare graduates for lifelong learning. 35 Aligning teaching with constructive learning. The alignment promotes deep 36

learning for students. The outcomes-based approach enhances alignment of 37 learning outcomes with teaching and assessment. In the approach, the focus in 38 learning shifts from the usual activities of an IT educator during teaching sessions 39

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to the learning activities which the students undertake to realize the intended 1

learning outcomes (Biggs, 2016). 2 Developing management skills. Graduates should not only develop software 3

development skills. They also need to develop management skills. Career 4 management and self-management skills are foremost among the needed 5

management skills. By using role playing, self-audit of resumes, problem-based 6 group work, peer review, work-integrated learning, reflection, and feedback 7 exercises, etc., these skills can be significantly developed (Bridgstock, 2009). 8

Developing social and cultural skills. Social and cultural skills are essential for 9 fitting into the global workplace. By encouraging student participation in work 10

placements, internships, involvement in student organizations and/or events, 11 networking and, career building activities, students will be able to develop more 12 their social and cultural skills. 13

Developing well-rounded graduates. Developing graduates holistically may be 14 realized by making them aware of their strengths and keeping their minds open to 15 work-pursuing opportunities. This can happen not only in the discipline-specific 16

sector but also in other sectors where they are likely to be employed. 17

18 The technology-driven world of IT poses a reality wherein HEIs have a marching 19

order to make their graduates match the evolving needs of the twenty-first century 20 industries. To be able to respond to the demand associated to twenty-first century IT 21

education and development, HEIs must adopt curricula that are comprehensive yet 22 flexible, and focus on learning outcomes that extend thinking and reasoning. Problem-23

solving, reflection, creativity, critical thinking, metacognition, risk-taking, 24 communication, collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship become key 25

competencies for twenty-first century life and work. 26 A dynamic twenty-first century BSIT curriculum should enrich these 27

competencies and skills so that graduates can adapt and take the lead in the changing 28

world. This even more engenders the role of IT education in preparing learners for 29 what the post-pandemic future IT professionals might hold- an IT-enabled learning. 30

By equipping them with the right knowledge, attitude, values, skills, and 31 competencies, the nation will have developed well-rounded IT professionals who will 32 be responsible for sustainable twenty-first century IT development. 33

34 35 References 36 37 Abdullah, M., & Osman, K. (2010). 21st Century Inventive Thinking Skills among Primary 38

Students in Malaysia and Brunei. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 9, 1646-39 1651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.380 40

Biggs, J. (2016). Constructive Alignment. Assessment@ Bond, 1, 25. 41 Bridgstock, R. (2009). The Graduate Attributes We’ve Overlooked: Enhancing Graduate 42

Employability through Career Management Skills. Higher Education Research & 43 Development, 28(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360802444347 44

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