New Industry Advisory Board provides strategy to help shape degree programs and outcomes

The College of Information Systems and Technology kicked off a successful orientation meeting for its new Industry Advisory Board on April 18, 2011.

The purpose of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) is to provide industry perspective and feedback on the relevance and content of the degree programs offered by the College. The Deans and faculty are interested in knowing if the degrees that are currently offered meet the needs of industry in terms of the skills college graduates bring to the workplace.

In the past, the College Faculty Council — made up of practitioner faculty who work in the industry — provided guidance on the College’s IT programs based on their firsthand experience in the industry.

Dr. Blair Smith, Dean of the College of Information Systems and Technology, says, “As it turns out, when we went through our most recent accreditation review, the feedback received indicated the Faculty Council is good, but advised that we establish an Industry Advisory Board that is independent of the University.”

The College agreed with the advisement and began identifying candidates for consideration. When recruiting candidates to serve on the IAB, the College was interested in those individuals willing to volunteer for the IAB whose qualifications included involvement in hiring IT graduates primarily at the bachelor’s level; a bachelor’s degree; and an understanding of the hiring manager perspective.

The newly formed board comprises 13 members representing several Fortune 500® corporations across the country as well as public and private learning institutions.

“We’re thrilled with this group,” says Smith. “They accepted willingly and seem eager to participate. Their diverse backgrounds will be quite helpful to us.”

Focus on quality and strategy

The Board members will serve for a minimum of one year, meeting several times via teleconference. Their level of involvement will include:

• Providing feedback related to program objectives, outcomes and content
• Attending periodic teleconferences
• Discussing program features, industry interests and recommendations, as well as student outcomes

“Roles may evolve over this first year and beyond,” says Smith. “But for now, everything is in the early stages as the board members develop an understanding of the University of Phoenix learning model, the real value of our programs and our focus on academic quality.”

Faculty can potentially benefit from the IAB’s input as well. If, for example, the Board wants to see research in a particular area — such as how learning is impacted by something like social media or mobile technologies — then faculty may have an opportunity to broaden their research by tackling those issues that can ultimately impact IT curriculum.

“Short term, the Board will assist us in making sure our bachelor’s degree program and concentrations meet accreditation requirements,” says Smith. “Long term, they’ll help us make strategic decisions related to all programs in the College, such as possibly developing new programs in the future at the bachelor’s degree level, or adding concentrations to the master’s degree.”

Kickoff to the year ahead

During the orientation meeting, the Deans and the IAB members who attended touched on several key areas:

• Educational objectives of the College
• Alignment of the College’s degree programs with potential career progression in the industry
• Skills that the industry is demanding of new IT hires
• Preliminary suggestions for curriculum improvement for future graduates based on board members’ experience in the marketplace

“The feedback, candor and questions they offered are so appreciated and will contribute to the quality of our program,” says Smith. “Ultimately, our common goal is to support those in the IT industry wanting to advance as well as those who want to enter the industry. We want to meet the needs of students to be successful in their careers.”