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Changes to degree programs in Information Systems are often attributed to quickly-evolving technology and the subsequent changing needs of the employers who hire IS graduates. In this paper, we explore other social and economic factors that were the inspiration for curriculum changes by assigning them to one of four eras in the IS timeline. Using enrollment figures and archival data, we identify both legitimate reasons and misconceptions that led to fluctuating programming requirements, the rise and fall of trendy courses, and the wholesale elimination of programs and faculty positions. We conclude the paper by using our findings to speculate what the future of IS education could look like and how degree programs should prepare for the next era of IS academia.

Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing recommendations to give librarians greater flexibility and to better respond to the information-seeking needs of users. These recommendations were based on statistics of desk usage, collected with the newly adapted online tool "Desk Tracker," and structured interviews with library administrators. The taskforce was interested in how these stakeholders use quantitative data in decision making.

This article examines the convergence of two popular school improvement policies: instructional coaching and data-driven decision making (DDDM). Drawing on a mixed methods study of a statewide reading coach program in Florida middle schools, the article examines how coaches support DDDM and how this support relates to student and teacher outcomes. Authors find that although the majority of coaches spent time helping teachers analyze student data to guide instruction, data support was one among many coach activities. Estimates from models indicate that data analysis support, nevertheless, has a significant association with both perceived improvements in teaching and higher student achievement. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure and 12 notes.)

Everyone on your campus needs information, and if your institution is like most schools, you have plenty of it to share. But which types of data warehousing and business intelligence systems you choose, and how accessible, usable, and meaningful those tools make all of that information, remain the big questions for many technologists and administrators. Fortunately, there are always those brave pioneers, willing to move forward into uncharted territory. Right now, say those watching DW and BI rollouts in higher ed, a handful of institutions have truly cutting-edge programs in place or in process. More often, though, colleges and universities are in the early stages of implementing such projects. Yet, the importance of making good choices for your academic analytics solution can hardly be overstated. With sophisticated financial and ERP systems in place at most schools, this is one of IT's next frontiers. The choices you make now will do much to enhance your competitive edge down the road, allowing you to accurately gauge the success of recruitment efforts, pinpoint sources of research dollars, meet compliance regulations, report to outside agencies on exactly where dollars are going, and much more. With that in mind, the author takes a look at three higher ed institutions whose administrators have made very different choices in approaches to today's data warehousing and business intelligence challenges.

The results of a study addressing the problems of the management information system of the State University System of Florida are discussed. It is suggested that a majority of the problems did not reside in software and hardware applications but in general management practices. Recommendations are also included. (SF)

The State University System of Florida's online registration system in a distributed environment utilizing an IBM 8100 is described. It is a modular system in which the user defines the operating environment for each registration period by selecting options from a comprehensive function list. (Author/MLW)

Examines the application of management information systems (MIS) to the educational setting. Attempts to identify differences between MIS and other information systems. Discusses the development of an MIS to fit the needs of community colleges. Cites applications of MIS in the Florida community college system and delineates problems. (DMM)

The deadline pressure states faced in submitting applications in the federal Race to the Top competition is now being felt at the local level, as school districts scurry to craft work plans that show how they will execute ambitious changes in education policy. Eleven states, plus the District of Columbia, have won a combined $4 billion this year through the program, which was intended to support changes in teacher evaluation, data systems, math and science education, and other areas. All of the winners secured varying degrees of commitment from local school systems and teachers' unions to help carry out their Race to the Top plans. Now the winners in the second round of the competition, which was part of the 2009 economic-stimulus package, have until Nov. 22 to submit "scope of work" plans from their school districts and other participating local education entities to the U.S. Department of Education. Completing that work is crucial: States are not allowed to give Race to the Top money to schools and districts until the plans outlining their goals, timelines, and budgets are approved, and if enough local entities fail to submit plans, the winning states' funding could, at least in theory, be jeopardized. The Education Department gave the round-two winners 90 days from the time the awards were announced, in August, to submit the local plans. For inspiration, the recent awardees can look to the two first-round winners, Delaware and Tennessee, both of which met their 90-day deadlines earlier this year.

In 2005, Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) met its Adequate Yearly Progress targets under No Child Left Behind for the third year in a row. All but one of the district's 61 schools was rated "academically acceptable" or better, and more than one quarter achieved a ranking of "recognized" or "exemplary." CCISD's excellent performance is credited to its laser-like focus on continuous improvement. A key component of this process has been the district's new curriculum and assessment management system from SchoolNet, which, among other things, lets teachers deliver online testing, view diagnostic data, and access relevant lessons. This article describes how CCISD encouraged their teachers to continuously author lessons. This article also describes Sunshine Connection, Florida's new online system designed to help teachers be more intentional and responsive about planning instruction.

As more community colleges focus on using data to improve educational outcomes, many administrators are considering business intelligence applications that promise a path toward more informed decisions. Getting there, leaders say, requires more than installing some out-of-the-box solution; it requires changing the culture and finding skilled educators capable of using data to inspire change. As President Obama attempts to shift the national conversation toward improved college graduation rates through his landmark American Graduation Initiative, data-driven decision-making is likely to play an increasingly central role in educational reforms. And that's where technologies such as business intelligence applications can help. "Creating a data-driven culture isn't about tools and processes. It's about people," says Patti Barney, vice president of information technology at Broward College in Florida. Barney says Broward's business intelligence system elicits data that provide constituents with a "single version of the truth." Administrators have gone to great lengths to educate and train staff to use the system, creating a culture of evidence focused on meeting institutional objectives.