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Curricula for undergraduate computing programmes have been defined for many years. These programmes have been developed by overseas professional associations such
as ICCP, BCS, ACM and DPMA. Similar programmes have not been defined in Australia and consequently the overseas
programmes, particularly the ACM recommendations, have typically been adopted and recommended by the ACS in the
design of tertiary computing courses in Australia.
The report of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force [ACM 1991] contains recommendations for undergraduate
computing related programmes typically entitled Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Computer Science and
Engineering. What is noteworthy about this report is that the curriculum described was the first to be
endorsed by the ACM and the Computer Society of the IEEE. The report expands on the common requirements for nine
subject areas previously presented in a report entitled Computing as a Discipline [Denning et. al., 1989] with
the addition of subject matter encompassing Social, Ethical and Professional Issues.
Significantly, in 1995, the ACM and DPMA issued a joint curriculum recommendation for the Undergraduate IS
Curriculum [ACM 1995]. That report, called IS95, recognized that prior independent curricula issued
separately by the ACM and DPMA had tended to confuse both academic and practitioner communities. It begins by
identifying the desired attributes of IS programme graduates, and from these, develops a recommended
sequence of ten subjects in which IS programme majors are expected to achieve highest-level competencies. Two-
paragraph descriptions of each recommended subject are provided in the IS95 Report, which is to be available and
updated on the World Wide Web.
In Australia in November 1992, the ACS published a report entitled "The ACS Towards 2000." One of the terms of
reference emerging from the study was to:
"determine the common body of knowledge appropriate to
the overall discipline of Information Technology"
[ACS2000 p.2, 1992].
The same report defined Information Technology as:
"the development and application of computers and communications-based technologies for processing,
presenting and managing data and information".
This proposal recognises the difficulties in terminology in endeavouring to describe Information Technology caused
principally by its scope. The ACS as the recognised accrediting body for computing courses in its submission
to the 1992 Discipline Review of Computing Studies and Information Sciences Education [Rev. 1992, p. 9] views
information technology as the application of science spanning the application of electronics to the creation,
storage and dissemination of information and non-technical user involvement, that is, I.T. is a generic term spanning activity from engineering to business
systems and other applications1.
It is also recognised that in the relatively short period of development of I.T. related courses that a profusion of terms have been
used to describe them - business data processing, electronic data processing, computing, computer science,
computer systems, computer technology, information management, information systems, information science,
information technology, software engineering and so on.
Attachment 1 presents a representation of a model included in the ACS submission [Rev. 1992, p. 13]
representing three discipline groups or subject clusters used to classify I.T. courses. The three groups
identified are Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science and Information Systems. The model illustrates
the considerable overlap of subject matter as well as showing that none of the identified clusters are discrete
entities.
The general terms Body of Knowledge or Common Body of Knowledge as applied to the professions typically embrace
for example,
- The 'core' (a standard educational curriculum).
- A requirement to hold an approved tertiary qualification.
- Relevant experience.
- A Code of Ethics.
- Acceptance of personal liability (refer to the current NSW Professional Standards Bill, and also the Trade Practices Act regards liability).
- A commitment to continuing professional development.
- A licence or certificate to practise.
This report identifies the 'Core Body of Knowledge' in Information Technology which all I.T.
professionals practising in Information Systems, Computer Science and Computer Systems Engineering should be
expected to have.
It should be understood that the 'Core Body of Knowledge' is but one component of the set of components known as the Body of Knowledge. It is used as a guide to assist in the processes of assessing applications for membership of the Australian Computer Society, for tertiary course accreditation, for assessing applications for migration to Australia, for providing guidance for course design and implementation, and as a vital component with respect to pending legislation in professional standards.
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