Digital Design School 2030 A Novel Framework to Teach Information Systems Students and Close the Innovation Skill Gap
The late Paul Gray was a pioneer in the research tradition of IS education and curriculum (Gorgone and Gray 1999). Recently, the joint ACM/AIS IS2020 Task force published a new "Competency Model" to improve and update the IS curriculum (Leidig and Anderson 2020). This dissertation contributes to this research tradition by introducing a novel model (artifact) to support a new type of digital school focused on digital skill development with an underlying cloud computing infrastructure. Moreover, the author's research is significant because it extends information systems & technology (IS&T) research into a new virtual dimension involving cloud computing which may significantly impact the way IS&T education is delivered in the future. The artifact is a Digital Operating Model fashioned using Design Science Research and informed by Modular Theory. The Digital Operating Model powers – Digital Design School 2030, a digital cloud platform to train IS students to become innovative knowledge workers who can write software programs, use digital tools to solve problems, automate data processing, and assist organizations to digitize operations. Data was collected from interviews with Expert Evaluators who reviewed the artifact. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze and interpret the data. The author employed both a DSR macro framework and micro innovation theory to justify why the novel artifact is useful for educators and IS&T scholars.
cloud computing, digital design thinking, modular curriculum, skill development, university industry collaboration, Educational Technology
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