Practical Solution to Assuring Student Preparedness for Advanced Information Science Courses

Susan CarboneHartwick CollegeOneonta, New York

Introduction

• Students are often compelled to enroll in advanced Information Science classes prior to having had the opportunity to fulfill the prerequisites.

• Proposed solution addresses this issue and offers a method which will enable these students to acquire the needed skills prior to beginning the advanced coursework.

Information Science Major

• Core Requirements– Introduction to Programming (Java)– Visual Basic .Net Programming– Advanced Programming Techniques

(Java)– Database Management

Possible Solutions

• Require the student to wait out the cycle and take the courses in the proper order

• Allow the student to take the prerequisite as an independent or directed study while simultaneously taking the advanced course

• Allow the student to take the advanced course without the basics hoping they will be able to make the adjustment

• Have the student wait, take the prerequisite when next offered and then allow them to take the advanced course as an independent or directed study

Fall 2006

• Advanced Web Development Prerequisites– Visual Basic .Net Programming– Database Management– Systems Analysis and Design

Practical Solution – mini course

Student Missing Prerequisites

Summer Study

Database VB.Net Database VB.Net

James mini

Joe mini mini

Lauren mini online

Monica mini

Rachel mini

Implementation – Spring 2006

• Designed mini courses to cover the first four weeks of material

• Set up online Blackboard site for each course

• Met with each student– Installed software– Enrolled students on Blackboard– Syllabus– Textbooks

Visual Basic .Net

• Introduction to VB.Net programming• Developing a VB.Net Application• Using Forms and Controls• Writing VB.Net Code• Conditional Structure• Repetition Structure

Database Management

• Database vocabulary, concepts and design tools

• Normalizing the database table structures

• Implementing the database design

Results

Student Completed Summer mini courses

Database VB.Net

James

Joe

Lauren

Monica

Rachel

Conclusion

• Mini courses– Summer for Fall semester– January for Spring semester

• Proactive approach• Student success