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| Nick Vitaris and Patrick Goodwin, CSET students, installing new wireless video cameras on the network. |
CSET Internal Program Review Executive Summary
The Computer Systems Engineering Technology (CSET) Program prepares students for careers in the Information Technology (IT) department in businesses today. IT can be defined as the study, design, development, implementation, support, and management of computer-based infrastructures that support information systems. Information Technology (IT) is usually used to refer to the computer and network-connectivity hardware, operating systems software, and third-party software. Information Systems (IS) is a term used to define the systems (applications) that manage information, often developed internally within an organization. The employment field for CSET graduates is very good. IT currently has a large employment sector with 10 million currently employed in the field with a 90% growth expected by the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training over the next 6 years (through 2008). It also has a high rate of pay varying between $35,000 to $100,000+. As a result of the IT employment field, the CSET program has experienced a growth rate of over 100% for each of the last two years without any special marketing. With technology constantly advancing, it is necessary to review and update our curriculum on an ongoing basis. Over the last year, research has been conducted to categorize and prioritize skills needed by IT professionals today. They have been categorized into the following: · Fundamental professional skills including communications, math, and writing. · An understanding of basic business functions enabled by IT including the implementation and use of basic end user software in an office environment. · An understanding of the fundamentals of computer electronics. · Ability to perform support and maintenance of computer hardware. · Ability to design, implement and maintain local and wide area computer networks. · Ability to perform implementation and support of multiple industry standard computer operating systems in enterprise networking environments. · An understanding of basic programming structures and algorithms. · Ability to design and implement routing basics utilizing the TCP/IP protocol. · An understanding of the management of IT components and projects involving their implementation. · Experience in an IT business environment. The CSET Program provides two options for students: · Associate of Science and · Personal Computer (PC) Specialist Certificate (new). Graduates of the CSET Program are prepared to work in virtually any business or organization that utilizes computers and computer networks. This is accomplished by aligning our curriculum with industry standards developed to measure and promote the competency of IT professionals, which are administered and tested by industry organizations such as CompTIA, Microsoft, and Cisco. QCC’s CSET Program offers a well-rounded education, not just technical. We provide higher quality technical training because we provide basic theory and then very technical hands-on training in the current technologies. In addition to modifying our curriculum, it is also necessary to update the technology used within our program on a regular basis, which is a costly endeavor. The program is currently in need of: 1) Updated laboratory equipment and software. 2) A second laboratory classroom. 3) Laboratory Supervisors or Monitors in the laboratory classrooms to monitor use of equipment. Other recommendations are: 1) Develop marketing material to get the word out. 2) Develop additional articulation agreements with area high schools. 3) Develop transfer agreements to other 4-year schools. 4) Develop relationships to with local unemployment organizations. 5) Keep program up-to-date with current industry trends by regular curriculum review and updates when needed and communicate with the local community through an advisory board for input and feedback. 6) Deploy state-of-the-art technologies in our classrooms.