No Cover Image

Conference Paper/Proceeding/Abstract 69 views 36 downloads

The Institute of Coding Accreditation Standard: Exploring the Use of a Professional Skills Framework to Address the UK Skills Gap

David S. Bowers Orcid Logo, Alan Hayes Orcid Logo, Tom Prickett Orcid Logo, Tom Crick Orcid Logo, Kevin Streater Orcid Logo, Chris Sharp Orcid Logo

UKICER '23: Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on United Kingdom & Ireland Computing Education Research, Pages: 1 - 7

Swansea University Author: Tom Crick Orcid Logo

  • 69823.VOR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2023 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

    Download (463.5KB)

DOI (Published version): 10.1145/3610969.3611121

Abstract

Computing comprises a broad spectrum of subjects and specialisms, with a rich variety of undergraduate courses (including Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Information Technology and Software Engineering) offered by universities worldwide. This breadth prese...

Full description

Published in: UKICER '23: Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on United Kingdom & Ireland Computing Education Research
ISBN: 9798400708763
Published: New York, NY, United States Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 2023
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69823
Abstract: Computing comprises a broad spectrum of subjects and specialisms, with a rich variety of undergraduate courses (including Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Information Technology and Software Engineering) offered by universities worldwide. This breadth presents challenges for employers considering employing computing graduates and hence desiring to know both the topics studied and the skills/competencies accumulated by graduates to be able to make appropriate job offers. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) may not have the resources to provide graduate training programmes, and therefore need ‘work-ready’ graduates. This paper explores and evaluates the feasibility of benchmarking students’ achievements against an industry-led skills framework, Skills for the Information Age (SFIA), to distinguish between what graduates know, have done or are competent in. The approach taken was evolutionary prototyping, informed by expert review. The work generated an accreditation standard that could be implemented or used as a model to enhance an existing accreditation standard. In contrast to academic approaches to competency-based education, or abstract notions of generic skills, this work focused on defining an output standard expressed in terms of employer needs and expectations captured in the SFIA skills framework. We show how a course meeting the proposed standard would satisfy the UK benchmarks for an undergraduate computing degree. By badging SFIA knowledge and competencies, such a course would enhance its learning outcomes, offering clarity for employers and career benefits to students.
Keywords: IT competencies, accreditation standard, skills frameworks, SFIA
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Funders: The Institute of Coding received funding from the UK Department for Education, via the Office for Students (OfS), with additional support from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
Start Page: 1
End Page: 7

Similar Items