A study of information systems and information technology education

Many of us interact with information systems on a daily basis without even realizing it. There are hundreds of information systems around us every day ensuring we get paid, providing us with internet access as well allowing us to purchase products on credit to name a few. The way these systems are set up, if they are working properly you do not even notice they are there. However if something goes wrong with the system, the repercussions can be large even if it is the slightest glitch. For this reason it is imperative that the system’s design is not only fault tolerant but allows for errors to be handled without taking down the rest of the system. In order to ensure these features are present, they must first be incorporated in the initial design of the solution. The developers which are most likely to build this kind of system are those whom have had to deal with the issues before, and have learned to become proactive to these kinds of issues. One way which people can obtain this experience without having the real world repercussions is through information technology training, such as is present in the Business Systems Management specialization. The purpose of this thesis paper will be to study the ways that Information Technology and Information Systems are taught in North America, specifically focusing on smaller institutions, and ways which these programs could be modified to provide experience comparable to that of working in the IT field.