RIIT 2013 - 2nd Annual Conference Research in Information Technology (RIIT)

RIIT 2013
IT Curriculum Areas
Human Computer Interaction
Human Computer Interaction includes such topics as building a simple graphical user interface, human-centered software evaluation and development, graphical user interface design and programming, and aspects of multimedia systems, collaboration, and communication. Emphasis in HCI is placed on understanding human behavior with interactive objects, knowing how to develop and evaluate interactive software using a human-centered approach, and general knowledge of HCI design issues with multiple types of interactive software.
Information Assurance and Security
Since IT systems are increasingly under attack, knowledge of Information Assurance and Security (IAS) is of paramount importance to the profession of IT, and IAS has therefore become an important element in most IT curricula. Topics in this area include courses and/or educaitonal material on operational issues, policies and procedures, attacks and defense mechanisms, risk analyses, recovery, and information security. Papers describing how to design IAS programs or how to infuse IAS topics throughout the curriculum are encouraged as well.
Information Management/Databases/Data Mining
Information derived from data is important to the management, productivity and differentiation of an organization. Data must be efficiently collected, organized, retrieved and managed to make it meaningful to the organization. It is the role of the IT professional to develop, deploy, manage and integrate data and information systems to support the organization. Papers in this area includes the collection, organization, modelling, transformation, presentation, safety and security of the data and information.
Information Technology Fundamentals
Papers in this area address teaching the introductory level of the IT curriculum. These courses provide an overview of the discipline of IT, describes how it relates to other computing disciplines, and begins to instill an IT mindset. The goal of these courses is to help students understand the diverse contexts in which IT is used and the challenges inherent in the diffusion of innovative technology.
Integrative Programming and Technologies
Organizations typically use many disparate technologies that need to communicate and work with each other. A key component to the discipline of Information Technology is the integration of applications and systems. This area examines the various types of programming languages and their appropriate use. It also addresses the use of scripting languages, architectures, application programming interfaces and programming practices to facilitate the management, integration and security of the systems that support an organization.
Math and Statistics for IT
Information Technology relies heavily on concepts from mathematics and statistics. While IT professionals are unlikely to work directly on mathematical or statistical concepts, they will need the ability to manipulate mathematical concepts and to generate and interpret statistical data in order to be successful in their careers. Papers in this area may describe the core concepts and learning outcomes that any graduate from an IT program should have obtained.
Networking
Virtually all IT applications involve networking. Many IT end up in positions that requires them to select, design, deploy, integrate, and administer network and communication infrastructures in an organization. Papers in this track include material on data communications, telecommunications, inter/intranetworking, and infrastructure security, as well as the application of networking to multimedia, information storage and distribution, and the World Wide Web.
Platform Technologies
IT professionals will encounter a variety of platforms in their careers. The role of the IT professional is to select, deploy, integrate and administer platforms or components to support the organization’s IT infrastructure. This knowledge area includes the fundamentals of hardware and software and how they integrate to form essential components of IT systems.
Programming Fundamentals
Programming is a foundational skill for all computing disciplines and develops skills and concepts that are essential to good programming practice and problem solving. Papers in this area may cover the teaching of fundamental programming concepts, event-driven programming, object- oriented programming, basic data structures, and algorithmic processes.
System Administration and Maintenance
Virtually all organizations have IT needs. It is the role of the IT professional to design, select, apply, deploy and manage computing systems to support the organization. This knowledge area consists of those skills and concepts that are essential to the administration of operating systems, networks, software, file systems, file servers, web systems, database systems, and system documentation, policies, and procedures. This also includes education and support of the users of these systems.
Social and Professional Issues/Ethics
In addition to technical skills, an IT professional must understand the social and professional context of information technology and computing, and adhere to ethical codes of conduct. This knowledge area covers the historical, social, professional, ethical and legal aspects of computing. It identifies how teamwork is integrated throughout IT and how IT supports an organization. It also stresses professional oral and written communication skills.
System Integration and Maintenance
One of the roles of the IT professional is to design and build systems and integrate them into an organization. This area develops the skills to gather requirements, then source, evaluate and integrate components into a single system, and finally validate the system. It also covers the fundamentals of project management and the interplay between IT applications and organizational processes.
Web Systems and Technologies
IT applications are increasingly web- based, incorporate a variety of media types, and involve multiple users. Diverse multi-cultural and multi-lingual user communities have emerged because of the Web. Papers submitted in this track cover the design, implementation and testing of web-based applications and social software, and the incorporation of a variety of digital media into these applications, as well as social, ethical and security issues arising from the Web and social software.