Contemporary Usage of CASE Tools in U. S. Colleges and Universities

• Published in: Journal of information systems education 2005-12, Vol.16 (4), p.429
• Main Authors: Chinn, Susan J, Lloyd, Scott J, Kyper, Eric
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Automation; College professors; Colleges & universities; Computer aided software engineering; Computer science; Core curriculum; Course Content; Curricula; Design; Documentation; Information systems; Integrated approach; Learning curves; Management information systems; Population; Power; Response rates; Science education; Software engineering; Software quality; Student Projects; Students; Systems analysis; Systems design; Systems development; Teaching; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 1055-3096; 2574-3872

CASE tools have been incorporated into Information Systems curriculums for years. Curriculum guidelines in both disciplines call for the use of CASE tools. This paper describes the findings of a study of U.S. college and university information technology programs to determine in which classes CASE was taught, the extent to which the tools were being used, the degree of coverage of tools' functional aspects, and reasons why some academics were not using CASE. The results, which confirm continued CASE usage in academia in accordance with the guidelines, present implications for both the quality of the tools as perceived by academics, as well as their continued use. We note that, at present, there is no academic consensus on choice of a CASE tool, and that the drawing features of CASE tools seem to be used more heavily than other more complex and powerful capabilities. Based on the survey results we conclude that schools should reevaluate their teaching curricula and model curriculum guidelines to justify the importance of teaching and using CASE tools. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]