187 APPENDIX C: Internal letters of consultation Includes letters from: Deans 1. Dean Lenton, Atkinson Faculty 2. Dean Axelrod, Faculty of Education (Please note: signed copy sent directly to FGS) 3. Dean Cercone, Faculty of Science and Engineering a. Updated letter (October 31, 2008) b MAIST response to FSE letters (September 5, 2008) c updated letter (August 20, 2008) d. letter of response to revised proposal (July 7, 2008) e. original letter (December 5, 2007) 4. Associate Dean Dimick, Schulich School of Business a. updated letter (August 14, 2008) b. MAIST response to Schulich letter (May 28, 2008) c. letter of response to revised proposal (May 5, 2008) d. original letter (January 16, 2008) 5. Dean Drummond, Faculty of Arts 6. Dean Skinner, Faculty of Health a. updated letter (June 16, 2008) b. original letter (July 17, 2008) Programs 7. Amir Asif and Richard Wildes, Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering a. updated letter from Richard Wildes (September 2, 2008) b. e-mail from Amir Asif re: updated letter (June 13, 2008) c. original letter (November 30, 2007) 8. John Parkinson, School of Administrative Studies, Atkinson Faculty 9. Mary Wiktorowicz, School of Health Policy and
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APPENDIX C: Internal letters of consultation
Includes letters from:
Deans1. Dean Lenton, Atkinson Faculty2. Dean Axelrod, Faculty of Education (Please note: signed copy sent directly
to FGS)3. Dean Cercone, Faculty of Science and Engineering
a. Updated letter (October 31, 2008) b MAIST response to FSE letters (September 5, 2008) c updated letter (August 20, 2008)d. letter of response to revised proposal (July 7, 2008)e. original letter (December 5, 2007)
4. Associate Dean Dimick, Schulich School of Business a. updated letter (August 14, 2008)b. MAIST response to Schulich letter (May 28, 2008)c. letter of response to revised proposal (May 5, 2008)d. original letter (January 16, 2008)
5. Dean Drummond, Faculty of Arts6. Dean Skinner, Faculty of Health
a. updated letter (June 16, 2008)b. original letter (July 17, 2008)
Programs7. Amir Asif and Richard Wildes, Computer Science, Faculty of Science and
Engineeringa. updated letter from Richard Wildes (September 2, 2008) b. e-mail from Amir Asif re: updated letter (June 13, 2008)
c. original letter (November 30, 2007)8. John Parkinson, School of Administrative Studies, Atkinson Faculty9. Mary Wiktorowicz, School of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of
Health10.Augustine Wong, Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science and
Engineering
Course Listing Approvals11.Barbara Crow, Communication and Culture, Faculty of Arts 12.Alison Griffith, Faculty of Education 13.Geoffrey Reaume, Critical Disability Studies, Faculty of Health 14. Joan Steigerwald, Humanities, Faculty of Arts
15. Student Letters
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Deans
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MemoTo: Douglas Peers, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies
From: Rhonda Lenton, Dean, Atkinson
Date: Friday, April 25, 2008
Subject: Revised Letter of Support - Proposal for a Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST), Atkinson
I fully support the proposal for the creation of a Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST) degree being brought forward by faculty in the Atkinson Faculty’s School of Information Technology (SIT). Following extensive consultation, the program has been revised to clarify its scope and intended student population. The result is a program in information systems and technology that explores this broad, multidisciplinary field by drawing on strengths within the SIT, complemented by the participation of other units across York.
The program is designed to appeal to two distinct groups: 1) working professionals who wish to advance in their field and acquire current theoretical and technical knowledge; 2) students progressing directly from undergraduate study in information technology and related areas, most of whom are not eligible for graduate programs in computer science. The program is offered on both a part-time and full-time basis in order to accommodate the needs of both groups. Pending OCGS approval, it is anticipated that the MAIST program will accept its first cohort of students for September 2009.
The proposed MAIST program is distinct in scope and focus from graduate programming in the areas of computer science and engineering and business administration. Inevitably, however, there is some overlap in research areas between these related disciplines. MAIST, for example, includes research areas such as information retrieval, web search, and data mining which are based on existing technologies developed by computer scientists. As such, they are research areas that may be shared by the disciplines of information technology and computer science. However, different academic disciplines can – and frequently do – examine the same substantive issues from unique foci. Computer science approaches these topics from a focus on the creation of new information technologies, while information systems and technology focuses on the application of these technologies in a variety of settings.
Offering separate programs in information technology, computer science, and business—often from three separate colleges or faculties—is increasingly the rule rather than the exception in North America. Some examples include: University of Toronto, Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, University of Maryland, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Washington all of which have an information technology or information sciences or information studies unit separate from both their business school and their computer science school/department.
The program in information systems and technology occupies a middle ground between programs in computer science and business: it is interested in both existing and evolving technologies; it enables students to develop advanced skills in the management and processing of information that may be applied to any field from business and industry, to the arts and humanities. It studies the use of computers, software, communication networks and related systems, and is concerned with what people
ATKINSON FACULTY OF LIBERAL AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
can achieve with them as owners, operators, and users. The MAIST curriculum focuses on advanced applied technology and its implementation in a variety of settings. To complement this focus, students may take courses from other units to better understand the application of technology in specific sectors.
The proposal has benefited from extensive commentary from Computer Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Schulich School of Business, and FGS APPC. The MAIST will draw together faculty and courses from across York University, including the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, the Faculty of Health, the Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Education, and the Faculty of Arts. While MAIST will have all of the resources it needs to launch successfully, an additional appointment will be sought in subsequent years to support program growth.
MemoTo: Doug Peers, Dean Faculty of Graduate Studies
From: Paul Axelrod, Dean, Faculty of Education
Date: May 5, 2008
Subject: Masters of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST)
This note is a letter of support for the proposed new Masters of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST). The program appears to fill an important academic
niche in the field of management of information systems. Professor Ron Owston, of the Faculty of Education, and Director of the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies, has agreed to be affiliated with the program, and the Graduate Program in Education is able to list several courses related to this area as electives for students enrolled in the MAIST program. (The courses are listed in the program proposal).
Please let me know if your office has any further inquiries.
cc: R. Campeanu, Associate Professor and Director, School of Information Technology R. Owston, Director, Institute for Research on Learning Technologies & Professor,
Faculty of EducationA. Griffith, Director, Graduate Program, Faculty of Education
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FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Office of the Dean
4700 Keele St.Toronto ONCanada M3J 1P3Tel 416 736-5667Fax 416 736-5609www.edu.yorku.ca
31 October 2008
Dean Douglas M. PeersFaculty of Graduate StudiesYork UniversityToronto ON M3J 1P3
Ref: Proposed Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST)
Dear Dean Peers:
I am writing again, as requested, to comment on the proposed Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST).
The School of Information Technology (ITEC) continues to propose an imaginative program and, although some members of ITEC hold graduate appointments in other programs at York, their desire to have their own graduate program is understandable.
This current revision of their proposal includes a number of changes designed to overcome concerns expressed about the earlier versions of the proposal. In that sense the proposal represents a positive step toward making MAIST a viable degree program.
Overlap with CSE graduate courses remains a substantive concern. I would suggest a small committee be established for final consultation between ITEC and CSE, chaired by the Dean of FGS who should add anyone else he deems necessary.
Once again I offer support for ITEC to implement an independent distinct graduate program which makes clear the distinction between ITEC and CSE, especially for students.
If there is any further information I can provide or any further questions I can answer, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nick Cercone, F’IEEE
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Dean
cc: Dean Rhonda Lenton, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesAssociate Dean Asia Weiss, Secretary of Council, Faculty of Graduate StudiesAmir Asif, Chair CSE, Man Wah Wong, Chair Math & StatsTo: Nick Cercone, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering
Richard Wildes, Graduate Program Director, Department of Computer Scienceand Engineering
From: Radu Campeanu, Director, Atkinson School of Information TechnologyJimmy Huang, Undergraduate Program Director, Atkinson School of Information Technology
cc. Dean Lenton, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesLorna Wright, Chair FGS APPCJoAnne Gambarotto-McKay, Academic Affairs OfficerM. Michael Schiff, Assistant Secretary
Date: September 5, 2008
MAIST response to Dean Cercone’s and Richard Wildes’ commentary on perceived areas of overlap between MAIST and CSE Courses
The proponents of the Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST) are pleased to respond to letters from Dean Cercone in the Faculty of Science and Engineering (dated August 20, 2008 and July 7, 2008) and Richard Wildes, GPD, Computer Science and Engineering (dated September 2, 2008) clarifying what they consider to be areas of ‘overlap’ between a number of proposed MAIST courses and existing CSE courses.
The proponents feel that the general process of consultation and review that has occurred over the last year has greatly benefited the MAIST proposal, helping to produce a revised document that clearly articulates its distinct but complementary relationship to York’s existing computer science and business programs.
Response to FSE’s General Concerns
Issues of ‘overlap,’ or shared topic areas: The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) has expressed concern that five specific MAIST courses contain topics that ‘overlap’ with topics covered in existing courses offered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). FSE has further suggested that these select instances of course overlap indicate that the proposed MAIST program is not adequately distinct from the program already offered in Computer Science.
The MAIST proponents are uncomfortable that specific research areas or topics that are properly located within a broad disciplinary area appear to be being claimed as the sole domain of one program. As has been previously acknowledged, some MAIST courses explore topics that are also studied by other programs. It would be difficult to find an academic institution where overlap of topic areas across disciplinary fields did not occur. The proponents understand the purpose of the review process as working to ensure that these topic areas are investigated from a distinct disciplinary perspective.
To analyze the overlap of individual MAIST courses with CSE courses one has to go well beyond titles and short course descriptions to look at full course descriptions and the role of the course in furthering the overall learning objectives of the program. The ITEC faculty who wrote the MAIST course proposals (some of whom are also members of the CSE graduate program) were extremely careful to avoid unnecessary overlap with existing CSE courses. They are confident that the existing overlap is minimal (at most 10% in the case of ITEC 6220 and at most 5% in the case of ITEC 4010/5205 and ITEC 6120). To
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the degree that these courses are occupied with similar topic areas it must be emphasized once again that this engagement is of a qualitatively distinct nature, reflecting the research areas specific to information systems and technology.
Specific Issues of Overlap Between ITEC and CSE
The MAIST proponents first wish to emphasize the overall distinctiveness of ITEC from CSE. The undergraduate and graduate CSE program focuses on large-scale “systems,” emphasizing the development of complex general-purpose software such as operating systems or database management systems. By contrast, ITEC students develop programming skills at the level of writing user interfaces and other small to medium size software- skills which are necessary to implement IT in organizations. The focus of ITEC courses is on understanding organizational needs, on the use of these visual tools and on the customization of the user interfaces. Simply put, the ITEC program does not produce developers of database management systems; rather, the program produces sophisticated users of these systems.
Where overlap of topics has appeared at the undergraduate level, it has been historically understood that the two programs are approaching these topic areas from distinct disciplinary perspectives. Delimitation between the CSE and ITEC programs is apparent in the CSE graduate admission requirements. ITEC graduates admitted to the CSE graduate program are required to complete two to three undergraduate CSE courses dealing with the software engineering associated with large-scale, general-purpose programs before embarking on the graduate curriculum.1 This practice reflects the fact that ITEC students have no exposure to the complexities of writing large scale-software. Rather, their experience lies in the use of visual tools such as Rational Architect, to build large applications.
CSE has, at the undergraduate level, introduced courses such as CSE 4413 which deals with E-Commerce and CSE 3000, which deals with Organizations and Management. Considering ITEC’s traditional focus and expertise in these topic areas, and the clear link of these topics to the study of IT, it seems highly problematic for CSE to claim these topic areas as the domain of computer science and engineering. The general absence of these topic areas in the CSE undergraduate curriculum makes these two courses essentially introductory courses. CSE 4413 is not thus comparable to ITEC 6330 which is a graduate course for students with a strong background in these dimensions of IT. A third problem relates to CSE’s claims that Web Mining is a specific subsidiary area of the more general area of Data Mining. To claim that they overlap is equivalent to saying that a MATH course in Statistics overlaps with a Sociology or a Psychology course using statistical methods. The point is that academic programs commonly engage in studying topics which are specific to the field but which are understood to be dimensions of broader areas and, quite commonly, these specific areas develop their own unique methods, etc., as the table below demonstrates. Intra-Faculty Opportunities for Collaboration:The common interest of CSE and ITEC faculty in specific topic areas is seen by the proponents less as a problem than as an opportunity to be exploited. A review of the cv’s of MAIST core faculty illustrates the degree to which CSE and MAIST faculty already collaborate in their research. The proponents consider this an advantage to students who will benefit from this dynamic culture of interdisciplinary collaboration.
1 As Dean Cercone referenced in his letter of July 7, 2008, a graduate of the ITEC program was admitted into the CSE graduate program in 2008. This student refused the offer when he was required to take CSE 3101 (Design and Analysis of Algorithms), and CSE 3311 (Software Design). These two courses are prerequisites for CSE 4311 (System Development) and 4312 (Software Engineering Requirements), courses which are used in the FSE and CSE proof of overlap. These requirements appear to be in contradiction with the current FSE and CSE claims that ITEC 4010/5210 and ITEC6120 significantly overlap with CSE 4311 and CSE 4312.
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Response to FSE’s Specific Concerns
The MAIST proponents take seriously the imperative not to offer duplicate or redundant courses and offer the following table to address concerns around shared topic areas. In responding to a comparison of CSE and ITEC courses it must be understood, as stated above, that the overall emphases of the two programs are quite distinct, making simple comparisons problematic. ITEC and CSE Courses being compared
Commentary from FSE Commentary from MAIST Proponents
Graduate:CSE 6411Programming Logic for Complex SystemsCSE 6442Object Oriented Software Construction
Dean Cercone: “ITEC 4010/5210 overlaps with CSE4311 and CSE4312. All the topics mentioned in ITEC 4010/5210 are covered in depth in these two courses at the undergraduate level. For example, CSE4312 treats a wide spectrum of requirements engineering methods and tools including informal, structured as well as mathematically precise requirements needed for safety critical systems such as used for specifying requirements for the Darlington nuclear reactor. At a more advanced level, the graduate course CSE6411 also covers these topics though it assumes prior background equivalent to successful completion of either CSE4311 or CSE4312.”
Richard Wildes:“CSE 4311 (System Development) and 4312 (Software Engineering Requirements) cover all of the topics that are to be covered in the MAIST proposed course. Further, CSE also offers more advanced coverage of this topic area (CSE 6411 Programming Logic for Complex Systems and 6442 Object Oriented Software Construction). The MAIST course proposal Rationale suggests that CSE 6442 is better suited to computer science (in contrast to ITEC) graduate students based on its level of sophistication (e.g., use of formal methods; however, the overlap in coverage of the ITEC 5210 material at a similar (more elementary) level in CSE 4311 and 4312 remains, even while CSE 6411 and 6442 provide paths to more in depth understanding. (Note that the ITEC course proposal Rationale fails to address explicitly overlap with CSE 4311, 4312 and 6411).”
CSE 4311, 4312 and, at the more advanced level, CSE 6411 are concerned with writing vast amounts of code to produce general purpose software.
In contrast, ITEC4010/5210 explores the implementation of IT in organizations with emphasis on the use of technology to solve organizational issues, using visual tools such as Rational Architect, to produce the applications.
ITEC 4010/5210 focuses on Unified Modeling Language (UML), Model Driven Development and Rational Unified Process methodology for software development which is appropriate for students interested in analysing and designing enterprise software systems.
CSE 6442 focuses on BON notation and object oriented fundamentals such as code specifications, abstract data types, correctness and formal methods which is appropriate for students with a strong computer science background.
Given this difference in focus, the overlap between ITEC 4010/5210 and the undergraduate and graduate CSE courses discussed above is nil.
ITEC 4305/5205Web Mining
CSE CoursesUndergraduate:
Dean Cercone:“The topics of ITEC 4305/5205 (Web Mining, previously called Data Mining and its application on the Web) are sub-topics of CSE4412 (Data Mining), in general. Although ITEC 4305 emphasizes applications in e-commerce and Web information
Web mining has become a popular research area in information technology due to its direct applications in e-commerce, information retrieval/filtering, and Web information systems, and e-CRM (electronic customer relationship management).
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ITEC and CSE Courses being compared
Commentary from FSE Commentary from MAIST Proponents
CSE 4412Data Mining
Graduate:CSE 6412Data Mining
systems but there is much overlap with CSE4412 as the basic methodologies and theory are the same in both courses. The advanced version of the Data mining course is CSE6412. CSE4412 and, in particular CSE6412, discusses limited web mining topics as a fraction of data mining topics covered in the course.”
Richard Wildes:“CSE 4412 and 6412 (Data Mining) cover the topics of the MAIST proposed course as an example application area of their broader subject area. The MAIST course proposal Rationale suggests that Web Mining is somewhat different than the more general area of Data Mining; however, the fact remains that Web Mining is a sub-area of Data Mining and the basic tools and techniques are substantially similar, with web mining examples used to extend and illuminate more general material covered in Data Mining.”
Web mining has developed distinct methods, ideas, models and algorithms, because the richness and diversity of Web data give it unique characteristics and pose special challenges.
The distinctiveness of Web Mining can be demonstrated by the publication of textbooks exploring the topic area (see the bibliography for ITEC 4305/5205 in Appendix G of the MAIST proposal).
Web Mining as a distinctive area of study is also evident from multiple conferences which bring together researchers in the area (for example, the IEEE International Conference on Web Mining, 2006).
There are numerous publications on the topic of Web Mining- see, for example, Yang Liu, Xiangji Huang, Aijun An: Personalized recommendation with adaptive mixture of markov models. JASIST 58(12): 1851-1870 (2007).
This distinctiveness is why the ITEC course rationale states that ITEC 4305/5205 is complemented at the undergraduate level by CSE 4412 Data Mining and at the graduate level by CSE 6412 Data Mining.
This distinctiveness is also why CSE 6412 is listed in the MAIST proposal as one of the courses students may take as part of the 6 out-of-department credits they are permitted to count towards their degree.
In addition, the professors responsible for teaching CSE 6412 and ITEC 4305/5205 respectively are in agreement that the overlap between these two courses is less than 5% and, further, that York students will benefit from having access to advanced study in both the general area of Data Mining and the more specific, applied area of Web Mining.
Dean Cercone:“The topics mentioned in ITEC 6120 (Systems Requirements Management) are taught in CSE4312 (Software Engineering Requirements). The graduate course CSE 6411 (specification, design and verification of complex systems) is an advanced version of the ITEC course. CSE 6411 deals in depth with mathematically precise specification methods and tools for the design and verification of complex concurrent/distributed systems.”
CSE 4312 and CSE 6411 reflect the program’s broad focus on software engineering which is highly mathematical..
In contrast, ITEC 6120 builds on undergraduate courses such as ITEC 2010 and ITEC 4040 and its focus is on systems (software and hardware) requirements and finding IT solutions in organizations facing complicated and conflicting requirements.
A detailed week-by-week comparison reveals that while CSE
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ITEC and CSE Courses being compared
Commentary from FSE Commentary from MAIST Proponents
RequirementsGraduate:CSE 6411 Programming Logic for Complex Systems
Richard Wildes:“CSE 4312 (Software Engineering Requirements) covers the topics that are covered in the MAIST proposed course. Further, CSE also offers more advanced coverage of this topic area (CSE 6411 Programming Logic for Complex Systems). The MAIST course proposal Rationale appears to agree that CSE 4312 is substantially similar to ITEC 6120, simply choosing to note that CSE 4312 is more theoretically oriented and that ITEC 6120 places additional emphasis on elicitation. The fact remains that the topics covered are substantially the same. (The ITEC 6120 rationale also discusses the difference with CSE 6431, which is not as relevant, even while omitting discussion of CSE 6411, which does provide more advanced coverage of the material at hand.)
4312 includes a 1.5 hour component on the subject of elicitation, ITEC 6120 spends 6 hours exploring the topic.
CSE 4312 spends 12 hours on state of the art modeling methodologies such as Goal-oriented, Agent-oriented software development and the NFR framework- material which is not addressed y ITEC 6120.
CSE 4312 spends more than 6 hours exploring Validation Requirements while ITEC 6120 spends 45 minutes on this topic.
This detailed analysis of the content of CSE 4312 and ITEC 6120 demonstrates that the overlap is less than 5% and, insofar as the two ITEC and CSE courses explore shared topic areas, they do so from distinct disciplinary directions.
CSE 6431 is also a highly specialized course, focusing on the clustering and pattern detection techniques that allow for the re-engineering of legacy software.
ITEC 6220Advanced Information Management
CSE CourseGraduate:CSE 6421Advanced Database Systems
Dean Cercone:“ITEC 6220 (Advanced Information Management) is quite similar to CSE 6421 (Advanced Database Systems). Many of the same topics would be covered. Database systems are just one type of information management system; however, it seems that the focus in the course would be on object-relational database management systems (and their XML management extensions). Even the course numbering parallels ITEC's undergraduate course ITEC 3220,Using and Designing Databases. CSE has the same parallel: CSE 3421, Introduction to Database Systems, and CSE 6421, Advanced Database Systems.”
Richard Wildes:“CSE 6421 (Advanced Database Systems) has substantial overlap with the MAIST proposed course. The database systems covered in CSE 6421 constitute one of the outstanding examples of extant information management systems and are likely to comprise a major portion of the material to be covered in ITEC 6220. In this regard, it is interesting to note that ITEC 6220 would appear to be the graduate level extension of ITEC 3220 (Using and Designing
The proposed ITEC 6220 aims at providing an overview of emerging information management technologies, focusing on the application and deployment of suitable technologies to meet the needs arising from enterprise information systems.
Databases/information management systems are an important component of the information technologies used in any organization, making it necessary to include ITEC 6220, which focuses on the use of these technologies in a specific disciplinary context.
A stated above, the ITEC program does not produce developers of database management systems; rather, the program produces sophisticated users of these systems.
CSE 6421 covers the classical topics in database management systems which are another example of large-scale, general purpose software involving millions of lines of code.
The overlap between the two courses, particularly taking into account qualitatively distinct disciplinary approaches, is less than 10%.
.
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ITEC and CSE Courses being compared
Commentary from FSE Commentary from MAIST Proponents
Databases).”
ITEC 6330 Designing and Building E-Business Applications
CSE CourseUndergraduate:CSE 4413 Building E-Commerce Systems
Dean Cercone:“ITEC 6330 (Designing and Building E-Business Applications) overlaps with CSE4413 (Building E-Commerce Systems). The provided description of ITEC6330 is so generic and so vague that the course overlaps completely with our CSE4413 as well as with their ITEC4020 and with their ITEC3020. The expected learning outcomes listed in the description, namely, to analyze; design; and implement, are so standard that they apply to *any* software development course! The only hint that this is probably not a basic or first course on the subject is the adjective "advanced" in the first sentence. This adjective, however, does not distinguish the course as being different from CSE4413 or ITEC4020 and it certainly does not, by itself, justify making it a graduate course.”
Richard Wildes:“CSE 4413 (Building E-Commerce Systems) has substantial overlap with the MAIST proposed course. Both courses cover the topic area of E Business/ Commerce systems and applications. The MAIST course proposal Rationale suggests that ITEC 6330 will offer more advanced coverage (in comparison to CSE 4413) with more research emphasis; however, the list of topics in the proposal’s Expanded Course Description does not seem to support advanced coverage, with the possible exception of topic 9,Case Studies.”
E-Commerce Systems is an important area in the field of information technology as practically all organizations utilize the Internet and the Web in their operations.
In addition to the proposed ITEC 6330, the ITEC program offers a string of courses, such as ITEC 3020, ITEC 4020 and ITEC 4305/5205, dedicated to this subject and several ITEC faculty do research in the area of Internet Client-Server Systems and their Applications.
The proposed ITEC 6330 is well-positioned to benefit from this existing expertise and will enable MAIST students to research this topic area at a graduate level.
For example, ITEC 6330 discusses specific E-Commerce applications at length, including a unit on case studies examining how specific applications can be used to solve problems in a variety of settings.
ITEC’s emphasis on this research area stands in contrast to CSE which offers at the undergraduate level a single course (CSE 4413) addressing some of the topics areas covered in the proposed ITEC 6330.
For example, CSE 4413 spends considerable time teaching XML, which students in ITEC 6330 will have learned in ITEC undergraduate courses (or their equivalent).
In addition, CSE has practically no faculty researching in this area which, as stated above, is an area more closely associated with the field of information technology.
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----- Original Message -----
From: Nick Cercone Sent: 08/20/2008 03:06 PM EDT To: akdean Cc: Nick Cercone; Cheryl Colman Subject: Re: MAIST
Rhonda
I mentioned that I did not intent to write any more letters on this subject. I am tired of being bullied for stating my informed opinion when requested to do so simply because it is not in agreement with others. Nevertheless, as you requested, I attach below documentation that summarizes the overlap between the courses proposed in MAIST and the existing CSE courses.
The documentation summarizes comments received from various CSE faculty; several of them provided feedback on the proposed MAIST courses in their areas of expertise. CSE course descriptions are also appended for comparison.
ITEC 4010/5210 3.00 (Systems Analysis and Design) overlaps with CSE4311 and CSE4312. All the topics mentioned in ITEC 4010/5210 are covered in depth in these two courses at the undergraduate level. For example, CSE4312 treats a wide spectrum of requirements engineering methods and tools including informal, structured as well as mathematically precise requirements needed for safety critical systems such as used for specifying requirements for the Darlington nuclear reactor. At a more advanced level, the graduate course CSE6411 also covers these topics though it assumes prior background equivalent to successful completion of either CSE4311 or CSE4312.
The topics of ITEC 4305/5205 (Web Mining, previously called Data Mining and its application on the Web) are sub-topics of CSE4412 (Data Mining), in general. Although ITEC 4305 emphasizes applications in e-commerce and Web information systems but there is much overlap with CSE4412 as the basic methodologies and theory are the same in both courses. The advanced version of the Data mining course is CSE6412. CSE4412 and, in particular CSE6412, discusses limited web mining topics as a fraction of data mining topics covered in the course.
The topics mentioned in ITEC 6120 (Systems Requirements Management) are taught in CSE4312 (Software Engineering Requirements). The graduate course CSE6411 (specification, design and verification of complex systems) is an advanced version of the ITEC course. CSE6411 deals in depth with mathematically precise specification methods and tools for the design and verification of complex concurrent/distributed systems.
ITEC 6220 (Advanced Information Management) is quite similar to CSE 6421 (Advanced Database Systems). Many of the same topics would be covered. Database systems are just one type of information management system; however, it seems that the focus in the course would be on object-relational database management systems (and their XML management extensions). Even the course numbering parallels ITEC's undergraduate course ITEC 3220,Using and Designing Databases. CSE has the same parallel: CSE 3421, Introduction to Database Systems, and CSE 6421, Advanced Database Systems.
ITEC 6330 (Designing and Building E-Business Applications) overlaps with CSE4413 (Building E-Commerce 200
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Systems). The provided description of ITEC6330 is so generic and so vague that the course overlaps completely with our CSE4413 as well as with their ITEC4020 and with their ITEC3020. The expected learning outcomes listed in the description, namely, to analyze; design; and implement, are so standard that they apply to *any* software development course! The only hint that this is probably not a basic or first course on the subject is the adjective "advanced" in the first sentence. This adjective, however, does not distinguish the course as being different from CSE4413 or ITEC4020 and it certainly does not, by itself, justify making it a graduate course.
Course Descriptions of CSE courses:
CSE 4311 3.0 System DevelopmentSystem Development deals with the construction of systems of interacting processes. The course focuses on abstraction, specification, and analysis in software system development. Abstraction and specification can greatly enhance the understandability, reliability and maintainability of a system. Analysis of concurrency and interaction is essential to the design of a complex system of interacting processes.
SC/CSE 4312 3.0 Software Engineering RequirementsThis course deals with the elicitation, specification and analysis of software requirements and provides a critical description of available methods and tools, and practical exercises on applying these methods and tools to realistic problems. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisites: General prerequisites, including CSE 3311.
CSE4412 3.0 Data MiningData mining is computationally intelligent extraction of interesting, useful and previously unknown knowledge from large databases. It is a highly inter-disciplinary area representing the confluence of machine learning, statistics, database systems and high-performance computing. This course introduces the fundamental concepts of data mining. It provides an in-depth study on various data mining algorithms, models and applications. In particular, the course covers data pre-processing, association rule mining, sequential pattern mining, decision tree learning, decision rule learning, neural networks, clustering and their applications. The students are required to do programming assignments to gain hands-on experience with data mining.
CSE4413 3.0 Building E-Commerce SystemsA study of technological infrastructure for Electronic Commerce on the Internet discussing terminology, possible architectures, security and cryptography, content presentation, web protocols, adaptive and intelligent agents, data mining, and vertical applications. Topics covered may include the following: Basic e-commerce concepts. Examples of e-commerce stores; Internet as the infrastructure for e-commerce; network layers and protocols; network and transport layer; TCP/IP; web server design; DNSs, URLs, and HTTP; proxies, caching; Security and encryption; basic concepts of computer cryptography; symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems; DES; public key cryptosystems; RSA; Diffie-Hellmann; elliptic codes; PGP; breaking computer cryptography with massive parallelism; Electronic store content and presentation; HTML, CGI, Dynamic HTML, JavaScript. Applets; push and pull content; MIME and cookies; future representations — XML, WAP; Intelligent e-commerce; data mining in e-commerce; agents; product and merchant brokerage; mobile agents; negotiations.
CSE6411 3.0 Programming Logic for Complex SystemsThis course covers program verification methods for a class of programs, commonly referred to as reactive programs. Reactive programs typically never terminate and are run in order to maintain some interaction with the environment. An adequate description of reactive systems must refer not only to initial and final
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states, but also to the ongoing behaviour as a (possibly infinite) sequence of states and events. The purpose of this course is to investigate the use of logical calculi for the specification, design and verification of reactive systems. Topics include: modelling of discrete event systems, semantics of real-time languages, logical and discrete calculi (e.g. temporal logic) for specifying and verifying safety, liveness, deadlock, priority and fairness properties of reactive programs, and prolog tools for automating verification
CSE6412 3.0 Data Mining This course introduces fundamental concepts of data mining. It presents various data mining techniques, algorithms and applications. Topics include association rule mining, classification models, sequential pattern mining and clustering. Prerequisites: an introductory course in database systems. Students who receive credit for this course may not also receive credit for COSC6490C 3.0.
CSE6421 3.0 Advanced Database Systems This course provides and introduction to and an in-depth study on several new developments in database systems and intelligent information systems. Topics include: internet databases, data warehousing and OLAP, object-relational, object-oriented, and deductive databases.
Nick Cercone, DeanFaculty of Science & EngineeringYork University355 Lumbers Building4700 Keele StreetToronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3Tel: 416-736-2100 x 22316email: [email protected]
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7 July 2008
Dean Douglas M. PeersFaculty of Graduate StudiesYork UniversityToronto ON M3J 1P3
Ref: Proposed Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST)
Dear Dean Peers:
I am writing again, as requested, to comment on the proposed Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology (MAIST).
The School of Information Technology (ITEC) continues to propose an imaginative program and, although some members of ITEC hold graduate appointments in other programs at York, their desire to have their own graduate program is understandable and laudable.
This current revision of their proposal includes a number of changes designed to overcome concerns expressed about the earlier versions of the proposal. In that sense the proposal represents a positive step toward making MAIST a viable degree program.
Although the chairs of the two FSE departments with MAIST-participating faculty have not been consulted, I did agree with ITEC’s Dean that limited FSE faculty participation would be possible.
Several minor items can be clarified rather easily.
For example, statements regarding the (in)admissibility of ITEC honours students to CSE graduate programs are misleading, pp 8-9. ITEC graduates are treated like any other applicant. The applicant’s credentials are checked against admission pre-requisites. Students with inadequate preparation in core computer science areas (e.g., algorithms and software design) are asked to take one or more courses to provide them with necessary fundamentals needed to complete their graduate degrees. ITEC undergraduates have been admitted to the CSE program. In fact, one has been offered admission in the CSE graduate program this year.
The three classification areas (business systems and requirements management; information systems; and IT and Organizations) under which the courses were categorized have been eliminated but the proposed ITEC courses and their descriptions are more or less unchanged. Overlap with CSE graduate courses
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remains a more substantive concern. I would suggest some final consultation between ITEC, CSE and FGS on this issue could resolve the situation without undue delay.
Once again I offer support for ITEC to implement an independent distinct graduate program which makes clear the distinction between ITEC and CSE, especially for students.
If there is any further information I can provide or any further questions I can answer, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nick Cercone, F’IEEEDean
CC:Dean Rhonda Lenton, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesAssociate Dean Asia Weiss, Secretary of Council, Faculty of Graduate StudiesAmir Asif, Chair CSEMan Wah Wong, Chair Math & Stats
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TO: R. Lenton, Dean (Atkinson)
Copies: D. Horvath, Dean (Schulich)R. Webb, AVP – AcademicL. Wright, Chair FGS APPC
FROM: D. Dimick, Associate Dean – Academic (Schulich)
Subject: Your request for MAIST commentary
Date: August 14, 2008_____________________________________________________________
I write in response to your request for further Schulich commentary on the MAIST program. To keep the chronology straight, Schulich’s commentary on this program has been two documents from us. The first was a memorandum dated January 16, 2008 that was sent FGS APPC when Professor Edmondson was chair. Subsequent to that the MAIST proposal was revised and in early May some a revised commentary was provided. If either of those two Schulich response documents are missing from the file, I would be pleased to provide them.
You provided a response to our later commentary. I take from your note that you, in light of a request from FGS APPC, are requesting a Schulich acceptance/endorsement of Atkinson’s response to the Schulich note with respect to the MAIST proposal.
Let me provide the summary response, first. Schulich will not oppose the creation of the proposed MAIST degree. We do agree that clear differentiation among York’s various graduate degrees is only one of several criteria to be considered when determining whether a new program should be created. Interdisciplinarity is another criterion, as are academic rigour, the viability of a program in terms of available faculty resources, and the presence of a need or demand for the graduates of such a program.
Having accepted the point that appropriate differentiation is only one of several criteria relevant criteria, it is important for FGS APPC to understand the context for Schulich’s caution in assessing the MAIST proposal. Any unit proposing a new program for which the academic domain is contiguous to existing programs elsewhere at the University is understandably inclined to minimize the problems of overlap and to invoke creativity and interdisciplinarity as more important considerations.
In situations where the issue of overlap is not properly addressed at the outset or where overlap develops over time, the later disentangling of the duplication can represent a major task for the University. Two very current examples of this challenging disentanglement exist at York. One is the creation of a new Faculty through the combination of Atkinson and the Faculty of Arts, a project that has preoccupied much of the University for two or three years. Another is the process of re-differentiating Schulich’s undergraduate business offerings from those of the SAS unit at Atkinson, another difficult and time-consuming process. For any unit that has created a successful program in whatever field of study, the prospect that another
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York program would be created that overlaps the domain of the existing program – or has the potential to do so – is understandably a matter of concern.
Thus, while Schulich will not object to the creation of the MAIST degree, we would hope that FGS APPC would recognize the concerns reflected in our earlier comments as well as in this one, and strongly encourage the creators of this program to attend to the potential for overlap or a drift to greater overlap. To that end, we would hope that FGS APPC would encourage the MAIST program to consult at an early stage with contiguous programs when changes to the MAIST program or new courses are contemplated so that the potential overlap issue can be addressed at an early stage.
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To: Dezso Horvath, Dean of SchulichDavid Dimick, Associate Dean, Schulich
From: Rhonda LentonDean, Atkinson Faculty
May 28, 2008
Response to Schulich's Commentary on MAIST
The proponents of a new MA program in Information Systems Technology [MAIST] are pleased to respond to the statements made and questions raised by Schulich in its commentary received May 5.
Response to Schulich's Overall Position:
Contiguous domains and differentiated missions:Schulich acknowledges that the MAIST proposal clearly identifies a domain for its program that is distinct from areas covered by programs offered by Schulich or FSE. However, Schulich's discussion of "contiguous" domains and the importance of "avoid[ing] unintended overlap and competition" appears to us to constitute an excessive attempt to delineate programs; an attempt that runs counter to York's interdisciplinary mission. Rather than requiring that programs break off abruptly at specific boundaries, we suggest that a central goal of a University that prioritizes interdisciplinarity is to encourage an intellectual environment in which faculty and students in several different programs may explore a single broad field of study, with different emphases, reflecting their respective disciplines. Thus, while the emphasis of the proposed MAIST may be different from the emphases of programs offered by Schulich or FSE, some overlap is to be expected. In this context, overlap does not produce unhealthy competition; rather, it becomes the site at which interdisciplinary conversations and collaboration may occur.
Layperson's distinction among the domains:Schulich suggests the need to develop a "layman's distinction among the domains of FSE, ITEC and Schulich." We would agree with this. We are comfortable with Schulich's description of its disciplinary emphasis, namely, the "organizational applications of computing and information systems." We do not, however, feel that Schulich has adequately captured the distinction between FSE and ITEC. MAIST’s emphasis might more accurately be described as "the configuration and deployment of information systems to meet the needs of users in a variety of specific organizational settings." We leave it to FSE to describe its own focus but it might broadly be characterized as "research that leads to advances in new information technologies."
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Response to Schulich's Specific Matters of Concern:Instructor-intensive program:Schulich worries that the average enrollment in graduate ITEC courses will be 12-14 students and that the demand on tenure-stream faculty resources would be intensive. Our calculations suggest that, at steady state, enrollments in many MAIST courses will approach 20 students (fewer, if more students choose the thesis or MRP option). This puts MAIST courses at the upper end of the typical enrollment range of 15-20 for FGS courses. In addition, one of the ten new courses (Advanced Topics in Information Technology) does not initially need to be offered on an annual basis. A second course (Health Information Systems) is offered biannually. The two integrated courses have more than sufficient space to accommodate graduate students, without requiring additional resources. Overall, offering the nine new graduate courses--all of which are half courses--each year is a modest undertaking.
Faculty capacity:Schulich asks "where the faculty capacity to offer this new program comes from." The note on page 21 of the MAIST proposal (below Table 4b, "Faculty Involvement in the Program") explains that, while ITEC faculty currently supervise in other graduate programs, they do not have teaching responsibilities in other graduate programs. It is important to note that, while some ITEC faculty have been supervising students in other programs in the absence of a graduate program of their own, with the establishment of the MAIST program, this will become their priority. Six ITEC faculty will teach in the MAIST program on an annual basis and one on a biannual basis.
The School of IT relies very little on part-time course directorships to deliver undergraduate teaching. There is currently some capacity at the undergraduate level that can be redirected to support the MAIST's modest offerings without negatively impacting undergraduate program delivery.
In addition, one member of the Faculty of Health, who does not currently teach in other graduate programs, will teach in the MAIST program on a biannual basis, and has the approval of his Faculty to do so. Finally, one member of the School of Administrative Studies will teach in the program on an annual basis; his School's Director supports his participation.
Role of SAS faculty in the teaching of the MAIST program:Schulich asks, "what role will the SAS faculty play in the teaching of the MAIST program?" Again, page 21 provides Table 4b, "Faculty Involvement in the Program." This table lists faculty, their unit affiliation, and teaching and/or supervisory involvement. The table indicates that only one SAS faculty member will teach regularly in the program; the other SAS faculty will serve in a supervisory capacity. SAS faculty are currently denied access to teaching in graduate business programs and those who have research interests relevant to the MAIST program welcome the opportunity to participate in it.
Modest problems regarding domain:Schulich suggests that ITEC 6320 and ITEC 6330 might include content or terminology that "can be found in Schulich graduate courses." Both courses have undergone substantial revision since they were last submitted to FGS APPC. It is possible that the April 28, 2008 draft that Schulich received did not include the most recent Calendar course descriptions for these courses. The attached new course proposals clearly show that the emphasis of these courses is different from the
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emphases of Schulich's offerings. ITEC 6320 introduces organizational strategy as a means of integrating the knowledge and skills in advanced applied information technology developed in other MAIST courses. Because the MAIST program is distinct from those offered by Schulich, students in ITEC 6320 will bring a very different set of skills and knowledge to bear on their introductory exploration of "organizational strategy." Similarly, ITEC 6330 develops advanced skills, with the expectation that students have knowledge equivalent to that developed in two ITEC undergraduate courses: ITEC 3020 Web Technologies and ITEC 4020 Internet Client Server Systems. The assumption of advanced technical expertise underscores that ITEC 6330's approach to E-Business applications differs from the approach found in Schulich's offerings on the same subject.
The fact that both courses are clearly different from Schulich's offerings, even though they address topics that are also of interest to Schulich exemplifies the concept raised at the outset of this letter. Namely, in the context of an interdisciplinary University, some overlap between programs is to be expected. This overlap does not indicate the intent of one program to encroach on another's domain. Rather, it highlights potential areas for fruitful inter-Faculty collaboration and innovation.
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From: David Dimick Sent: 05/05/2008 12:15 PM EDT To: akdean Cc: Dezso Horvath/SSB/York/CA@SSB; Rod Webb; Sheila Embleton Subject: Schulich commentary on MAIST
Rhonda -
I am sending you Schulich's commentary on the MAIST proposal. As you willsee in that document, Schulich sees a workable delineation between theMAIST and the proposed MSc in Operations Management and Information systemsthat will be at Schulich Faculty Council in two weeks. We have alsoindicated a series of particular questions that we believe it would helpfulto have FGS APPC address. These were not generally not seen as flaws, butrather as areas that we suggest need to be more completely understoodbefore FGS APPC reaches its conclusions about the proposed program.
Hope this is helpful.
David
David E. DimickAssociate Dean - AcademicSchulich School of Business
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Commentary on MAIST
The Schulich School is pleased to respond to the request for comment on the MAIST program.
Our views are based on meeting with the deans Atkinson and Graduate Studies, and the Vice-President Academic and senior staff from her office, and on a reading of the MAIST proposal document (most recent version: April 24, 2008).
Overall position:
Three units at York have developed and/or are developing master’s level degrees in related fields. Those units are the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Atkinson, and Schulich. Schulich is aware that agreement between FSE and Atkinson about the suitability of the MAIST program has not been reached.
Schulich has previously registered some concerns about the MAIST program as described in an earlier version of the proposal, indicating that there appeared to be considerable overlap between the conceptual and applied domain of the MAIST degree and Schulich degree programs (both existing and under development), and pointing out that Schulich’s Operations Management and Information Systems group was well-established as researchers and an approved doctoral field with in the Ph.D. in Administration in some of the areas referred to in the earlier version of the MAIST proposal.
The changes present in the current MAIST proposal has addressed some of Schulich’s earlier concerns. It is now possible to make the case that the content domain for this proposed program and its intended student audience can be sufficiently differentiated from Schulich’s current and emerging graduate degree programs that both units can move ahead with their plans. However, the domains are contiguous and will continue to require clear understandings in order to avoid unintended overlap and competition.
If the MAIST proposal is approved, it should be with the understanding that the ITEC unit and the OMIS area at Schulich should maintain differentiated missions (as is also true for MAIST and graduate offerings from Computer Science). A layman’s distinction among the domains of FSE, ITEC and Schulich could be their respective focuses (foci?) on computing and information systems concepts and design, on information systems and their applications, and on organizational applications of computing and information systems.
If the conceptual map suggested just above or something quite similar is seen to be a basis for going forward, then there may be a basis for appropriate distinctions among the various units’ graduate programs.
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Specific matters:
There are some particular potential concerns about the MAIST proposal in practical dimensions.
There are ten new three-credit courses being introduced. There are roughly 40 (full-time equivalent) students in the program at any one time taking an average of at most 4 three-credit courses per year, at proposed steady state. If all new courses were to be offered annually, it suggests an average enrolment of 15 or 16. This number would be reduced by the number of non-ITEC courses in a program and by the choice for thesis or MRP options (with fewer courses required.) Since the proposals says all but one of the courses will be offered annually, the average enrolment would be some 12~14 students. This would appear to be an instructor-intensive program if (as appears likely) instruction would need to be done by predominantly by tenure stream faculty.
Given that there are 10 new courses in the proposal, at least seven of which appear to require ITEC faculty (possible exceptions might be ITEC 6230, ITEC 6320 and ITEC 6330) combined with the fact that there are 7 ITEC faculty listed in Categories 1 and 3 (see pp 13, 14), the question arises as to where the faculty capacity to offer this new program comes from. The Category 3 faculty already have graduate supervision and/or graduate teaching responsibilities in other programs. Is hiring planned to support this new program? Are faculty being reallocated from undergraduate to graduate teaching to meet the requirements of the new program, and (if so) who would be taking over with those undergraduate classes? While such issues are not part of the formal proposal template, the answers to such questions should be available to inform the decision about the academic implications of approving such a program.
It is appropriate that program proposals show the full depth of faculty who could teach in a proposed program and would be ‘on the roster’. However, it is also helpful to know which faculty are most likely to be actively involved in teaching the program-specific courses. The Category 1 faculty (those for whom the proposed program would be the only graduate program with which they are associated) are, in 4 of 6 cases, appointed to the School of Administrative Studies, while only one is appointed to the School of Information Technology. Given that the nature of most of the new courses being added (p 28) do not look like administrative studies titles, what role will the SAS faculty play in the teaching of the MAIST program?
There are two courses (ITEC 6320 and ITEC 6330) and one positioning ‘theme’ (developed on pages 6 and 7) that we find to be modestly problematic in terms of the domain that the proposal identifies as where the MAIST degree would fit. The characterization of business schools (paragraph 2 on page 6) as “…[emphasizing] traditional management disciplines as accounting, finance, marketing and organizational theory, but [having] less depth in the development of technology or in data and project management” may be somewhat accurate with respect to business schools in general, but is certainly not true of the Schulich School. Schulich’s Operations Management/Information Systems area is one of seven disciplinary pillars within the School, with both core and elective courses at the master’s level and is also one of six recognized fields at the doctoral level. Schulich faculty and students do deal with data management and project management. With respect to particular
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courses, ITEC 6320 uses the term ‘Organizational Strategy’ in it’s title, but probably intends it to be understood in a narrower way than the term is used in business school curriculum. There certainly are no other ITEC courses in the program that speak directly to organizational or management strategy in the required, and ITEC 6320 is positioned as an ITEC capstone. In a slightly different vein, ITEC 6330 (‘Designing and Building E-Business Applications’) includes content that can be found in Schulich graduate courses.
These particulars need not be impediments to Schulich’s view of the new program so long as the emphasis in the MAIST program is on the technology and applications of technology (hardware, software, networks) and also so long as the MAIST degree doesn’t drift into presenting itself as a place to study to develop organizational management skills.
Concluding comment.
Schulich’s proposal for an MSc in Operations Management and Information Systems has made its way to the upcoming Faculty Council meeting and will be presented for FGS review shortly thereafter. Its development has taken place with an awareness of the MAIST proposal, once that prpoposal surfaced in late 2007. The fine tuning of both proposals appears to have resulted in differentiated, but domain-contiguous programs, both of which should be welcome and complementary additions to the graduate degree offerings at York.
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MemoTo: To Whom It May Concern
From: Professor Augustine WongGraduate Program Director, Mathematics & Statistics Program
Date: December 10, 2007
Subject: MASIT
As the Graduate Program Director of Mathematics & Statistics, I have been asked to write a memo regarding the MAIST proposal by Professor Radu Campeanu.
There are 5 faculty members from the Mathematics & Statistics program listed as core members of the proposed MASIT program. The 5 faculty members are:
1. Marshall Walker (Professor, joint appointment with ITEC)2. Steven Wang (Associate Professor)3. Augustine Wong (Professor)4. Jianhong Wu (Professor)5. Huaiping Zhu (Associate Professor)
These 5 members will be involved in supervising (principal supervisor) potential students in the MASIT who either have sufficient mathematics and statistics background to carry out a related research project in the MAIST with specific Math content or who are conducting research in areas where any of the five faculty members have specific research expertise. Except for Professor Marshall Walker, who has a joint appointment in Mathematics & Statistics and ITEC, the members are not anticipating teaching the core courses in the MAIST program as part of their regular teaching load. Their regular teaching load is needed to fulfill requirements in their home department (Mathematics & Statistics). This does not preclude a faculty member from teaching a course on overload however.
Moreover, there is an expectation that there will be some available space in relevant Mathematics and Statistics courses. Given that there are 5 members involved from this area, it might be useful to have some of the Graduate
Mathematics & Statistics courses included as possible elective courses especially for students who wish to pursue research topics in the MAIST degree program that would benefit from specific mathematics and/or statistics content, and thus also seeking a supervisor from the Mathematics and Statistics area.
HelloYes, you have my permission to include the Education courses listed below in the list of elective courses for your new MAIST program. 'ThanksAlisonDaniella Mallinick <[email protected]> writes:
Dear Alison Griffith,
As you may know, a proposal for the Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technologies (MAIST) has been under development for some time and will be submitted to FGS APPC for review at the beginning of May. The projected launch of the program is September 2009. Extensive consultation with a variety of units across campus has led the proponents to clarify the scope and potential appeal of the program. One outcome of this has been the broadening of the curriculum, by complementing core courses in advanced technology with elective courses from other units, which will afford MAIST students the opportunity to better understand the applications and implications of technology in a variety of settings, for a variety of users.
To that end, I am writing on behalf of the proponents, Radu Campeanu and Jimmy Huang of the School of Information Technology, to ask for your permission to include several graduate Education courses in the list of elective courses offered by other units. A full description of the MAIST curriculum, including the proposed list of elective courses offered by other units, may be found on page 27+ of the attached proposal.
The courses that the proponents would like to include are: Education 5850 3.0: Science, Technology and Society
• Education 5855 3.0 Cultural Studies of Technology for Education • Education 5860 3.0: Issues in Digital Technology in Education
• Education 5861 3.0: Education and the Worldwide Web: Critical Vantage Points • Education 5862: Gender, Equity, New Technologies and Education • Education 5863 3.0: Retooling the Learning Game: Educational Gaming and PlayA few additional points of clarification might be helpful: one member of the Faculty of Education, Ron Owston, will be participating in the MAIST program (supervising graduate students)
• this is not a request to cross-list these courses • this is a request for permission to include these courses in a list of elective courses offered by several units outside the School of IT • with permission of their advisor and the MAIST GPD, students may take up to six credits from this list of elective courses • given that, at steady state, MAIST expects to admit about 30 new students per year, it is unlikely that more than one or two MAIST students would enroll in any one of these elective courses in any given term • this is not a request for your program to hold any places for MAIST students in these courses, only a request for permission to list the courses in MAIST; students will enroll if there is space availableI look forward to hearing from you. As I mentioned above, we will be submitting the proposal to FGS APPC in early May. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Many thanks,
Daniella
Daniella Mallinick, PhDCoordinator, Academic PlanningAtkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesYork University416 736-2100 ext. [email protected]
_____________________________________________Professor Alison I. Griffith, PhDDirector, Graduate Program in EducationFaculty of Education, York University4700 Keele StToronto, OntarioCanada, M3J [email protected]: 416-736-2100 ext 30733; FAX: 416-736-5913***********************************************************************
Thank you for your email and explaining this matter to me. I have consulted colleagues in the Critical Disability Studies Program as well as in the School of Health Policy and Management, and we are pleased to allow the proposed MA in Information Systems and Technologies to include CDIS 5060 3.0: "Disability in an Age of Information Technology", as an elective course as you have explained below. Critical Disability Studies wishes you every success in your proposed new program.
Sincerely, Geoffrey Reaume Critical Disability Studies Acting Graduate Program Director (2007-08)
As you may know, a proposal for the Master of Arts in Information Systemsand Technologies (MAIST) has been under development for some time and willbe submitted to FGS APPC for review at the beginning of May. The projectedlaunch of the program is September 2009. Extensive consultation with avariety of units across campus has led the proponents to clarify the scopeand potential appeal of the program. One outcome of this has been thebroadening of the curriculum, by complementing core courses in advancedtechnology with elective courses from other units, which will afford MAISTstudents the opportunity to better understand the applications andimplications of technology in a variety of settings, for a variety ofusers.
To that end, I am writing on behalf of the proponents, Radu Campeanu andJimmy Huang of the School of Information Technology, to ask for yourpermission to include one Critical Disability Studies graduate course inthe list of elective courses offered by other units. A full description ofthe MAIST curriculum, including the proposed list of elective coursesoffered by other units, may be found on page 27+ of the attached proposal.
The course that the proponents would like to include is: CriticalDisability Studies 5060 3.0: Disability in an Age of Information Technology
A few additional points of clarification might be helpful: Dean Skinner has already written a letter supporting the MAIST program, but the broadening of the MAIST curriculum took place subsequent to his writing his letter; therefore, we are asking for your permission as GPD of Critical Disability Studies to include this course this is not a request to cross-list this course this is a request for permission to include this courses in a list of elective courses offered by several units outside the School of IT with permission of their advisor and the MAIST GPD, students may take up to six credits from this list of elective courses given that, at steady state, MAIST expects to admit about 30 new students per year, it is unlikely that more than one or two students would enroll in any one of these elective courses in any given term this is not a request for your program to hold any places for MAIST students in this course, only a request for permission to list the course in MAIST; students will enroll if there is space available
I look forward to hearing from you. As I mentioned above, we will besubmitting the proposal to FGS APPC in early May. If you have anyquestions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Many thanks,
Daniella
(See attached file: MAIST proposal_Apr 24 08.doc)
Daniella Mallinick, PhDCoordinator, Academic PlanningAtkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesYork University416 736-2100 ext. 33191
I apologize for not replying to your email sooner. It has been an unusually busy couple of weeks, and I have fallen behind in reply to emails.
You may list this course as one of your electives.
I would note, however, that the course is not offered every year, and indeed has not been offered since 2005-2006. It is also cross-listed with Communication and Culture.
All the best,
Joan_____________Joan SteigerwaldDirector, Graduate Program in Humanities261 Vanier CollegePhone: (416) 736-2100 ext. 55613e-mail: [email protected] Humanities site: www.yorku.ca/gradhuma
Daniella Mallinick wrote:
Dear Joan Steigerwald,
As you may know, a proposal for the Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technologies (MAIST) has been under development for some time and will be submitted to FGS APPC for review at the beginning of May. The projected launch of the program is September 2009. Extensive consultation with a variety of units across campus has led the proponents to clarify the scope and potential appeal of the program. One outcome of this has been the broadening of the curriculum, by complementing core courses in advanced technology with elective courses from other units, which will afford MAIST students the opportunity to better understand the applications and implications of technology in a variety of settings, for a variety of users.
To that end, I am writing on behalf of the proponents, Radu Campeanu and Jimmy Huang of the School of Information Technology, to ask for your permission to include one Humanities graduate course in the list of elective courses offered by other units. A full description of the MAIST curriculum, including the proposed list of elective courses offered by other units, may be found on page 27+ of the attached proposal.
The course that the proponents would like to include is: Humanities 6306 6.0: The Wired World: Philosophy, Technology, and Communication
A few additional points of clarification might be helpful: • this is not a request to cross-list this course • this is a request for permission to include this courses in a list of elective
courses offered by several units outside the School of IT • with permission of their advisor and the MAIST GPD, students may take up to six
credits from this list of elective courses • given that, at steady state, MAIST expects to admit about 30 new students per
year, it is unlikely that more than one or two MAIST students would enroll in any one of these elective courses in any given term
• this is not a request for your program to hold any places for MAIST students in this course, only a request for permission to list the course in MAIST; students will enroll if there is space available
I look forward to hearing from you. As I mentioned above, we will be submitting the proposal to FGS APPC in early May. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Many thanks,
Daniella
Daniella Mallinick, PhDCoordinator, Academic PlanningAtkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional StudiesYork University416 736-2100 ext. [email protected]
