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Informing Science + IT Education Conference 2003 Proceedings
| Informing Science + IT Education Conference |
| Pori, Finland June 24-27, 2003 |
| Technology Transfer - The Human Side of IT |
| Rochester Institute of Technology, USA |
| Information Technology (IT) is fundamentally a people business that involves integrating technology into human |
| processes in order to solve problems and create new capacities. These integration skills are not often taught in |
| undergraduate computing curricula. The Galisano College of Computing and Infor-mation Sciences at Rochester |
| Institute of Technology (RIT) has been offering a course in the diffusion of innovations for several years now and |
| considers the communication needed to diffuse an innovation core to IT’s mission. |
| The course, called Technology Transfer, is the study of the "flow" of technology from its creation through |
| adoption to implementation and eventual effects. Our BS in Information Technology has one of the few courses |
| that address these issues directly. Many students are skeptical of the reality of organiza-tional life and fail to |
| understand the way that change actually occurs. The course provides a framework by which students can interpret |
| and understand their roles as change agents in the organization. |
| This paper provides an overview of RIT's Technology Transfer course, explains its rationale within the curriculum |
| and its contribution to professional practice. It also discusses some of the techniques used in teaching these skills. |
| The paper concludes with feedback on the value of the course to our graduates. |
| Keywords: Technology Transfer, Diffusion of Innovations, Innovation, Communication |
ISSN
1535-07-03
Unless otherwise indicated, this paper has undergone blind external review by three or more reviewers.
Types of Papers: A Best Paper, Regular Paper, Short Paper, Informal Paper,
Unrefereed Panel Paper
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