1. The IEEE-CS/ACM Curricula 1991 and 2001 for Computer Systems Courses

This section gives a brief summary of the core curriculum in computing which is used for reference in this guide. It also suggests how the material presented in Operating Systems: concurrent and distributed software design, might be used in the curriculum.

The full document for the 1991 curriculum is:

TUCKER A. B. et al. (editor and co-chair)
Tucker A B, Barnes B H (co-chair), Aiken R M, Barker K, Bruce K B, Cain J T, Conry S E, Engel G L, Epstein R G, Lidtke D K, Mulder M C, Rogers J B, Spafford E H, Turner A J.
"Computing Curricula 1991 Report of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force"
ACM press, IEEE press 1991, ACM order number 201910, ACM ISBN number 0-8979-381-7,
IEEE Computer Society Press order number 2220, IEEE Computer Society Press ISBN number 0-8186-2220-2

It is summarised in:

TUCKER A. B. et al. (ed.), (1991)
"A summary of the ACM/IEEE-CS joint curriculum task force report Computing Curricula 1991"
Comm. ACM 34(6) June 1991

An earlier introduction to the philosophy behind the curriculum design is given in:

DENNING P. J. et al., (1989)
Denning P J, Comer D E, Gries D, Mulder M, Tucker A, Turner A J, Young P R.
"Computing as a Discipline" Comm. ACM 32(1) Jan 89

The reader is referred to the document for a full discussion but the following quotations indicate the importance of an underlying theme and related concepts:

"Recurring concepts are significant ideas, concerns, principles and processes that help to unify an academic discipline at a deep level" p12

"From the instructor’s perspective (and also from the student’s perspective), a course is rarely satisfying unless there is some "big idea" that seems to hold disparate elements together" p15

".... portray computing as a coherent discipline rather than a collection of unrelated topics." p15

 

In Computing Curricula 2001 the IEEE-CS/ACM began to publish a series of curricula. The first was Computer Science, December 2001, ISBN 0-7695-1499-5. Computer engineering, software engineering and information engineering are to follow. The aim was to revise Computing Curricula 1991 to incorporate the developments of the past decade.