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Minnesota State College Southeast

A focus group meets at Southeast to participate in the DACUM Process

Campus Connection: Southeast takes an in-depth look at Information Technology programs via Designing A Curriculum process

By Katryn Conlin, January 2025

This year, Minnesota State College Southeast is engaged in a process called "Designing A Curriculum" (DACUM) to take an in-depth look at its Information Technology (IT) programs and determine what program and course adjustments need to be made to better serve students and regional employers.

"In the IT program suite, things are changing so rapidly that we need to be constantly getting feedback from the regional industry that we serve," said Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. "The DACUM process is a proven academic method to do just that in a very strategic and formal way."

"This process allows us to validate what we're already teaching, helps us identify knowledge, skills and abilities that are no longer an industry priority, and illuminates emerging areas of the IT industry that aren't currently being addressed," said Jake Griggs, Dean of Trade and Technology at Southeast. 

Environmental scan

The first step in the DACUM process was to prepare an environmental scan, a research paper detailing the current state of Southeast's three IT programs: Cyber and Information Security; Network Administration & Technology; and Software Development & Support.

A faculty survey provided detailed perspectives on the strengths and areas for improvement within the curriculum, highlighting key areas such as emerging technologies, practical skills application, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The environmental scan also included competitor analysis, labor market demand, and national trends. 

The most sought-after skills for IT professionals in the region reflect national trends, with employers placing high value on technical proficiencies in network security, cloud computing, and software development.

However, alongside technical skills, soft skills like communication, teamwork, and project management have become increasingly important. 

As more businesses move to remote and hybrid work models, self-management and independent problem-solving abilities are becoming crucial competencies.

Focus group with experts

DACUM IT experts in focus groupBy definition, a DACUM is an analysis of an occupation performed by expert workers, conducted by a trained facilitator, with an end result to create a skill profile of an occupation to be used in curriculum planning and as an evaluation instrument.

On January 17, the college had the opportunity to learn about IT occupations from a panel of experts, as IT leaders from several regional companies gathered on Southeast's campus in Winona and via Zoom. 

In breakout sessions and working as a group, the focus group participants discussed the most important factors when hiring an employee and the top employment challenges facing their organizations. 

"It was really interesting to see how the ability to problem-solve and communicate effectively came up over and over again," Jake Griggs reported. "Being able to document issues and solutions is something each of the participants recognized as important." 

The next steps will be to summarize the findings from the environmental scan and the focus group to identify areas of improvement in current programs, or to identify new program areas to pursue. 

The summary will be used by college faculty and administration to help make data-informed decisions about the classes and programs that Southeast offers.

Jake Griggs noted, "The DACUM will allow us to strengthen our programs and make sure that we continue to provide employers with qualified candidates who are ready to hit the ground running."

"Information technology is one of the fastest changing industries and that's why we chose these programs to utilize the DACUM process," added President Danielson. "Our intention is to expand DACUM use to inform continuous improvement of our academic program content for our students and the industries we serve." 

 

Photo Captions 

Above: Industry experts worked in small groups to address regional IT needs during a DACUM focus group at Minnesota State College Southeast in Winona.
Below: Focus group members participated on campus and online via Zoom.