Competency-based Curriculum in the Field of Information Technology Engineering: A Qualitative Case Study

This research was conducted with the aim of designing a competency-based curriculum in the field of Information Technology Engineering. The research was a case study in terms of qualitative research component design. The potential research participants included 12 faculty members in Fars province universities in the field of information technology and 15 employers who were selected through purposive sampling. The research data were collected using two tools: "Document review" and "Semi-structured interview". The data validation was confirmed by matching method and data analysis method was used to analyze the data. In the following, data coding was performed to identify factors, criteria and model markers. Initial qualitative data were obtained through interviews and qualitative validation measures were used to measure the initial validity of the data. Using the method of analysis of the content, the framework of the model was formed and, based on the results, dimensions and components were embedded in a comprehensive theme. The most important findings of the research were: The proposed framework for teaching IT education can be presented in four general competencies: technical, behavioral, context and perceptual. The results of this study can be considered by planners in the design and development of an IT engineering curriculum.