Toolkit Purpose
This toolkit is the result of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant intended to make IT skill standards-based curriculum development easier and offers a streamlined process for creating or modifying curriculum using the IT skill standards developed by the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, and found in the publication Building a Foundation for Tomorrow, Skill Standards for Information Technology, 2003 Edition.

Implementing the toolkit allows you to evaluate your own curriculum, research skill expectations of the labor market, identify gaps between the two and then make changes in your curriculum to address any gaps uncovered in the process.

Toolkit Process
The IT Curriculum Development Toolkit is a clear and abbreviated set of steps that is easy and quick to use. However, most users will benefit from more context and background than provided in the description of the process. To that end, reading resources, lists of other online tools, and tips on implementation are included in each step.

The toolkit consists of eight steps, which can be stepped-through progressively. Click here to see the steps at-a-glance. Alternately, the steps can be taken "a la carte" in organically organized groups. Click here to see the a la carte menu.

There are many downloadable resources and sample reports throughout the toolkit. Many of them are in .PDF format and require Acrobat Reader. Click here to download Acrobat Reader.

Curriculum Development and Other Skill Standards
Although this toolkit was designed with IT skill standards in mind, we quickly saw that it could potentially be adapted to other skill standards. The principles of researching market needs, comparing curriculum with established standards and identifying the gaps between the two are essential for relevant, vital workforce education. All the steps of this process proffer best practices in developing curriculum aligned to any standard, including EALRS, General Education outcomes, and manufacturing standards - to name a few. To connect with NSF Advanced Technological Education Centers specializing in other-than-IT skill standards, contact the NWCET.