IT service management in the academic curriculum: comparing an Australian and German experience

Abstract

Universities have a responsibility to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to be productive in their work environment. Recently, the discipline of IT Service Management (ITSM) has become globally recognized as critical to organizations. Academia appears to be lagging industry in providing education in this field. This paper describes the motivation, implementation, outcomes and challenges experienced by two universities, one in Australia and the other in Germany, in designing and offering an ITSM course. Both universities included the curriculum for industry certification for Foundation level examinations and facilitated student access to these examinations. Using a narrative inquiry method, the authors share their experiences and compare these two courses. The feedback from students clearly indicates that the students value the opportunity to achieve industry certification in ITSM. A list of lessons learnt is formulated to assist other universities undertaking similar endeavours. The outcomes of the analysis highlight the need for professional development and industry certification of Lecturers, the importance of networking with local industry practitioners, and the importance of maintaining course materials to keep current with frameworks used in the ICT industry.