If i had a model, i'd model in the mornin'

Despite the importance of modeling in producing high-quality software, modeling often receives scant attention in academic curricula. The recent (sometimes heated) discussion of the Object Management Group's Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) has created an opportunity and offered the motivation for making modeling a more central part of the study of software designs. This paper discusses the rationale for modeling, how modeling is currently taught in one graduate program in Management Information Systems and some experiences in the teaching of modeling to masters' level graduate students.