A collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to bring closer a curriculum to local employers’ needs

The purpose of this chapter is to present the approach used within the international Pro-Skima project to propose workplace learning situations in the curriculum of a typical Msc related to the Information Technology (IT) field. The Msc in Computing at Qatar University is taken as an example. These workplace learning moments aim at better preparing graduates for the job market, by providing them knowledge, skills, and attitudes more adapted to the needs of local employers. Our methodological approach was divided in two stages. The first consisted in a sociological analysis of the existing curriculum, in order to study its main characteristics and social modification process. The second stage was to propose some changes from two curriculum models set up in the French higher education system in order to better professionalize students. The sociological analysis highlights that the current organization of the curriculum of the Msc in Computing does not prepare students well for managing work situations in the IT field. It also shows that any official changes in the courses are long and difficult given the numerous social constraints imposed by several institutions. Nevertheless, it has been possible to propose interesting changes that do not affect the official organization of the curriculum. In this new curriculum, based on a “cooperative education model,” each student will carry out a project for a company, at the same time as he/she will follow the teaching courses of the master program. This proposal for a new curriculum requires significant changes in the pedagogical practices of the academics who will implement it. For these reasons, we recommend a gradual implementation, with a possibility to modify only the second year of the master as a first step.