IASA

The course developers have been taken from the key membership and leadership of the IASA. With significant chapter and member presence, the IASA has a pool of extremely qualified candidates from which to choose. However, because of the varied nature and understanding of IT architecture in the industry, it is necessary for course developers to meet certain basic criteria:

• They must have at least 10 years experience in IT; 4 of which must be as an architect.
• They must have documented expertise in the area in which they will be developing.
• They must have contributed to the IT community previously in significant ways.  Examples include: Speaking Engagements, Running an IASA Chapter, and Writing Engagements.
• Preferred course developers will have a training background and a multi-disciplinary approach.

Course Development Guidelines

To create a course the author must submit:

• The course topic and description
• The learning objectives and student exit criteria
• A course outline
• The target length of the course (in topics or weeks)
• The author’s qualifications for delivering the course

Course Content

The courses are made up of core content developed by the course developer. This should not be confused with course delivery (distance learning online, classroom). The primary course material should be developed using PowerPoint, Word, and any requisite example software (portals, etc). When evaluating course length, the course author should primarily consider whether the course is a curriculum course or an individual course.

The IASA expects that a curriculum courses will contain:

• 3 days (24 hrs) worth of classroom material
• 1 days (10 hrs) of distance learning material consisting of approximately 24 individual topics or lessons
• Reading and offline assignments
• Examples and prototype(s) as needed
• Interactive design which helps groups and challenges students
• Testing material (pop quizzes, exams, essays)
• Well connected content (references and course outline/goals) to the rest of the curriculum courses

For individual courses:

• 2 days of classroom materials
• 1 day of distance learning material consisting of approximately 10 individual topics or lessons
• Reading and offline assignments
• Examples and prototype(s) as needed
• Interactive design which helps group and challenge students
• Testing material (pop quizzes, exams, essays)

The time estimates do not include assignments or outside of class reading/resources. Materials may not be branded in any way unless special agreement is made with the IASA.

Courses should be delivered in the following format:

• PowerPoint slides for all course modules with pre-recorded audio files keyed to each slide
• Audio files should be in MP3 format
• Any examples and assignments should be sent separately in a zip file keyed to the modules
• A mapping file for PowerPoint slide/audio/example materials in Word or RTF

A good audio recording and editing tool can be found at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Foundation Reference Model Alignment

The IASA has launched a working group which is researching the fundamental skills and issues in the profession of IT architecture. This working group is mapping a common glossary, architect skills, roles and common processes in the industry titled the Foundation Reference Model (FRM). There is an obvious overlap in this direction with the educational programs. The overlap comes in two primary forms: adjustments necessary to topic lists based on common glossary and adjustments necessary to curriculum courses based on role descriptions and interaction. Because the training program and the FRM are being delivered in parallel, the training program will be modified and updated once the FRM is fully accepted by the IASA membership.

Training Program Governance

The IASA will build the IASA Training Committee which will over-see the development of the program and the quality of the training materials. The training committee’s responsibilities will include:

• Approve authors' course materials (reviewed yearly)
• Accredit course materials for training partners (reviewed yearly)
• Set standard training guidelines for students and authors
• Set training policy with respect to course format
• Work with IASA education executive staff regarding course costs and resources