Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, 2022, 7(1), 1-9

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/joltida
ISSN: 2458-8350 (online)

Review Paper
Two Decades of Computing at the University of Belize

David Garcia*a, Farshad Rabbani b

a
(ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1612-9904), University of Belize, Belize, dgarcia@ub.edu.bz
b
(ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5411-2775), University of Belize, Belize, frabbani@ub.edu.bz
*Corresponding author

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Received: 31 May 2021 Computer science became a distinct academic discipline in the early 1950s. The first computer science
Revised: 26 August 2021 degree program was founded in Belize around 45 years later, under the auspices of the nascent
Accepted: 26 August 2021 University College of Belize, which would subsequently become the University of Belize. We present
a twenty-year synopsis of a degree program created in 1998 to build an undergraduate curriculum
using the surge of computing in the country of Belize as a catalyst coupled with the recognition of the
Keywords:
Computer Science Education
importance of computing for national development. The four-year undergraduate degree program has
Information Technology Education resulted in steady student enrolment over the past two decades featuring a female student population
Computing Degree Program consistent with female enrolment in similar computer science programs globally. The study details the
Curriculum origins, development efforts, successes, challenges, and recommendations for the program's future
Program Outcomes development.

doi: 10.53850/joltida.946055

BACKGROUND

The Information Technology (INT) degree programs at the University of Belize represent a set of computer science/information
technology degree programs introduced by the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology over twenty years ago. The
program's original mission statement was: "to provide students with an organised setting in which to conduct guided experimentation
with and practical explorations of the physical machinery, the coded program, the designing strategies, the critical analyses and the
ever-important human interaction that characterises the true computer scientist" (University of Belize, 2001). This study briefly
describes the evolution of the INT degree programs, now housed within the Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology
Department of the Faculty of Science and Technology. In addition, it discusses what has worked and what needs to be evaluated or
attempted differently. This study utilised University of Belize enrolment data (Garcia, 2021).

In the late 1990s, the University College of Belize launched an initiative that gave birth to the INT degree programs. The goal was
to meet the growing demand for computing professionals within Belize. The process began with the identification of and
consultations with stakeholders in Belize. Selected stakeholders included representatives from the University College's departments
and the private, government and quasi-government sectors. The University College held a series of meetings to apprise stakeholders
about the proposed program and solicit from them what the stakeholders believed the goals and objectives of the final program
should be. The consultations yielded the goals and objectives of the program, and the resulting program sequence included courses
deemed relevant to the role of Computer Science in Belize's development (University College of Belize, 1998). The Associate
degree in Computer Science West (ACSW), the precursor of the now INT degree programs, was born (University of Belize, 2001).

The program went through several changes from 1998 to 2000. There were pre-1998 spillovers of the Computing (CMP) program,
and the Information Technology program (ITE) was short-lived. The Associate in Information Technology West (AITW) program
was created in 1998, followed by the Bachelor in Information Technology West (BITW) and Bachelor in Information Technology
(BINT) programs the following year. The Associate in Information Technology (AINT) and the Bachelor in Information
Technology (BINT) established in 2000 as the then Department of Engineering and Information Technology's two-plus-two INT
degree program regularised and normalised the disparate programs. In 2006, the BINT program underwent an extensive review
with the participation of internal and external stakeholders, the University's administration, other university departments, and the
Information Technology faculty, resulting in an updated program that addressed current advances in technology and shifts in
technology use and deployment (University of Belize, 2006). Since 2006, the program has undergone three additional program
reviews to ensure that it remains abreast with the developmental needs of Belize and emerging technologies. Figure 1 shows the
enrolment in the degree programs for the period 1998 to 2017.

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D. Garcia & F. Rabbani

Figure 1. Enrolment in the degree programs

Program Philosophy

Creating a new degree program is not only challenging an endeavour but an exciting academic initiative that requires adequate
preparation based upon a clear, unambiguous vision. Answers to specific fundamental questions are crucial in developing such a
vision. Chief among these is the purpose of the degree, the intended target audience and the overarching values of the program. In
regards to intended goals, forging new relationships across academic institutions and communities would be reasonable. However,
of greater importance to the Engineering department was building a self-sustaining program that engendered excitement for both its
faculty and students while simultaneously addressing the needs for national development. Notwithstanding all this, the underlying
motivation to create the degree program was, first and foremost, to meet the developmental needs of Belize by providing an avenue
for the development of the technological skills of the country's most important resource, its people.

As Belize continued to develop, its demand for technological skills and resources increased. It became evident that it was in Belize's
best interest to cultivate those skills locally rather than import them. In so doing, not only would the economic growth and prosperity
of the country be enhanced but, to a great extent, assured. To keep abreast of the current demands and changes of an ever-evolving
field, it was then necessary to continually review and revise the program to ensure its success and credibility (University of Belize,
2006). Therefore, at the inception of the four-year BINT degree program, the Department, after careful deliberation, made a
conscious decision to offer both the Associate of Science and the Bachelor of Science programs instead of only the four-year
Bachelor of Science program. The basis of this decision was pervasive factors related to individuals wishing to pursue a career in
computing and the requirements of the Information Technology Industry and other stakeholders for IT professionals at two distinct
levels (University of Belize, 2015).

Over two decades later, the consensus is that these choices were correct. Students have graduated and successfully managed to
assimilate into a wide range of careers that include software engineering and development, hardware and infrastructure deployment,
and system administration. However, beyond these traditional positions, graduates have also acquired jobs in niche areas of
computing such as cybersecurity. A notable theme common among all these garnered occupations is human-centred computing
(Jaimes et al., 2007). This theme stems from the fact that while the BINT is more aligned with a Computer Science degree, it does
not forgo the inclusion of those academic components that highlight the interaction between persons and their settings and how
digital means facilitate that interaction.

It is not possible to discuss a program's philosophy without considering the terms interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. To label
a new program as genuinely interdisciplinary suggests that the program represents an altogether new field of inquiry derived from
combining elements from different academic disciplines. In contrast, a multidisciplinary program combines discipline-specific
aspects without compromising the academic disciplines themselves, for example, mathematics and computer science (Heikkinen &
Räisänen, 2018). A prospect that has been the topic of many departmental conversations and meetings is creating a new discipline
at the undergraduate level. While this prospect is tempting, there is consensus that there is a genuine risk that doing so could make
students less employable in a field that generally favours traditional occupations (CompTIA, 2021). For this reason, choosing
between a conceptual, knowledge-based program versus a purely interdisciplinary one has proven challenging. However, a critical
deciding factor has been that the industry almost always prefers an administrator or software engineer instead of someone with
hybrid knowledge. So, as long as employers emphasise disciplines in their employment practices, we concluded that our priority for
the foreseeable future is to maintain our multidiscipline-specific program and eventually become a truly interdisciplinary program.

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Program Composition

The Associate in Information Technology (AINT) and Bachelor in Information Technology (BINT) Program Descriptions are
available via the web (University of Belize, n.d.). The evolution of the degree programs from their initial Computer Science track
to the Information Technology track resulted from the changing requirements and needs of the IT industry and other stakeholders.
The name of the degree programs changed from Computer Science to Information Technology, but the strong Computer Science
core still exists. Modification to other program content reflects and incorporates the technical changes within the IT profession, the
changes in computing and communications technology, and the growing cultural and economic importance of computing in our
society.

The initial four-year Bachelor of Science degree program incorporated as the first two years of its program sequence the two-year
Associate of Science degree. The program evolved into the current Associate of Science in Information Technology (AINT) degree
and the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BINT) degree. The sequences for these programs were last revised in 2019
and have been in effect since August of that year. The BINT two-plus-two program is a seamless integration of the two distinct
degree programs (AINT/ BINT) into a single 138 hour (minimum) program sequence (University of Belize, 2019). The program
composition includes General Education Core, Support Core, and Professional Core courses (see Figure 2).

General Education Core (GEC) is 30 hours and includes composition, social and behavioural sciences, Spanish, and History. Support
Core (SC) is 21 hours and includes algebra, trigonometry, three semesters of calculus, technical writing, and linear algebra.
Professional Core (PC) is 87 hours and includes programming, data structures, software engineering, programming language
concepts, operating systems, computer organisation, human-computer interaction, web design, computer networking, and
telecommunications. The Professional Core includes 12 hours of computer science and information technology electives such as
advanced database management, advanced web technologies, mobile application development, digital logic and signal processing,
computer and network security, advanced networking, and practical electronics. Also, as part of the Professional Core, students are
required to complete a capstone work experience course (3 hours) at the Associate level; and a seminar course (3 hours) and a
capstone senior internship course (12 hours) at the Bachelor level.

Figure 2. Program requirements

APPROACH

The study involved the review of unpublished internal documents relevant to the inception, development, and operation of the INT
programs of the University of Belize for the period 1984 to 2021. An integrative literature review was conducted primarily on
computer science and information technology degree programs and the relationships that such programs have with students and
industry. The data source for this study was an unpublished transactional dataset of student records from 1998 to 2017 from the
University of Belize. Columns utilised from the dataset included student id, program, enrolled semester, year, course code,
graduation date, and gender. The dataset had 26,164 transactions that represented aggregates of 3289 enrolments, 1285 students,
and 376 graduates. Descriptive statistics generated from the data focused on program enrolment, graduates, and gender distribution.

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PROGRAM REVIEW AND EVALUATION

Objective introspection of the program reveals what things done right, areas that need improvement, and overall program
performance for 1998 to 2017. The review and evaluation of the program use both qualitative and quantitative analyses, with a
particular focus on enrolment, graduates, and gender diversity.

Qualitative Assessment

The program assessment process relies on frequent feedback generated from faculty, students, staff and the institutional
infrastructure, which is then carefully reflected upon for appropriate response. This system of obtaining feedback, followed by
reflection and planning, and then taking action serves as the basis by which the BINT program determines whether it is successfully
meeting its objectives. In particular, student feedback obtained through various means, including interactions with the Registrar's
Office, faculty, and student-led organisations centred on computing, is essential. The Department also has ongoing reviews to ensure
the alignment of the BINT program with industry needs relevant to Belize. In so doing, the quality of graduates has risen to such
heights that employers actively seek AINT and BINT students because of their skills in computing administration, software
development, and hardware and software systems deployment. Below are notable changes that have taken effect as a direct
consequence of having conducted program reviews and internal assessments by faculty.

At an early stage of the program's development, the Department determined that students graduating from the program lacked
practical experience. This lack of practical experience was because while the program offered many courses in computer science, it
did not provide that many information technology courses and the proper facilities needed to conduct practical experience were
either significantly deficient or non-existent. As a result of this determination, changes in program offerings included courses such
as Basic PC Repair and practical-oriented networking and administration courses. In terms of facilities, there have been
improvements, but still not at the desired level where for example, separate facilities for networking and security are available.

Early and subsequent reviews of the Bachelor degree program identified areas where the program lacked the breadth of the
information technology used globally and the critical aspects of information technology practice in modern organisations.
Subsequent modifications to the program sequence introduced courses in the subject areas of website design and implementation,
web application development, Internet technologies, graphical user interfaces, and network security.

Observations stemming from conversations with stakeholders early on revealed that students graduating from the program did not
possess the expected well-developed analytical, problem-solving and engineering skills required of a professional who engineers
quality information technology systems. Adding Systems Analysis, Software Engineering, System Engineering, and Network
Engineering courses into the program sequence addressed this deficiency.

Quantitative Assessment

Table 1 shows enrolment of the four major degree program implementations, by gender, from the years 1998 through 2017. The
degree program implementations in chronological order are (1) CMP – pre-1998 to 2000, (2) ACSW – 1998 to 2009, (3) AINT –
2000 to present, and (4) BINT – 1999 to present. The table columns for each of the degree programs are defined as follows: "M"
for male, "F" for female, "Total" for the total student enrolment, and "%F" indicates the degree of gender diversity. This indicator
is a quotient of the number of females divided by the number of males. This quotient or percentage represents the proportionality
of females to male enrolment, so a quotient of 100 indicates an equal number of males and females enrolled in the program. A more
detailed study of diversity in the AINT and BINT programs is warranted but is outside the scope of this study.

Table 1. Enrolment by gender for the degree programs

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For the four major degree program implementations, Figure 3 shows the enrolment trends for the years 1998 to 2017. Enrolment in
the AINT program has been consistently increasing over the years, with significant peaks in 2008 and 2013. The BINT program
also had a consistent increase until 2013 but then experienced a steady decline until 2017, when it again recorded a rise in numbers.
The BINT program recorded its highest enrolment number in 2009. Note that the AINT program consistently recorded a significantly
higher number of enrolled students over the enrolment exhibited by the BINT program.

Figure 3. Total enrolment trends from 1998 to 2017

Figure 4 shows the number of students that graduated from 2000 to 2017 from the ACSW, AINT, and BINT programs. Since
introducing the ACSW program, there has been a steady increase in graduates, with 376 students graduated. There were significant
peaks in 2006, 2011, and 2016. Note that there were no graduates for 1998 and 1999 because the two-year ACSW program had just
launched in 1998. The ACSW program accounted for 17% of the graduates, while the AINT and BINT programs accounted for
39% and 44%, respectively. This 5% difference favouring the BINT program does not hold when comparing the total Associate
versus total Bachelor degree program graduates. The Associates then accounts for 56% of the total graduates, increasing 8% over
the Bachelors.

Figure 4. Graduates from 1998 to 2017

Figure 5 displays the relative gender ratios for the program implementations of CMP, ACSW, AINT, and BINT. The charts represent
the sum enrolment for males and females from 1998 to 2017 obtained from Table 1. In the earlier CMP and ACWS programs, there
were significantly higher percentages of female students than the subsequent AINT and BINT programs – CMP was 81.8%, ACWS
was 54.4% compared to AINT's 24.4% and BINT's 33.8%. AINT peaked in 2002 at 60%, and BINT peaked in 2005 at 48%. Both
programs experienced a steady decline in female enrolment after peaking. After 2003 the BINT consistently had more females
enrolled than the AINT program except for 2013 and 2016.

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Figure 5. Gender ratios for the programs

Program Successes

Throughout the years, the Department has systematically undertaken efforts to improve the programs it offers. Such improvements
have led to the inclusion and removal of courses and enhancements to existing courses to ensure that delivered content is viable and
relevant. Taking such measures has been instrumental in developing a sustainable and academically mature program, as shown in
Figure 3. Furthermore, the program basis is a well-balanced academic foundation underpinned by an ever-evolving, solid
undergraduate computer science/ information technology curriculum. The inclusion of math, computer science/information
technology electives also serves to better prepare students for advanced studies or immediate entrance into the workforce. (Kapoor
& Gardner-McCune, 2018).

The Department launched a comprehensive initiative to solicit input from its key stakeholders to assess the efficacy of its programs
and the calibre of its graduates. This initiative proved successful on two fronts. First, it allowed the program to realign itself with
workforce demands, emphasising the needs of Belize. Second, it forged a new relationship between the Department and its business
stakeholders based on the mutual benefit resulting from a successful program. An unintended consequence of this partnership has
been the increase in opportunities for students to undergo experiential learning and subsequent permanent placement in jobs after
that.

There has also been a significant jump in the overall retention rate of students. As the program evolves, its importance to the growth
and development of the country has also become more pronounced. The demand for IT graduates has grown significantly over the
years, a fact that has not gone unnoticed. The general population has become more aware that technology-related skills are now
premium and provide the best opportunity for securing good-paying jobs. Also significant is that the percentage of females enrolled
in the BINT program is comparable to other computer science degree programs globally (Computer Science.org, 2021).

Students who have completed the degree are qualified to work in a broad array of technology occupations. These occupations include
computer programmers, computer technicians, network technicians, web admins, web developers, web designers, systems analysts,
system administrators, database administrators, and network administrators (University of Belize, 2016). There is a high demand
for AINT and BINT students by industry. Many students are offered employment during their respective capstone work experience
and internship at the AINT and BINT levels.

Program Challenges

Lack of adequately developed infrastructure for specialised learning laboratories used for hands-on experience for non-theoretical
subjects such as networking and cybersecurity. Such facilities are essential for delivering content that involves physical activities
such as installation, configuration, and experimentation involving hardware components and digital infrastructure. A deficiency of
qualified and experienced lecturers and tenure-track faculty to cover the span of offered courses, particularly in advanced areas of
Information Technology / Computer Science.

While the BINT female enrolment may be comparable with other programs globally, the reality is that the gender imbalance is
significant. This lack of diversity in computing programs is globally recognised and has been the topic of intense discussion and
research (Gagnon et al., 2019). Therefore, the program must explore and identify how more females may be encouraged to study
computing.

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There are limited research opportunities for all students and collaboration opportunities between senior students and their
counterparts from other faculties on joint initiatives that would benefit from interdisciplinary research that relies on shared
knowledge.

Program Comparison

Since the regularisation of the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology in 2001, the Department determined that it was
necessary to offer both the Associate and Bachelor degree programs. The basis of this determination was the needs analysis of
students wishing to pursue a career in computing, and the stated requirements of the Information Technology Industry and other
stakeholders, for two distinct levels of computing professionals. Like many two-plus-two programs, students find that the program
is cost-effective and flexible, and it provides options for early entry into the workforce. It is essential to highlight that, unlike most
two-plus-two programs, the AINT and BINT are provided at the same institution, making the transition from the associate program
to the bachelor program easy and translating into program curricula that are solid, synergetic, and synchronised with each other
(Mott & Lehrer, 2013).

Unlike some degree programs where the choice between an Associate degree and a Bachelor degree can significantly impact
employment prospects (Peters & Belkin, 2014), an Associate of Science in Information Technology degree does not reduce
employment opportunities in the field of computing. It may, at times, provide quicker access to the job market than the Bachelor of
Science in Information Technology degree (Carnevale et al., 2020). This fact is primarily because information technology is one of
the primary industry drivers. As a result, both Associate and Bachelor degree graduates from the field of computing are in high
demand (Camp et al., 2017). As a result, placement and employment rates are high (over 90%) for graduates of both degree programs
since they typically service distinct tiers based on industry needs. This level of employment for the program's students is in line with
global trends. The growth rate for computing occupations is typically higher than the average growth rate of all other occupations
(Fayer et al., 2017).

The rising costs of tuition and unemployment rates can make the prospect of investing in an Associate degree or Bachelor degree
feel like a risky gamble (Abel & Deitz, 2014). However, based on the relationship Information Technology has with Industry
(Martynov et al., 2019), for prospective students of the Associate of Science in Information Technology degree or a Bachelor of
Science in Information Technology, the difficulty usually associated with the decision making process is not as substantial. Much
of the concern is alleviated because the chances of obtaining placement or work prospects are about identical for both the Associate
and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degrees. Again, this is consistent with other programs globally.

In Belize, the University of Belize is one of two tertiary institutions with a degree program in Computer Science/ Information
Technology. Given that the scope of this study focuses on a two-decade progress report on the BINT program, it would prove
beneficial to undergo, in the future, a review of other computing programs offered in the country of Belize.

The BINT program, as it currently stands, does not support a hybrid curriculum (Benvenuti et al., 2018) at the Bachelor level.
Instead, it focuses primarily on developing students that have achieved a discipline-specific foundation who, upon graduating, will
have the required competency to embark on any number of specialisations. Upon completing the BINT, degree students pursue
higher education online or enrol in foreign institutions to pursue Master of Science and Doctoral levels degrees in application design,
information systems, and security. As the BINT program continues to advance and change, the development of advanced level
degree programs is the next step in its natural evolution (Rude et al., 2018).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The desired outcomes for its graduates and the skill acquisition of those graduates after four years heavily influence creating a new
program. Where possible, the BINT program has aligned with the needs of students and industry stakeholders (Mardis et al., 2018),
but even so, inevitably, tradeoffs are unavoidable. Unfortunately, course offerings have no perfect configuration that ensures the
right balance of interdisciplinary information technology credits versus professional core credits. There is also the challenge of
whether to focus exclusively on software or hardware. Considering all these factors, we have chosen a path that emphasises computer
science/ information technology fundamentals that provide a clear direction for computing through foundational courses in software
development and hardware deployment. The results of this approach have produced graduates that possess a solid foundation centred
on computing technologies. This approach ensures that upon degree completion, students will have at their disposal a wide range of
career choices from which to choose. These include Computer Programmer, Computer Technician, Network Technician, Web
Master, Web Designer, Systems Analyst, System Administrator, Database Administrator, and Network Administrator.

Unlike many other fields of study where program content can be essentially static, program content is dynamic in computing because
of the constantly evolving technology and emerging theories that shape and drive the discipline (Stewart, (2014). As a result, the
Department is continually reviewing the program sequences of the Associate degree and Bachelor degree programs to ensure that
they provide the best possible foundations for student success in computing. These reviews include comparing and evaluating the
pros and cons of having a purely Computer Science track versus an Information Technology track. Also under consideration is
embedding certification content (e.g. CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, etc.) into the sequence. The inclusion of certifications can
improve both the marketing of the program and the employment of its alumni (Carnevale et al., 2020).

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In recent years, several individuals and organisations, local and international, interested in establishing some form of Information
Technology (IT) business have approached the Department. They have, on numerous occasions, cited Belize's geographic location,
language and diversity as an ideal combination. However, these individuals state, and quite accurately so, that the country lacks
technically skilled persons. The number of IT graduates alone is a crucial factor. For the last ten years, on average, about 28 students
graduated per year (University of Belize, 2021), of which over 90% had guaranteed employment simply because they were filling
existing occupation voids in industry. This average is a far cry from what a company wanting to make a significant investment will
require in terms of necessary technical human resources. They can hardly rely on a trickle of graduates when their demands for
skilled individuals is so high and ever-increasing. So, these companies have no recourse but to move elsewhere, despite any
inclination of wanting to do business in Belize. Unfortunately, each time we lose such opportunities, we are preventing employment
and the growth and development of a critical sector of society - a sector that has the potential to propel Belize forward and help
move it into an era of prominence.

We don't have to look hard to see the positive effects investing in information technology has on a country. Singapore (Gunasilan
et al., 2021), India (Surana & Sagar, 2020), and the Phillippines (Albert et al., 2018) are great examples. For example, an examination
of Singapore's education system reveals that its strength lies in the fact that students of all intellectual abilities have access to quality
education but notably its concentration on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Yiannouka, 2015). Emphasis
on STE education and the efficient and effective utilisation of frontier technologies have positively impacted the economies of these
countries.

Therefore, the University of Belize and the Government of Belize must think long term. Immediate financial returns should not be
the driving force. Instead, like Singapore, they must find ways of providing quality educational access to the masses, particularly in
computer science and information technology, which can radically transform Belize. The returns on human investment are far
greater than any other investment. The BINT program has been contributing, is contributing, and has the immense potential to
contribute even more to the future development of Belize.

Ethics and Consent: Ethics committee approval is not required as it does not involve clinical research on humans and does not
contain retrospective studies in accordance with the Law on Protection of Personal Data.

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