In June 1994, Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology (IST) received a $1.1 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to support the development of the Drexel Curriculum for Information and Computing Professionals.

The College is currently in the planning phase of the project and is using a life cycle approach to model the process of curricula and course development in the interdisciplinary fields of information systems and sciences. The model provides a structure that will allow faculty and administrators to:

• derive and define knowledge and ability requirements from the work environment;
• design multi-purpose course modules that link the curriculum to professional requirements;
• access an information management system that cultivates total faculty sharing in the review, revision, and management of the curriculum design process.

This methodology is being implemented in a collaborative "workbench" environment (Lotus Notes) that networks IST faculty, administrators, and developers to the curriculum design process. Faculty are learning how to use "workbench" templates that help them identify, organize, and edit professional requirements and course modules. The workbench also enables faculty to maintain an audit trail of revisions in courses and to the curriculum.

The College continues to build on the gains made at IST through the asynchronous learning network (ALN) project recently funded by a $750,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Dean Richard H. Lytle reports that the College has made significant headway toward documenting and evaluating the courses delivered via the ALN. A guidebook for the ALN in a Lotus Notes environment is also nearing completion.