Kevin R. Parker, PhD | Information Systems

Course evaluations, including student comments, are available here.

Teaching Interests

Courses Taught

Curriculum Development

Idaho State University

One of my first tasks after becoming department chair was leading the effort to update our curriculum. We first transitioned the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program to Business Informatics, closely followed by converting Health Information Systems Management to Health Informatics. Both majors were redesigned to better serve both the students and employers.

The next phase undertaken by our team was the design of a Master of Science in Health Informatics curriculum. This was eventually followed by the development of a concurrent BBA and MS degree to permit students to attain both the BBA and MS in Health Informatics in five years.

Our faculty also assisted in developing a proposal for a Master of Science in Data Analytics, and a Master of Science in Computer Science.

Several years prior to becoming chair, I was instrumental in the restructuring of the undergraduate CIS curriculum, and participated in the development of a proposal for a Master’s program in CIS.

I also proposed and developed, or redesigned, dozens of courses as follows:

Course Redesign: INFO 3307 – Systems Analysis and Design was restructured to include classical analysis and design techniques, object-oriented analysis and design techniques, and the analysis and design of web-based systems, including a glimpse of web engineering and web science (Fall 2016)
Course Redesign: CIS 1120 – The original CIS 1120 was split into two courses. The second component, which will remain CIS 1120, will focus on client-side programming using JavaScript and jQuery. (Fall 2012)
New Course: CIS 1110 – The original CIS 1120 was split into two courses. This new course delves more deeply into HTML5 and CSS3. While JavaScript and interactive pages will be introduced, those concepts are no longer the focus of the course. This new focus, and the fact that HTML5 and CSS3 were not yet finalized, required course materials to be developed from the ground up. (Spring 2012).
Course Redesign: CIS 4430 – Developed an entirely new set of course materials for the Web Development for eCommerce course. Previously the course delivery was student driven, with course topics selected by the professor, but lectures were researched and presented by the students as a means of developing student research and presentation skills. However, presentation quality had degraded over the years, necessitating a new delivery model. A set of course lectures and assignments were researched and developed by the professor. In addition, the use of MySQL and PHP to generate actual online catalog pages for fully-functioning eCommerce sites was incorporated into the course. The emphasis on web entrepreneurship was increased. (Fall 2011)
Course Redesign: CIS 4403 – Redesigned Systems Analysis and Design to bring course content up to date and to introduce a focus on the development of web-based information systems. Topics like agile development and cloud based computing were also added to course. All course materials, including lectures, assignments, and exams were developed from the ground up. (Fall 2011)
Course Redesign: CIS 4407 – Redesigned the database course so that it was based on MySQL rather than SQL Server. This was done to integrate the course more fully with CIS 4430 (Web Development for eCommerce) as part of a thrust toward web entrepreneurship. Database manipulation using PHP was also introduced in the course, as was installation and use of the LAMP or WAMP web development frameworks. Almost all new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Spring 2011)
Course Redesign: CS 2282 – Modified Advanced Computer Programming for the Computer Science department to expand the coverage of object-oriented concepts and to introduce the C#.Net programming language into the curriculum. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Fall 2010)
Course Redesign: CIS 3302 – Revised our Information Systems course to introduce the use of open source tools to teach students to develop a fully functional web site for a real or prototype business. This course is an introduction to IS for most non-majors, and students learned to appreciate the utility of IS when they develop something that they find useful and intriguing. At the same time, students see how information systems are interwoven throughout a successful business. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course.(Spring 2010)
Course Redesign: CIS 2220 – Redesigned the Foundations of Computer Programming course to incorporate some of object-oriented concepts that had previously been covered in CIS 3320, since CIS 3320 was removed from the list of required courses. (Fall 2008)
New Course: CIS 1120 (initially CIS 2299) – Designed and developed Interactive Web Development to provide students with exposure to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as to help students acquire basic programming skills. This course in effect replaced our existing introduction to programming course and was intended to use interactive web development to gently introduce both majors and non-majors to programming concepts like sequence, selection, and iteration, as well as functions, parameters, arrays, and string manipulation. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Spring 2008)
New Course: CIS 5591 – Developed a graduate seminar called CS/CIS Graduate Technology Seminar at the request of the GIS program for research-oriented graduates with an interest in new advances in computing technology. The seminar is based on analysis of articles from recent literature on emerging technology as well as new topics and challenges in software development, deployment, and use. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Fall 2007)
New Course: CIS 4407 – Developed Database Design and Implementation to replace our existing database course. This course incorporates a professional-grade multi-user relational DBMS (SQL Server) and covers advanced topics like stored procedures and triggers, advanced SQL, query optimization, and information assurance. Preprogrammed SQL using ASP.NET or VB.NET is included. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course.(Spring 2006)
Course Redesign: CIS 4430 – Revised our Web Development for eCommerce to incorporate emerging web development technologies like Web 2.0, HTML 4.01, AJAX, XBRL, etc., as well as topics like PHP, MySQL, and ASP.Net that are not covered in other courses. (Fall 2004)
Course Redesign: CIS 3382 – Revised Systems Analysis and Design to emphasize the systems development life cycle. Structured design approaches such as data flow diagrams are compared and contrasted to newer approaches associated with the unified modeling language (UML) to model systems. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. This course was later replaced by CIS 4403. (Spring 2003)
Course Redesign: CIS 3320 – Revised Advanced Business Programming (originally CIS 2221), to emphasize critical advanced topics, including object-oriented concepts and introductory data structures. Later course revisions de-emphasized data structures to expand coverage of OO concepts. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. A semester project using .NET was developed and refined for this course, and was eventually published in an academic journal. (Spring 2002)
New Course: CIS 4440 – Designed and developed Object-Oriented Programming to provide students with experience using the Java programming language and to provide thorough coverage of all object-oriented design concepts. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. This course was originally listed as CIS 4491. (Fall 2000)
Course Redesign: CIS 4480 – Revised Database Management Systems to more thoroughly cover basic database concepts including database design techniques such as data modeling and normalization. Students design database systems, implement them, and access them using SQL queries, forms, and reports. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. While teaching this class I developed a variety of "life-like" semester projects, two of which (Teton Whitewater Kayak and Lost River Wind Riders) were published in academic journals. I also formulated a data model validation approach for relational database design courses that was also published. (Fall 1999)
Course Redesign: CIS 2200 – Revised Foundations of Computer Programming from the ground up to increase student engagement and retention, and to use an object-based language to better teach students the basics of programming including the essential concepts of sequence, selection, and iteration, as well as procedures, arrays, and string manipulation through the use of the Visual Basic.Net programming language. Problem solving techniques and analytical thinking are also emphasized. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Fall 1999)

Saint Louis University

While at SLU, I helped to direct multiple restructurings of the undergraduate MIS curriculum, and contributed to the development of a new Master of Science in MIS program.

I also proposed and developed, or redesigned, several courses as follows:

New Course: MIS 345 – Collaborated on the development of Advanced Internet Technologies with an adjunct instructor. This course was designed to provide students with knowledge of the components of a web-based business/storefront and how to apply the components to an intranet or extranet, as well as the programming capability to implement such a solution. The primary infrastructure components include HTML, web serving, network programming, servlets, and Java Database Connectivity. (Fall 1998)
Course Redesign: MIS 320 – Revised Object-Oriented Programming to enhance OO coverage and to introduce the Java language. This course predated and anticipated industry movement to Java. Since course content changed completely, this course was developed from the ground up as an essentially new course. (Fall 1996)
New Course: MIS 600 – Designed and developed a new graduate course called Managing Information Technology and Emerging Technologies that explored new technologies and their potential use in and impact on business. This course provided students with a broad-based understanding of the management of information technology in order to prepare them to manage change as the technology is implemented in the organizational environment. It also made students aware of current technological issues and how they impact his or her ability to manage. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Spring 1996)
Course Redesign: MIS 410 – Revised Systems Analysis and Design to increase student engagement and to emphasize the systems development life cycle. Data flow diagrams are used to model processes. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Spring 1996)
Course Redesign: MIS 430 – Revised Database Management Systems to more thoroughly cover basic database concepts including database design techniques such as data modeling using entity-relationship diagrams as well as normalization. Students design database systems, implement them using Oracle, and access them using SQL queries, forms, and reports. All new course materials were researched and developed for this course. (Fall 1995)

Teaching Philosophy

Instructional Objectives

My objectives as a teacher are threefold: to best prepare students for the profession, to share my love of learning, and to make a difference in someone’s life. From the students’ perspective, the most important of these objectives is preparation for the profession since their goal is to gain the necessary knowledge and preparation for a job. My industry experience prior to entering academia, as well as my close ties to the local information technology (IT) community through area employers and former graduates, provide me with an awareness of what employers expect from their staff. Preparation for the profession requires the skills to pursue lifelong learning, critical and analytical thinking skills, communication skills, and the ability to use current technologies.

Lifelong learning is essential for anyone involved in IT because technology and tools constantly change and evolve. Thus, students must be taught how to independently learn new skills, an ability that will enable them to adapt throughout their professional lives. This ability is coveted by IT employers, who seek and treasure self-reliant employees.

Courses must be designed to develop and hone students’ critical and analytical thinking skills. IT students must be capable of reasoning out precise solutions to unstructured problems and clearly expressing those solutions in a form that the computer can understand.

Instructors must also provide students with an opportunity to improve their communication skills, since IT graduates will be required to interact with both those who authorize and those who use software and systems. Exercises requiring the development of software documentation and conceptual models help to supplement these skills.

Students should also be instructed in the use of current technology and practices, since this is required for entry into the profession. However, such knowledge has long-term benefit only if students are also given sufficient grounding to adapt to new technologies over time.

Instructional Methods

My philosophy involves using a variety of teaching techniques to achieve the above objectives. Concentrating on teaching best practices and concepts rather than merely focusing on the latest tool requires students to learn how to reason out the different ways of implementing those concepts as required by the wide variety of IT tools, a valuable skill that facilitates lifelong learning. Assignments should be designed to reinforce course concepts, but also to simulate as closely as possible an enterprise experience. In this way not only do students receive meaningful hands-on experience, but that experience serves as a vehicle for demonstrating and practicing basic principles.

However, students must not only learn the course concepts but must also be able to apply their learning to real job situations upon graduation, so experience with tools is essential. Therefore, I believe that courses should be heavily reliant on hands-on, interactive, goal-driven active learning and project-based learning assignments. If carefully planned, homework exercises and functional projects can reinforce core concepts while at the same time providing students with experience using the latest software tools. Both "live" projects commissioned by local companies and simulated projects based on real-world companies or scenarios can be structured to ensure that students gain exposure to the complexity that they will encounter upon entering the work force. In addition, projects in advanced courses should require students to work in collaborative teams, because recruiters often express a preference for students with experience working as part of a team.

IT is a challenging field in which to teach because course content must evolve to keep pace with constant technological advances. I believe that every lecture must be meticulously researched so that the instructor knows the topic thoroughly. IT courses also require that assignment specifications are painstakingly and explicitly written to ensure that students gain experience with the course topics that the assignment is intended to reinforce. Further, the assignments themselves must be implemented by the professor before they are assigned to ensure that the specifications do not require something that is impossible or unreasonably hard, and to provide students with an example after which to model their solution. Four of my course projects have been deemed sufficiently challenging and detailed to merit publication in international refereed journals.

I've always believed that the most effective teachers are those who can capture and keep students’ attention. I believe that humor can be an effective tool for keeping students interested, and one student commented on a recent evaluation, "He's funny and that keeps my attention." Enthusiastically delivered lectures also help keep student focus. Because I have a passion for teaching and sincerely value what I teach, it is natural for me to be enthusiastic in the classroom. Students notice and respond to this. One student evaluation comment noted, "His excitement for the subject matter helped me to really like it." Actively involving students in lectures also helps to get their attention. One of my strengths as a teacher has always been my ability to develop a strong rapport with students. I enjoy interacting with students and I always learn each student’s name as quickly as possible so I can address them by name when I ask questions in class or solicit their feedback. Knowing that they may be personally called on to participate at any time keeps their attention. Students quickly come to realize that I genuinely care about them, not just as students but as individuals. When students miss consecutive class meetings I make it a practice to send them an e-mail message to check on them. Students are encouraged to provide constructive feedback about courses, and often do so because they know that I listen and want to improve my courses. I encourage students to ask questions in class, during office hours, and via email. They know that I am available to them seven days a week. I also aggressively try to find internships and job opportunities for my students. For me, this one-on-one interaction with my students is essential for their learning and for my enjoyment of teaching. They generally seem to respond by working harder.

I also believe that it is important for teachers to practice what they preach. Many of my courses focus on web-based development, and I provide a wealth of online lecture notes that are designed to not only convey lecture material but to also provide examples of good practices and innovative ways to use information technology. Many of my notes include a “Try It!” section that allows students to try out lecture topics within the online notes. I have also developed tutorial software that uses animation and audio clips to demonstrate core concepts. Social media has been explored as a teaching aid both in my classes and in my research. Teachers must constantly strive to become better, and technology is just one tool that I harness.

Student Assessment

Many IT courses focus on problem-solving skills, so assignments must be designed to test students’ ability to develop solutions to unstructured problems. The more advanced the course, the more challenging the problem should be. Large projects can be divided into deliverables in order to focus on specific skills. Assignment objectives should clearly state the skills that the assignment is designed to assess and grading rubrics should be provided for every assignment or deliverable so that students know in advance exactly what is expected of them and that grading will be consistent and equitable. IT assignments can be designed such that students can easily determine if their assignments function correctly and meet assignment specifications.

Motivation for Teaching

I began by stating that I had three primary objectives as a teacher. However, I focused almost exclusively on the first of the three, perhaps because the other two are selfish. I want to share with students my love of learning. I want to make a difference in their lives. I find it fulfilling when former students write to tell me that they are making an immediate impression on their employers, and they attribute it to my teaching. I found it even more thrilling when an employee of an entrepreneurial former student wrote to thank me for making her job possible. To know that you have had a positive impact on even one individual’s life makes all the hard work and preparation worth the effort. I take my role as an educator very seriously and work to deliver the best possible teaching product I can. I believe that teaching is a sacred trust and responsibility, and I approach each course and each student with the respect, compassion, and effort that this belief merits.

My Teaching Mentors

My teaching has been shaped by many role models, whose wonderful teaching I can only try to emulate, but will never equal. My teaching style has been molded by their examples. I acknowledge a few of them below.

Tom Burcham

I encountered my first master teacher during my Junior year at Hobbs High School in Hobbs, New Mexico. The most vivid lecturer I ever met was Tom Burcham, my teacher in multiple history classes. He was one of the most entertaining educators that I’ve ever had the good fortune to encounter, but also so knowledgeable and able to share that knowledge.

He had a talent for spinning tales that made history come alive. I still remember his stories about early aviation in World War I, the "Desert Rats" and the Battle of El Alamein, and Operation Mincemeat in World War II. He told those stories to our class almost forty years ago, and his descriptions were so vivid that I still recall them.

Tom Burcham demonstrated that while it is essential to know your material, if you make a subject interesting students will retain the material longer.

Martha Whitman

I had the great fortune of encountering another wonderful role model at Hobbs High. Martha Whitman was an English teacher who was known for being caring and compassionate, but still able to drive her students to greater accomplishments through encouragement and motivation. We never heard her raise her voice. Any disappointment in her students was reflected in a look of profound sadness that made the students want to try hard to never let her down again.

She frequently stayed after school to work with those of us on her NMJC Academic Games team, and we appreciated her dedication and sacrifice for her students. (Yes, we won.)

Her compassion and patience helped to mold my teaching style today.

Dr. Scotty Klein

At New Mexico Junior College I encountered Dr. Harry Scott ("Scotty") Klein. He had a knack for making any math class fun and enjoyable. He always had time to joke around with and tease his students. His love of teaching showed in everything that he did.

Scotty's contribution to my teaching style was that demonstrating that you care about your students makes them work even harder for you.

Dr. Robert Greenwood

At the University of Texas I met Dr. Robert Ewing Greenwood, who was able to make even advanced calculus come alive with his colorful presentations. An elderly gentleman with a flowing white beard, he told stories about the first shunt-wound calculators and even performed magic shows to keep the class's attention.

His lesson in teaching, like Tom Burcham's, was that humor and fascinating stories get and keep a student's attention.

Dr. James Archer

At Texas Tech University I met Dr. James E. Archer, one of the most brilliant and able educators that I’ve ever known. His computer science courses managed to take all the CS courses that I had in my lifetime and find the common thread that ran through all the courses, relating the material in a more synergistic whole that students could easily grasp.

He was one of the most challenging and knowledgeable teachers that I ever encountered and helped to mold the high standards that characterize my own teaching.

I've often reflected that I learned how to teach by following the good examples set by these teachers. (I also learned how to not teach by avoiding the poor teaching techniques of some of my other teachers.)

I've been fortunate to have learned from so many master teachers in my lifetime, and I thank them and hope that I can repay them by having a similar impact on my students.