CS and IS alumni post-graduate course and supervision perceptions

Abstract

Stakeholders in academic departments at higher education institutions include faculty, alumni, advisory board members, current students and employers. Stakeholder analysis provides information that academic departments can utilise to evaluate their programme offerings, post-graduate supervision quality and programme relevance. This exploratory study focuses on CS&IS post-graduates’ (alumni) perceptions of their education experience in a CS&IS department. The study further focuses on post-graduate courses they studied, their relevance in industry and if the academic programme adequately prepared them for a career in the ICT industry. The supervision of their post-graduate research was further investigated as well as their overall university experience. The results of the study indicate that the Department of CS&IS provided the relevant courses for employment in the ICT industry at the specific time they completed their studies. This research could assist academic departments in acquiring alumni feedback on their academic experience at an institution and improve post-graduate supervision practices.