Lessons from a Summer in Silicon Valley

Making the work of a faculty member relevant to a community of practice and attractive to new students is always challenging. In the case of Information Systems, the challenge is enhanced by continuous change and because of... [ view full abstract ]

Making the work of a faculty member relevant to a community of practice and attractive to new students is always challenging. In the case of Information Systems, the challenge is enhanced by continuous change and because of the importance Silicon Valley plays in the field. Silicon Valley is a very busy place with little time for the explanations needed to inform our field; the higher education institutions in Silicon Valley have their entire capacity consumed in support of the “Valley” leaving not enough resources to inform the rest of higher education. In effect, our students will be entering their professional live in 2 to 5 years, and Silicon Valley is defining these jobs now.

The authors had several means of access to the ongoing life of Silicon Valley, which include The Churchill Club; the Tech Museum of Innovation; the Computer History Museum; and various “Meet Ups”. The Churchill Club was founded in 1985 for the purpose of “Igniting Conversations to Encourage Innovation, Economic Growth and Societal Benefit.” It requires membership and attracts speakers and panels that have included CEOs, Government Leaders and panels of industry and academic leaders. The Tech Museum of Innovation is a center for innovation and education in San Jose. Its focus is on science and technology and is an amazing hands on museum. Founded in 1979, the Computer History Museum moves to California from Boston in 1999. In many ways this institution is the central archive for computing, including hardware, software, and the biographies of the people that made them possible. “Meet up” are events usually hosted at companies working in the area of the “Meet up” topic. These meetings include people working in the industry who have interest in the topic as well as managerial and academic leaders.

The authors categorize two dozen meetings and discuss the topics, trends, techniques and culture revealed by the events in the summer quarter of 2015 as viewed in Silicon Valley. The intended result to inform better teaching, curriculum development, selection of topics for scholarship, implementation and adoption of technology, and speculation about implications for the future. The intended audience is our colleagues working in information systems and computing in higher education but the paper will like have utility to a broader audience.