ISCAP Proceedings - 2025

Louisville, KY - November 2025



ISCAP Proceedings: Abstract Presentation


Using Competitions in Information Systems Programs to Enhance Student Workforce Readiness


Sankara Subramanian Srinivasan
University of Utah

Chong Oh
University of Utah

Abstract
The Information Systems (IS) field has been characterized by rapid technological advancements and innovations. It is important for students entering the IS workforce to be agile and capable of swiftly embracing such advancements to deliver value in the workplace. Competitions are one way for IS departments to foster such skills in their students in a fun way. We present a model followed by the IS Department at the University of Utah over the last eight years, which uses competitions to encourage learning and applying new skills. We share information about the competitions we conduct annually for our students, our learnings, and suggestions for other programs interested in replicating this model. This would help IS programs all over the world to easily adapt our model and offer competitions to enhance their students’ overall learning experience, technical agility, and workforce readiness.