The Imagine Cup Software Development Invitational: Implications for Use in the IS Capstone Course

Employers have been critical of the opportunities students have to integrate technical business and soft skills in IS programs. The IS capstone course is one mechanism through which to address this need. Literature indicates IS capstone courses differ in the weight they place on technology, business, and soft skills integrated as a part of the course. This paper argues it is important to address all three skill sets in a roughly equitable manner while it is often a student’s technical skills that get them an interview, it is their business and soft skills that get them hired (Litecky, Arnett, & Prabhakar, 2004). The Imagine Cup Software Development Invitational (SDI) is introduced as a way to accomplish this equitable integration. A phenomenological study is conducted to evaluate student’s experiences in the Imagine Cup SDI to gain some insight as to its utility in providing business, technical, and soft-skill development. The study finds that the Imagine Cup participants experienced development in their technical skills, their soft skills, and to some aspects of their business skills. Personal development was also noted as a result of the Imagine Cup experience.