Teaching or Technology

Fuelled by the increasing connectivity afforded by the Internet and the flexibility offered by Web technologies, the use of technology in education has become increasingly common. However, despite claims that the Web will revolutionise education, many attempts at Web-based education simply reinforce current ‘poor’ teaching practices or present more of the same disguised in updated packaging. We argue that this occurs because of differing pedagogical assumptions and a limited understanding of how flexible learning differs from traditional approaches. In particular, we argue that flexible learning demands an increased focus on constructivism and the sociological aspects of teaching and learning. This chapter presents two frameworks that situate our approach to flexible learning with respect to more traditional offerings and discusses the implications for educational technology design.

Data Modeling

Despite extensive changes in technology and methodology, anecdotal and empirical evidence (e.g., Davis et al., 1997) consistently suggests that communication and problem-solving skills are fundamental to the success of an IT professional. As two of the most valued skills in an IT graduate, they should be essential components of an effective education program, regardless of changes in student population or delivery mechanisms. While most educators would concur with this view, significantly more emphasis is generally placed on teaching the tools and techniques that students will require in their future careers, and a corresponding amount of energy is expended in attempting to identify what those tools and techniques might be. In contrast, successful problem solving is often seen either as an inherent capability that some students already possess or as a skill that some will magically acquire during the course of their studies. Data modeling as an activity, by which we mean the gathering and analysis of users’ information needs and their representation in an implementable design, is largely one of communication and problem solving and, consequently, provides an excellent opportunity for explicitly teaching these skills. Data modeling is generally considered to be one of the more difficult skills to teach (e.g., Hitchman, 1995; Pletch, 1989), particularly if the student has no previous understanding of physical data structures (de Carteret & Vidgen, 1995). The essential constructs, such as entities, attributes or objects, may be elegant in their powerful simplicity, but their combination into a useful design is a complex process of categorization in which there is “considerable room for choice and creativity in selecting the most useful classification” (Simsion, 1994 p.82). Data modeling requires not only the ability to communicate about and to solve a problem, but also to create possible solutions and then choose between them. Herein lies the difficulty. It is not enough to learn what the different constructs are, or even to study simple textbook examples of how to put them together. The student must really understand the problem, be able to create and recognize a number of possible ways in which the problem can be solved, and then exercise considerable critical skills in choosing between them. This chapter examines these issues and describes various ways in which final-year undergraduate students, taking a specialist module in data modeling, have been encouraged to develop, and have confidence in, their creative and critical ability to solve problems in a disciplined and systematic way.

Information Systems and Computer Science Model Curricula

Computer science and information systems are interrelated disciplines that both cover the technical and functional aspects of computing. They are fields of study in high demand by students and employers. Yet, many colleges do not have the resources to offer multiple computing departments. So, professional organizations have developed model curriculums to help define the knowledge necessary for information technology majors. This chapter provides a discussion of model IS and CS curricula. It is hoped that IT departments will be able to develop an information technology curriculum, which suits their student’s needs.

Educating the Business Information Technologist

The current business environment requires that all Information Technology (IT) professionals, not just managers, develop a strategic perspective toward their work. This chapter discusses the importance of that perspective for today’s business information technologist and proposes a framework for teaching strategic IT to non-managers.

IS Program Issues

This chapter suggests the challenges of academic information systems programs are a product of origin and evolution. Based upon the literature and survey results, the chapter suggests issues concerning origin, perceptions, solutions, and accreditation.

Measurement of a College Computer Literacy Course

A college graduate has to be computer literate in order to gain competitive edge in today’s business world since information technology, ranging from the basic word processing software to the complex data base management systems, is used constantly to prepare, present, and exchange information for management decision making. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the education institution to offer a computer literacy class or series of classes for preparing its students with proper computer knowledge in a suitable learning environment before they enter the business world. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss and present some issues of the college computer literacy classes offered by the Management Information Science Department (MIS) of College of Business Administration (CBA) at the California State University, Sacramento. These issues include the objectives of the classes, the contents of the classes, the classroom environment, and the measurement of class objectives.

Towards Establishing the Best Ways to Teach and Learn about IT

In this chapter we report on an ongoing project to improve the ways we teach about IT in an undergraduate degree. Using a relational perspective on learning, we have developed a framework of factors to encourage students to adopt a deep approach to learning about IT. We describe the design, implementation, evaluation and refinement of learning contexts and learning activities based on the framework. Results are encouraging and show a significant positive effect when compared with a previous study by other researchers involving a different teaching and learning context.

E-Commerce Curriculum Development and Implementation

The very nature of e-commerce requires a rapid, flexible approach to curriculum development. This chapter describes a successful model for the design and development of an e-commerce curriculum, and chronicles the experiences of DePaul University’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems in developing an e-commerce master’s degree. Eight key principles for universities seeking to embark on a new e-commerce curriculum are identified. The chapter updates earlier work presented at the 2000 Information Resources Management Association Conference (Knight & Chan).

The Gender Issue in Information Technology

A paradox is occurring today in the Information Technology (IT) field. At the very moment that a large unmet demand for IT workers exists, approximately one-half of our work force is largely declining the offer. The Information Technology Association of America estimates the number of IT jobs languishing at a staggering 840,000 (eWeek, 2000). Though women in IT earn 60 percent more than women in other occupations, their numbers have dropped from 40 percent in 1986 to 29 percent today (CIO, 2000). The White House Council of Economic Advisors (CIO, 2000) estimates that women are leaving the IT job market at twice the rate of men. This report focuses on the ongoing strategies employed for the integration and retention of women in the collegiate and the corporate sphere (Frenkel, 1991).

An Action Learning Approach for the Development of Technology Skills

Information technology provides a unique challenge to universities to maintain the relevance of their offerings as the rate of technical change far out paces curricular reforms. What is needed for students of information technology are opportunities that provide real world, hands-on experiences for developing necessary skills and understandings in a relatively “safe” environments. This article is a case study of the experiences of students in a course that required them to complete action learning technology projects for social services clients. Results suggest a generalizable model for improving relevance within the universities of the 21st century.