Problem-Based Learning in Information Systems Analysis and Design

The critical question challenging information systems educators in the new millennium is how university information systems courses can add enough value to students that they will choose to study in higher education for a full degree rather than opt for a one-year certification course leading to similar economic and status outcomes in the short term. This chapter assesses the feasibility and desirability of achieving a better match between delivery of information systems education and the professional workplace through Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A brief introduction to cognitive and learning principles is followed by a discussion of PBL and its potential to help to achieve a better fit between student aspirations and employer requirements. The chapter concludes with an illustration of the use of PBL in a systems analysis and design course.

Curriculum Model of the Information Resource Management Association and the Data Administration Managers Association

Modern organizations recognize the need to maintain and manage information as an organizational asset. They also recognize the need for today’s managers to be well versed in information resources management. This document details an international information resources management curriculum for a four-year undergraduate-level program specifically designed to meet needs. The curriculum provides a model for individual universities to tailor to their particular needs. That is, the IRMA/DAMA Curriculum Model is a generic framework for universities to customize in light of their specific situations. This curriculum model prepares students to understand the concepts of information resources management and technologies, methods, and management procedures to collect, analyze, and disseminate information throughout organizations in order to remain competitive in the global business world. These are all aspects of managing information. It outlines core course descriptions, rationales, and objectives, and includes suggested specific course topics and the percentage of emphasis.

Information Systems Curriculum Development as an Ecological Process

The discipline of Information Systems (IS), in common with the other major branches of computing, is subject to constant and continuing change as new technologies appear and new methodologies and development techniques are devised. IS professionals working in the computer industry need to keep abreast of these changes to remain useful and, of necessity, curriculum in information systems must also undergo frequent revisions and changes. To those of us involved in research and teaching in information systems, it is clear that curriculum innovation and change in this area is complex, and anything but straightforward (Longenecker & Feinstein, 1990). Of course, all curriculum innovation is complex (Boomer, Lester, Onore, & Cook, 1992; Fullan, 1993; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1992; Kemmis & Stake, 1988) due to the involvement of a large number of human actors, but in information systems curriculum change, this is particularly so, due to the need also to consider the part played by such non-human actors (Latour, 1996) as the technology itself.

Bridging the Industry-University Gap

This chapter discusses a course partnership involving Day & Zimmermann, Inc. (DZI), a large engineering and professional services company, and Temple University. The course’s main goal was to teach students business process redesign concepts and techniques. These concepts and techniques were used to redesign five business processes from DZI’s information technology organization. DZI’s CIO and a senior manager, who played the role of project manager, championed the course partnership. A Web site with bulletin boards, multimedia components and static content was used to support the partnership. The chapter investigates the use of Web-based collaboration technologies in combination with communication behavior norms and face-to-face meetings, and its effect on the success of the partnership.

The Challenge of Teaching Research Skills to Information Systems and Technology Students

As the information systems discipline grows, so do the number of programs offering graduate research degrees. These include one-year post-graduate (honors) programs, masters by research, and doctoral degrees. Graduate students entering their first research degree are faced with a quantum leap in expectations and required skills. The burden is significant: they need to find a referent discipline, select a research method and paradigm, defend the research relevance, and fulfill the requirements of adding to a body of knowledge. The purpose of this chapter is to inform discussion on the issue of teaching and learning graduate research skills. We identify the core research skills needed and present three pragmatic models for teaching them. This provides a basis for a shared knowledge and discourse based on lessons learned.

Delivering Course Material via the Web

The trend toward the use of the Internet in academia is clear with the number of courses using the web for the delivery of course materials ever increasing. There are many positive reasons for using the web in a course, but this raises a number of new issues for faculty, including the time needed and salary concerns. We present a table of six levels of web site use and discuss the major problems associated with the creation and development of web courses. Practical suggestions are offered for dealing with problems from the authors’ experiences and the research literature. The final section covers global enrollment, the electronic university, and the trend toward use of the web for the delivery of course materials.

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.

Teaching Teamwork in Information Systems

Teamwork is very important in information systems development. Therefore, most courses in systems analysis and design and many programming courses require students to work on group projects. However, a project group is not the same thing as a team. Furthermore, for a group to become a team, there are several important characteristics that must be developed. These characteristics do not always develop automatically. This chapter discusses the requirements for effectively forming, building, managing, and evaluating teams in information systems courses. Students should be taught these concepts in addition to the regular course content. This chapter also addresses two special issues that deal with team development and team management: managing cultural diversity and managing “virtual” teams, where the team members are geographically separated.

Computer-Supported Learning of Information Systems

New information technologies (IT) can enhance management information systems (MIS) education by improving the quality of the learning experience. This chapter proposes a tri-dimensional conceptual model based on the pedagogical assumptions of the course, the time dimension of the communication between students and professors, and the geographical location of learners and instructors. The implications of the model are reviewed in terms of their potential to contribute to teaching MIS courses and doing research in computer-supported MIS education.

Information Technology Model Curricula Analysis

Most information technology (IT) bachelor degree recipients get jobs after graduation, rather than attend graduate school (Freeman & Aspray, 1999). They enter the workforce because of the tremendous demand for the IT skilled professionals. This means students (and employers) are looking for a practical rather than a theoretical education to fill the computing careers. Such a practical education necessitates a variety of approaches to work in various computing careers. “The traditional career path of programmer to systems analyst to project manager and eventually to IS manager” no longer holds (Urquhart, Perez, Rhoden & Lamp, 1996). With many career paths there is a need for varying academic tracts to start students in their careers.