Title: Educating future IS professionals through real-world integration

Authors: Duncan Shaw, Brendon J. Woodford, George L. Benwell

Addresses: Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK. ' School of Business, University of Otago, Commerce Building, Dunedin, New Zealand. ' School of Business, University of Otago, Commerce Building, Dunedin, New Zealand

Abstract: We report on teaching Information Systems Analysis (ISA) in a way that takes the classroom into the real world to enrich students| understanding of the broader role of being an IS professional. Through exposure to less controllable and more uncomfortable issues (e.g., client deadlines; unclear scope; client expectations; unhelpful colleagues, complexity about what is the problem never mind the solution) we aim to better prepare students to respond to the complex issues surrounding deployment of systems analysis methodologies in the real world. In this paper we provide enough detail on what these classes involve to allow a reader to replicate appealing elements in their own teaching. This paper is a reflection on integrating in the real world when teaching ISA – a reflection from the standpoint of students who face an unstructured and complex world and of lecturers who aim to prepare students to hit the floor running when they encounter that world.

Keywords: clients; experiential learning; industry; systems analysis; teaching cases; information systems; IS professionals; IS education; case studies; real world; integration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2007.014210

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2007 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.66 - 83

Published online: 25 Jun 2007 *

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