Information Systems Development Education - Essay Example

Information Systems Development Education The integration of technology into education has become especially important from the perspective of training both teachers and students to cope with the challenges of the Internet age. In a globally competitive knowledge economy, technology is becoming all pervasive but it is not enough for students to be technically proficient to function effectively in a business environment. They also need to develop skills such as networking, working in teams and the ability to be adaptable to a rapidly changing environment. Recent federal legislation and initiatives in funding for professional development of teachers also recognize the need to make teachers aware of new methods of teaching using the tools of technology and how best they can make use of it to improve educational outcomes, to prepare students to cope in a world where information systems have become the prevailing medium in carrying out business activities.(Lawless and Pellegrino, 2007). The views offered by experts suggest that apart from general professional development of teachers, there is a need to develop technology professional development. Since the extent of technology leverage can effect different outcomes at different developmental levels, i.e, elementary, middle and secondary, professional development of teachers must also be varied accordingly. Where the question of integrating technology into instruction is concerned, the focus of professional development needs to be grounded in technology to be really effective. (Lawless and Pellegrino, 2007). Other aspects that must be considered include the delivery of instruction, i.e, whether it is to be imparted face to face or online, the development of skills and enrichening of pedagogy, as well as provision of theories about learning and how such learning is to be assessed. Lawless and Pellegrino (2007) state that this requires a multidimensional approach to evaluation, especially because the important factor is learner outcomes in a technology environment, which is ever evolving and subject to change, thereby making the process of evaluation of learning more difficult. In the information systems field, the critical skills that are needed to be successful in the workplace are the ability to solve increasingly difficult problems with a great deal of confidence and competence, as well as the ability to be able to deal with rapidly changing problems. (Wagner et al, 2008). Information systems students and teachers alike may tend to focus upon the acquisition of technology skills, often at the expense of other soft skills, which are as important. (Merhout and Buchman, 2007). One of the biggest challenges in the field of information systems education is the correct identification of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the job, and imparting an adequate amount of training to students to equip them to perform that job effectively. One way in which this problem is being tackled is by developing a learner centered paradigm which defines learner outcomes that are also behaviorally measurable. After each course, feedback is gathered and where necessary, the outcomes, learning methods and assessment structures are revised accordingly (Wagner et al, 2008). There has been an increasing need for education programs in education systems to develop formal assessment techniques to measure program outcomes, since accreditation bodies such as ABET have also made it a requirement, calling upon institutions to build up their accountability towards student learning.(Karmoun and Selim, 2008). Accordingly, a web based senior exit exam has been developed, using both direct and indirect multiple assessment methods which are being used to gather information about program assessment. Direct assessments provide for a direct observation or examination of student knowledge and skills against clearly specified performance outcomes. One of these direct assessment tools is the web based senior exit exam, also known as the Major Field Test. This not only allows for a measurement of performance against expected performance outcomes, they also provide documented evidence of performance and the necessary inputs to assess and refine the existing curricula. Indirect assessment tools seek to determine perceptions on the extent and value of the learning experiences, generally through an assessment of opinions or thoughts about student knowledge or skills. Direct methods of assessment are generally preferred because indirect assessment tools may be subject to self bias.(Karmoun and Selim, 2008). Another aspect that is increasingly important in today information systems environment is the ability of individuals to perform collaborative work, especially in problem solving and thereby engage in team work. The curricula of information systems education is generally centered upon technical training with very little attention being devoted to aspects such as the coalescing of team and project knowledge. Smith et al (2008) however, stress the importance of development of team competencies and project knowledge. They have mentioned the views of experts who have stated that the human factor is often the most important, yet most overlooked aspect of IT project management. Smith et al (2008) stress that of students are to develop team work and networking skills, information systems projects must be defined in such a way that opportunities are provided to the students to master such skills. They suggest that in the freshman year of such programs, the focus should be to teach students how to work in a team environment, through the development of a team competency roadmap and a competency matrix within which team assessment takes place. Project learning and development takes place in subsequent years, but students learn to work together in groups as learning progresses, which also later facilitates their interaction with clients (Smith et al, 2008). In a pilot study carried out by Sowe and Stamelos (2007), involving students of information systems in software testing in Free and Open Source Software projects, was very valuable in the field pf software engineering, because it created a teaching and learning context where students were exposed to real world software engineering projects. This helped them to be better prepared to cope with the kind of situations that they were likely to encounter in the real world, especially in the use of technology. But as these authors also point out, most universities view Free and Open Source Software merely as an opportunity to acquire technology at a low cost for IT infrastructure and administrational duties, rather than as an opportunity for students to learn software engineering concepts and skills. Integrating the tools of technology into the educational process can bring about some significant improvements to learning outcomes for students in this field. In a case study approach adopted by Griffiths et al (2007) of a Masters level course in systems analysis and design, the different teaching methods were examined. As an alternative to lectures, the students were provided with learning materials such a books, videos, courseware and a website, with students being allowed to work through the materials at their own pace. This produced an increase in the minimum marks scored by students as well as registering a jump in pass rates. Feedback collected on this teaching method also revealed that both students and teachers were more satisfied with the outcomes; students because they felt that they had achieved higher levels of autonomy and teachers because they felt their time with students were more productive. The results of this case study also demonstrate the importance of developing a learner centered paradigm in information systems education. In discussing the relevance of such a paradigm in postsecondary information systems education, Landry et al (2008) have discussed five key trends and issues for educators on the basis of which they present several propositions that could enrich information systems education. These are (a) recruiting and retention, whereby the learner centered paradigm focuses upon engaging students in the learning process by using active learning techniques (b) learning in a dynamic field, where a one-size-fits-all curriculum is eschewed in favor of empowering students to seek out new knowledge in the technologies and trends which interest them (c) integrating professional certifications with outcome based learning in the classroom (d) the creation of a community of practice centered around outcomes specified by the IS model curriculum with outcomes mapping tools to encourage faculty members to adopt an outcomes based teaching approach. Thus in conclusion, the critical skills students need to acquire in information systems education, in order to function effectively in a globally competitive business environment, is the ability to work in teams and to be flexible and adaptable to change. Both of these require the acquisition of not merely technical skills but also soft skills. The development of a learner centered approach to teaching and integrating the tools of technology into pedagogy thus appears to be vital in ensuring that positive outcomes are attained. Bibliography * Karmoun, Faouzi and Selim, Said, 2008. “On the design and development of WEBSEE: A web based senior exit exam for value added assessment of a CIS program”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(2): 209-223 * Landry, Jeffrey P, Saulnier, Bruce M, Wagner, Teresa A, Longnecker Jr, Herbert E, 2008. “Why is the learner-centered paradigm so profoundly important for information systems education?”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(2): 175-180 * Lawless, Kimberly A and Pellegrino, James W, 2007. “Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning: knowns, unknowns and ways to pursue better questions and answers”, Review of Educational Research, 77(4): 575-615 * Merhout, Jeffrey W and Buchman, Sarah E, 2007. “Requisite skills and knowledge for entry-level IT auditors”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 18(4) : 469-478 * Sowe, Sulayman K and Stamelos, Ioannis G, 2007. “Involving software engineering students in open source software projects: Experiences from a pilot study”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 18(4): 425-437 * Smith III, Harold, Smarkusky, Debra and Corrigall, Elizabeth, 2008. “Defining projects to integrate evolving team fundamentals and project management skills”, Journal of Information S\stems Education, 19(1): 99-111 * Wagner, Teresa A, Longenecker, Jr, Herbert E, Landry, Jeffrey P, Lusk, Scott, C and Saulnier, Bruce M, 2008. “A Methodology to assist faculty in developing successful approaches for achieving learner centered information systems curriculum outcomes: Team based methods”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(2): 181-236 Read More