Proposing a New Framework and an Innovative Approach to Teaching Reengineering and ERP Implementation Concepts

Recognizing the need to teach ERP implementation and business process reengineering (BPR) concepts simultaneously, as well as the pedagogical limitations of the case teaching method and simulation tools, the objective of this study is to propose a new framework and an innovative teaching approach to improve the ERP training experience for IS students. The proposed framework, derived from Kettinger et al.\u27s (1997) BPR framework and the AcceleratedSAP® ERP implementation methodology, was developed to center the organization transformation process on business process redesign and not on the ERP solution. The new framework was then tested with post-graduate students completing their MIS program in partnership with a multinational firm that manufactures residential furniture. Analyzing and reengineering one of our partner\u27s processes and configuring SAP R/3 in our laboratory to support one of the firm\u27s newly reengineered sub-processes demonstrated that the framework offers a very structured, rigorous methodology for teaching BPR and ERP implementation concepts. More generally, the proposed framework and teaching approach helped students to learn more by doing and to understand the various skills required when conducting ERP and process improvement projects

Starledger: A Business Activity Model Using SAP R/3 As A Classroom Tool To Measure Learning Outcomes

Integrating enterprise system applications within the accounting curriculum has been a major challenge for over eight years.  Enterprise systems education is surprisingly well documented within the literature of enterprise system education.  Not surprisingly, most of these papers provide a descriptive study of individual experiences of an institution of an academic unit.  This paper focuses on the use of a practice case set within the accounting curriculum of a four year liberal arts based accounting program.  The results of the integration of this practice case show the ability of enterprise software to bring textbook concepts to life and a high satisfaction level among the students using this package.&nbsp

Exploring the diversity of ERP systems – An empirical insight into system usage in academia

Because of the increasing importance of ERP systems and their educational value, as well as the rapidly changing ERPmarket, many universities use or want to use ERP systems for their courses. The aim of these courses is to teach anddemonstrate different ERP related concepts and processes. To support these courses, some ERP manufacturers co-operateclosely with universities and offer their systems and resources for academic teaching. However, there are hardly anyempirical insights on system usage in academia. As an initial survey, we developed a questionnaire to determine the currentstatus of ERP system usage and integration in courses at IS chairs of German-speaking research-oriented universities. Among92 responding university chairs, 59 are teaching ERP topics. Of these 59 chairs, only 38 are teaching ERP systemspractically. Almost every university chair (35 out of 38) that is providing practical courses for students is using SAP

Perceptions of MBA Students on Business Process Modeling as a Learning Tool: An Empirical Investigation

Based upon a survey of 95 MBA students in a Business Process Management (BPM) course at a university in New England, this study reports the perceptions of students concerning the efficacy of process modeling as a learning tool. Depending on their majors, students were classified as (a) Information Technology (IT) majors and (b) Business majors. The fifteen variables explored in the survey were classified into three categories: (a) Process Analysis issues, (b) Course related issues, and (c) Organizational issues. Statistically significant differences are found on the value of simulation exercises as perceived by MBA students on five dimensions: (1) Analyzing Business Process Performance, (2) Modeling Business Processes, (3) High-level Process Mapping, (4) Understanding BPM Concepts, and (5) Grasping Process Control Issues. Implications of these differences for designing graduate level BPM courses in colleges of business administration are discussed in the paper. Keyword

ERP-System-Einsatz in der Lehre: Ergebnisse einer Umfrage an deutschen Universitäten und Fachhochschulen

Aufgrund der wachsenden Bedeutung von ERP-Systemen und ihres Wertes für die Hochschullehre nutzen viele Hochschulen ERP-Systeme in ihren Kursen. Das Ziel dieser Kurse besteht in der Vermittlung von ERP-Kenntnissen und von verschiedenen ERP-bezogenen Konzepten und Prozessen. Zur Unterstützung derartiger Kurse stellen einige Hersteller ihre Systeme für die Hochschullehre zur Verfügung. Jedoch gibt es kaum empirische Studien zur Verwendung von ERP-Systemen in Hochschulkursen. Daher wurde ein Fragebogen entwickelt, um den Lehreinsatz von ERP-Systemen an deutschsprachigen Universitäten und Fachhochschulen zu erheben. Dies hat gezeigt, dass mehr als zwei Drittel der Universitäten und nahezu alle Fachhochschulen ERP-Systeme praktisch in ihren Kursen nutzen. Dabei sind SAP-Systeme die am häufigsten eingesetzten Systeme

Teaching ERP systems: A Multi-Perspective View on the ERP System Market

In order to increase the diversity in IS education, we discuss an approach for teaching medium-sized ERP systems in university courses. Many of today’s IS curricula are biased toward a few large ERP packages. Nevertheless, these ERP systems are only a part of the ERP market. Therefore, this paper describes a course outline for an additional course on medium-sized ERP systems. Students had to study, analyze, and compare different ERP systems on their own during a semester. The seminar took place at three universities at the same time. The paper introduces a procedure model and a scenario for setting up similar courses at other universities. Furthermore, it discusses some of the students’ outcomes and evaluates the contribution of the course with regard to a practical but also academic IS education in a comparison of the three universities

Teaching ERP Systems: Results of a Survey at Research-Oriented Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany

Because of the increasing importance of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and their educational value, as well as the rapidly-changing ERP market, many universities use, or want to use, ERP systems for their courses. The aim of these courses is to teach and demonstrate different ERP-related concepts and processes. To support these courses, some ERP manufacturers co-operate closely with universities and offer their systems and resources for academic teaching. However, there are very few empirical insights on system usage in academia. Therefore, we developed a questionnaire to determine the current status of ERP system usage and integration in courses at IS chairs of German-speaking, research-oriented universities (response rate 41.4%) and universities of applied sciences (response rate 53.1%). The results show that, among the respondents, more than two-thirds of the universities and nearly all of the universities of applied sciences use ERP systems practically in their courses. Though, almost every university chair (35 out of 38) and every professor/lecturer at the universities of applied sciences (47 out of 47) that are providing practical courses for students are using at least SAP ERP systems. In comparison with a former study we could show that the taught ERP functionalities have shifted throughout the last years from selected transactions towards selected modules or even towards the complete ERP system’s core

A Cross-Functional Systems Project in an IS Capstone Course

Information systems (IS) practitioners must regularly work cross-functionally with business users when implementing enterprise systems. However, most IS higher education is not truly cross-functional in nature with students typically relying on instructors or even themselves to represent user requirements. To address this gap, we describe an ambitious multi-course project that paired students from an operations management class as business users with students from an undergraduate IS capstone course as systems developers to build an enterprise resource planning (ERP) application. In doing so, we attempted to emulate the critical success factors typically encountered in realistic cross-functional systems projects as identified in existing literature, including top management support, team interaction, communication, project management, and training. We analyze post-project debriefings combined with structural modeling of student survey data to reveal moderate realization of these success factors. We also highlight opportunities for replicating and improving the project as well as review important feedback for our entire IS program

Teaching Business Process Management with Simulation in Graduate Business Programs: An Integrative Approach

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a graduate level Business Process Management (BPM) course with process modeling and simulation as its integral component, being offered at an accredited business university in the Northeastern U.S. Our approach is similar to that found in other Information Systems (IS) education papers, and can best be described as Design Science Research applied to pedagogical innovation. We use a survey of 95 graduate business students, classified as Information Technology (IT)-oriented and Business (non-IT)-oriented, to evaluate how the proposed artifact – the BPM course and its modeling and simulation components – supports student learning. The survey explores process analysis, course design, and process integration issues. Statistically significant differences between the two student groups on the value of modeling and simulation are found on five out of 15 survey items: analyzing process performance, creating process models, mapping process structure, understanding process concepts, and implementing process controls. The paper discusses implications of these differences for designing and delivering graduate BPM courses in colleges of business administration

Management Information Systems Education: A Systematic Review

Management information systems (MIS) programs were developed to prepare graduates to create innovative solutions to problems where business and technology intersect. As such, the curricula must change rapidly to stay current with industry standards, an accelerating moving target. This research presents the findings of a systematic literature review to identify and present trends in the scholarly literature on MIS education. The purpose of this approach was to understand how academia ensures students are prepared for industry and keeps pace with changing industry needs. Key findings from the literature are presented, as well as a compilation of areas for future research. Overwhelmingly, a lack of international perspective was identified as the vast majority of articles collected data in the US. Further, the direction of future research and exploration revolved around five themes of innovative pedagogical approaches, industry partnerships, subtopics of MIS education, new methods and metrics for measuring success in MIS education, and cross-disciplinary opportunities in fields such as mathematics, traditional business disciplines, and the hard sciences