Multimedia Case Studies in IS Education - Methodological Approach and Empirical Findings

Due to the rapid diffusion of modern Information- and Communication Technologies in all business areas the demand for well education IS-professional has increased enormously. As a consequence, controversial discussions on the quality of IS-education and the application of teaching methods in the field of IS came up in the recent years. Teaching experts suggest to shift the emphasis in IS-education from passive and content-transfer oriented teaching methods to active and problem-based learning approaches which address interdisciplinary perspectives. As one of the most effective method for the realisation of active and problem-based learning processes, the case study method is established in management education since decades. Nevertheless, compared to other popular learning methods the case study method has - due the long history of application - a reputation as being “traditional” and not very innovative. This paper reflects the potential of improving the case study method by using hypertext and multimedia technologies for the implementation and presentation of case-related content. Taking the strengths of the case study method and recommendations of constructivist learning theories into account two important didactic concepts have been identified which can be used to support the design and development of multimedia case studies: authenticity and complexity. In an empirical study, the effects of these concepts on cognitive learning objectives, motivational factors and the learning-effort have been analysed. For that purpose, three versions of multimedia case studies with the same content but with different levels of authenticity and complexity have been developed and applied in an Electronic Commerce case-seminar. The results of the survey suggest that with regard to cognitive learning objectives multimedia case studies with a high level of complexity and authenticity promote a deeper processing of information and leads to a higher quality of results than multimedia case studies with a low level of complexity and authenticity. Nevertheless, a high level of complexity and authenticity can also have demotivational effects on side of the learner. The results show that there is not one way to implement complexity and authenticity in multimedia case studies but that these concepts have to be carefully applied and combined to match as effective as possible the educational setting

ICT student projects : Assessing students engaged in the community

To perform successfully in the workplace, employers demand that a new ICT graduate should be equipped with a strong set of technical skills, coupled with a flexible and creative approach to problem solving (Dawson, 2000; Hagan, 2004). To prepare students for their transition to industry, many tertiary institutions incorporate a team project into the final year of their IT and Computing courses (Clear, Young, Goldweber, Leidig, & Scott, 2001). Such projects include diverse technical areas including software development on specialised platforms, hardware design, networking problems and multimedia development. The importance of a software team project in final year computing degrees is without argument (Newman, Daniels, & Faulkner, 2003; Lynch, Goold, & Blain, 2004); however, there is academic debate about how to best achieve ‘industrial strength’ authenticity for students. Should the project problem be one constructed by academic staff? Or should the problem be that of a real client? In this paper we argue the latter case by describing our experiences drawn from supervising student ICT projects done for real clients in the local community across three different institutions. An assessment model for student projects that successfully promotes the development of good graduate attributes and the development of professional processes is detailed. The model includes explicit scaffolding and support structures to aid students engaged in real‐life (and loosely defined) software projects. We argue that assessment of project work is about valuing process as much as product; we also report upon lessons learned from implementing this model at different institutions

A scalable and portable structure for conducting successful year-long undergraduate software team projects

Year-long team projects with external clients provide a well recognized opportunity for students to gain industry experience, whilst being supported and guided by staff to minimize risks. Each group should be supervised to ensure that they have enough direction and confidence to approach a new problem of significant size, without being daunted. A structure is needed that is flexible and adaptable to suit various institutional cultures but, at the same time, provides the safety net to ensure that success is likely. This paper presents a reflective analysis of teaching at three different institutions and presents the resulting distilled wisdom of experience that has produced a structured framework for capstone project units.C