Providing context for IT/IS teaching

using Interactive Cases

Robin JohnsonMMU Business School

r.johnson@mmu.ac.uk

Overview

Rationale Case Studies & Interactive Case Studies Demonstrations of 2 versions of TRICS Future

Goals

Teaching “real world” Information Systems

Problem-Based Investigation – learning by doing

Realistic problems – not artificial Complex & messy problems Problems on several levels

What’s the

problem?

Limitations of Case Studies

Linear – organisations aren’t linear Filter material –irrelevance removed organise material – no search required Viewed in retrospect – not evolving No sense of “building a picture” of the

problem

Interactive Case Studies allow students to:

search for relevant information in an investigative way

distinguish relevant and irrelevant information

piece together isolated pieces of information to create a coherent picture of a situation

create meaning from a complex set of data

Interactive Case Studies allow students to:

understand and resolve differing points of view and internal conflicts

deal with a range of differing human interactions

navigate successfully within a complex hierarchy where responsibilities, authorities and decision making are distributed between the stakeholders in unobvious ways.

Features of our Case Tool

Canned questions for formal staff interviews Limit on Questions Students may be asked to explain the rationale for

asking a question (version 1) Questions may be dependent upon another question

(version 1) Eavesdropping on informal staff conversations

(version 2) Time Slices to show cause and effect Internal Documents (minutes, standards,

procedures etc. available for inspection)

Demonstrations

Two Interactive Case Studies at Present1. ATM, a company providing support for IT Managers,

focuses on their need for a Customer Relationship Management system. Used with Level 3 and Masters students to undertake Soft Systems Analysis

2. Ganer, a national law firm with several regional departments. Used with level 2 students to study Organisational structure, change management, power, ethics and HR issues

Use login guest with password guest

Demo - TRICS 1 with ATM case

Case based upon an fictitious advisory organisation who support IT managers, similar to National Computing Centre

TRICS 2 - student

TRICS 2 - Author

TRICS 2 - Author

TRICS 2 Access

http://83.138.128.30/private/mmu/index.aspx

Username test Password test

Other Application Areas

Investigation of any organisational process, e.g. production line, logistics, supply chain etc …

Medical – ward rounds - question patients rather than staff, look at medical notes, etc.

Legal – investigation of criminal activities on a campus – interview people who were involved, study other evidence.

Social workers doing case investigations Professional practice with architects, engineers,

hospital doctors, solicitors, etc.

Other Case-Based Software

Feedback

Is there a need? Would your students enjoy using it? Would you reuse somebody else’s case? Would you share your own case material? What features would you want?