Wikis, Blogs and Other Technology in IS Classes

Vicki L. SauterProfessor of Information Systems

Range of Courses

I teach information systems courses– Introductory MBA course on IT– Systems Analysis (MS and BS level)– Decision Support Systems (MS and BS level)– Doctoral Seminar on Systems Analysis and Design– Internship Requirements

Additional Technology

Email list on outlook so I can email them wherever they are

Discussion board in Blackboard for group discussions

Post final grades for the students to see late in the semester grades

The Internet vs. Blackboard

My material was available prior to the introduction of Blackboard

I have too much material to move Students rely on the materials in later courses My students rely on the materials as references

in their careers Students from around the world are using my

materials both in their classes and just because they find the materials there

Why My Students are Different …

My students are usually technology-proficient They already have some experience with

many tools we use in class They are less tolerant with kludgy tools They are better able to trouble-shoot

problems They will tell you what you should be doing

Why My Students Are Different ….

Problems in the classroom are part of the learning experience for IS students

They need to learn what CAN happen They need to learn how to respond They need to learn coping strategies

Sauter’s First Law of Technology

Never attempt to do something that someone else has not already done successfully

At least do not attempt it alone

Sauter’s Second Law

If it is technology, it will break

What is a Blog?

Wikipedia: A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

What is a Blog?

Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. www.bytowninternet.com/glossary

A short form for weblog, a frequent and chronological publication of comments and thoughts on the web. They usually include philosophical reflections, opinions on the Internet and social or political issues.www.epolitix.com

What is a Blog?

The name "blog" is a truncated form of "web log" according to Rebecca Blood's essay "Weblogs: a history and perspective." Blog is used to refer to sites that can best be described as mini sites or mini directories, populated with the site owner's personal opinions. Blogs are now popular for business use as well.www.thewebdivision.com/glossary.html

Blog is short for Web log and is a Web page that has short, frequent updates made to it. Similar to a Web journal or "what's new" page.www.cougarcreationsinc.com/web_definitions.htm

Decision Support Systems Course

Course Goals– Make them more aware of how decision makers

act– Translate that decision making knowledge into

awareness of how to use models to support decision makers

– Teach them to build software that includes models and support for understanding those models

Motivation for Technology Use

Need students to focus on decision making and modeling since it is a critical component in decision support systems

They have a rudimentary modeling background and no experience in applying those models in real world situations

Students never really understand what a model is outside of a textbook question

Blog Assignment

Emphasize discussion of the models, their impacts, and their assumptions

Find examples of models Critique those models Requiring other students to engage in a directed

discussion through the blogs Worked through an article in class explaining what

should be addressed and how to review the article

Specifics of Assignment

Each student must identify an article each week that discusses decision making

An entry provides a link to an article that discusses decision making and/or modeling and provides a critique of the use of the model and the approach to the decision making.

Each student must comment on other articles and the students’ critiques of the assignments

Example of their Work

Problems – from the Students’ View

Navigation of Blackboard to look at all blogs is tedious

Blackboard screen does not resize nicely Not everyone keeps up, so it is hard to go

back and comment on others’ discussion The assignment is too vague

(undergraduates) It takes too much time (undergraduates)

Problems – from the Students’ View

People don’t engage in discussion – there is the original comment and then they never come back (graduate students)

People late in the alphabet do not get quality comments

Blogs do not thread nicely

Problems – My View

There is a wide range of attention to this assignment

Especially at the undergraduate level, there are often not quality comments

Since I do not require people to go back and respond, there really is not discussion

No obvious improvement in conceptualization of decision making or modeling

Changes

Designate one or two students to find and review an article each week

Require discussion on the article (at undergraduate level, this may mean requiring “x” postings)

Instructor post comments Instructor start process with a review in the

blog format

Introductory MBA Class

Course Goals– Make students more aware of technology and

how it can be used in business– Provide a basic capability in using and

implementing some technologies– Make students aware of the challenges and

legalities associated with implementing technologies in businesses

Motivation for Technology Use

Need students to focus on how technology has been used in various industries

Expose students to the range of applications and the range of issues associated with those applications

Provide them with an experience that uses technology rather than just writing a term paper

Blog Assignment

Select an industry Research how technology has been used in that

industry Critique those applications Make recommendations for how to improve the

application of technology

Respond to the comments I made in the previous week

Specifics of Assignment

Each student selects an industry of interest to them.

Twenty five industries selectedFashion IndustrySports IndustryRetail Sales IndustryMusic IndustryStudent Loan IndustryTravel Industry

Specifics of the Assignment (cont)

Each week the student must research how the topic covered in class is addressed in the selected industry

How blogs are used in the music industryWiki technology in the high tech industryData warehousing and the retail industrySecurity in professional sports industry

Move from Blackboard

Responded to concerns from last class Use http://www.blogger.com/

Easy to accessEasy to navigateScales and sizes nicelyEasy for commentsMore flexibility in the aestheticsSomething they may maintain in the future

(perhaps on other topics)

Example of their Work

Example of their Work

Example of their Work

Problems – from the Students’ View

No complaints have been expressed!

It is a “culture change” to develop a term paper quality document in weekly installments

It is not clear when to stop focusing on last week’s topic and to move onto this week

Problems – from my point of view

It is much more work to comment on the blogs each week than to grade term papers!

It is hard to get them to go to the library and put in that kind of focus on research when they post each week and post to the web

The students are not commenting (at least online) to their colleagues’ blogs

What is a Wiki?

It also sometimes refers to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website

In essence, wiki is a simplification of the process of creating web pages combined with a system that records each individual change that occurs over time, so that at any time, a page can be reverted to any of its previous states.

A wiki system may also provide various tools that easily allow the user community to monitor the constantly changing state of the wiki and discuss the issues that emerge in trying to achieve a general consensus about wiki content. Wiki content can also be misleading as users may add incorrect information to the Wiki page.

Systems Analysis Class

Class Goals– Provide students with the skills to develop a set of

managerial and technical specifications to address business need

Analyze business processes Critically examine problems and opportunities from a

variety of perspectives Examine technology as a tool to address those

problems Construct specifications for someone to build technology

to address those problems and opportunities

Systems Analysis Class

– Develop team skills to address technology problems

Developing a group perspective on the problem Keeping a technical journal Brainstorming of solutions Evaluating solutions Sharing a vision of a solution “Selling” that solution

Motivation for Technology

Student groups are not always cohesive– Some students “opt out”– Some students over control

Students miss many of the steps in the systems analysis process

Documentation of work often is not at an appropriate level

What is a Wiki?

Wikipedia: A wiki is a type of website that allows users to add and edit content easily and is especially suited for collaborative writing.

The name is based on the Hawaiian term wiki, meaning "quick", "fast", or "to hasten". Sometimes the reduplication (wikiwiki) is used instead of wiki.

Wiki Assignment

Students are required to keep a technical journal of their work on a semester project– Only students in the group have access to the

document– Students have the ability to add documents and

edit documents (including group members’ work)– Instructor has “seeded” the group wikis with

outlines and suggestions

Examples of the Seeding

More Detailed Seeding

Problems

Problems

The system has been very unstable Students often can see items in other

students’ wikis Students’ work gets saved in the wrong wiki

Students won’t use the tool We spend too much time in class trying to

troubleshoot

Changes

We now have a solution to the problem The students continued to be hesitant to use the tool

because of concerns about other groups seeing their material and/or losing their material

I took a very hard position – they MUST post their notes or flunk the class

Considered “seeding” information outside the wiki (time intensive to create) and they can import if they want

The Next Semester

Seeded information outside of the wiki Did not require the use of the wiki Set up the opportunity for the wiki use in the

classes and talked about the advantages

The Next Semester

Only one group elected to use the Blackboard wiki tool

One group elected to use an external wiki tool (google’s wiki tool)

Greater flexibility Actual Word formatting Includes Excel sharing too Scales easily

Questions?

Email address: vicki.sauter@umsl.edu Home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter DSS (graduate class) home page:

www.umsl.edu/~sauter/DSS/6833start.html Analysis (undergraduate class) home page:

www.umsl.edu/~sauter/analysis/ba3810start.html MBA Class home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter/5800